"Horton" opens with the delightful rhyme "On the fifteenth of May, in the Jungle of Nool, / In the heat of the day, in the cool of the pool." Horton, a kind-hearted elephant, is the only inhabitant of the jungle who is capable of hearing the Whos, a microscopic race of beings whose entire civilization exists on a speck of dust. Mocked and abused by those who refuse to believe in the tiny Whos, Horton must ultimately join the Whos in a bold plan to prove the tiny beings' existence, and thus save their civilization from destruction.

Dr. Seuss brilliantly combines the classic animal fable genre with a brilliant science fiction twist. But I also see "Horton" as a deeply humanistic parable of social justice. The Whos could be seen as symbols for any group of individuals who have been rendered "invisible" and voiceless by an arrogant dominant group. So the Whos could represent the poor, the lesbian and gay community, ethnic or religious minorities, women, or other groups.

And Horton could be seen as a courageous, nonconformist prophet of social justice--a sort of Seussian version of Pablo Neruda, or Walt Whitman. Moreover, Horton is a member of the "dominant" group who chooses to identify with and stand in solidarity with a marginalized community, even at the risk of his own freedom. Furthermore, the hoped-for salvation of the Whos lies not in Horton's actions alone, nor in the Whos' own actions alone, but rather in the combined strength of both the entire Who community and their elephant advocate. I believe that Horton's quest reflects the ideas expressed by Brazilian educator-philosopher Paulo Freire in his classic volume "Pedagogy of the Oppressed."

I don't want to reveal the details of the book's ending, but I'll just say that Dr. Seuss brings this suspenseful tale to a triumphant and life-affirming conclusion. And the story is brilliantly enhanced by marvelous Seussian artwork--I especially liked the illustrations of the whimsical Whos and their Escheresque city. "Horton Hears a Who!" is a classic for readers of all ages.


A children's book that can be read on many levels...   February 14, 2001
 23 out of 26 found this review helpful

I bought this book for my six year-old this past Christmas. She has recently fallen in love with Dr. Seuss books, and poetry in general. And this book, along with other Seuss books, gives her great joy. We read it together, out loud, enjoying the scan and ryhme of the words and sentences. And on that level, it's one of her favorites.

But after we read it, we talk about the concepts behind it, how "a person's a person, no matter how small", and how Horton realizes the inherent dignity in all life, regardless of whether or not it fits into our commonly held conceptions. This book allows me to open up discussions on race, and religion, and the external aspects of persons, and how often we judge people (sometimes unfairly) based on how they look, rather than on their actions.

I highly recommend this book for any schoolchild and parent to read together, reveling in the language and fun, and then use as a stepping stone to further discussions about life and personhood.


Tremendous historical reference - still pertinent today.   December 6, 1999
 16 out of 16 found this review helpful

Horton Hears A Who was about much much more than Horton's predicament. Written in the early 1950's, this story reflected a new way of thinking for Dr. Seuss as an individual, and ran contrary to the grain of much of the sentiment in the United States at the time.

During the early 1950's the results of the Marshall Plan were still unclear, and Americans, who had just fought a fierce war with Japan and Germany in the decade before, were debating whether or not to continue with our aid, protection and reconstruction programs. The programs were designed to give our defeated foes a chance to rebuild. They were a brave new experiment. An effort to avoid punishing the populous for its bad leadership. Also, for the first time in history, and effort to love your enemy, in the hopes of making them your friend forever.

Many Americans viewed the Germans and Japanese with disdain. They were calling for an end to aid for a variety of reasons, most of which are touched upon in the book.

Despite his racially charged characterizations of the Japanese *during* the war, Dr. Seuss was coming to terms with the fact that the general populations of Germany and Japan were additional victoms of the war - simply leftover pawns in a terrible game.

Seuss wrote this book in an effort to get the word out that, despite differences past and present, we should try to care about one another just the same.

You see:

"the Whos down in Whoville on top of that little speck are people,regardless of race,creed-or size!"

Dr. Seuss was compelled by the helplessness of these devestated nations, and was issuing an appeal for everyone to start looking at nations as a collection of real people, rather than as a monolithic "other".


The Most Important Kids' Book   September 3, 2005
 14 out of 15 found this review helpful

I am blessed to own many beautiful books for kids but if I had to get rid of all but one, this is the book I would keep. Its message: "A person's a person no matter how small" is everything you really need to teach the children in your life. I have shared it with four years olds, 12 year olds and adults. It's incredible.


Two stories in one   August 24, 2004
 13 out of 13 found this review helpful

Like most of Dr. Seuss's work, Horton Hears A Who can be taken at face value or read as a deeper allegory. I would like to concentrate on the first, as I believe there has been enough philosophizing done on this book to last for years.

Horton is an elephant who happens to hear a tiny little voice (by merit of his large ears, one would suspect) on a flower. Amazingly, he discovers an entire tiny city lving on this one flower! Everyone else in the jungle of Nool is critical, and tries to dissuade him of this--first peacably enough, but later with more hostility. In the end, Horton and all his Who-friends are able to save the day with a lot of teamwork and one little voice added to the fray.

Of course, your child probably won't care about many of the underlying themes at age 4--if Dr. Seuss's books were only dry life lessons, they wouldn't be classics. Yet, at the risk of going against my earlier promise, there is more than a good story here, and that's what ultimately makes this book rereadable at any age.