This is one of my favorite books from my childhood. I have been recycling and trying to help our environment since elementary school--I remember spending hours separating white and colored paper for recycling. There are so many great things about this story that makes it relevant to our eco-issues. When first viewing this book, normal Dr. Seuss characteristics are evident--bright colors, crazy looking creatures, and a sing-song tone to the text. I like that this strives to make us think about what we are doing when we are "improving" life. For so long we have taken our earth for granted and our lives are being affected now in more tangible ways--extreme pollution, smog, and global warming. I was impressed that the box I read was printed on recycled paper, part of The Lorax Project.
The main controversy around this book is centered on the portrayal of the logging industry as wasteful, heartless, and money grubbing. The famous character of the Once-ler is only a pair of green arms and hands--we never see his face. When asked about his methods, the Once-ler replies, "I biggered my money, which everyone needs." This is sometimes how we feel when talking about industries making millions each year--they seem like a faceless entity with no concern for its actions.
A logging community in California had major concerns that the book showed its industry in a false and negative light. Interestingly enough, they countered with another book--The Truax. I understand having a problem with this book once it interferes with your ability to make a living, but it is obviously an extreme example of what could happen. If the logging industry felt creating a wasteland in the book was their fault, it could have served as a wake-up call--which I suspect Dr. Seuss intended. If one must cut down trees in one area, having a social conscious would mean to do something to help the earth in another way--replanting, more rigorous rules for waste and production, etc.
Dr. Seuss leaves the reader with no real solution, just as is there seems to be no good ecological and practical solution to our planet's plight. With so much at stake, it can seem hard to know where to start. I believe that using this book with young elementary age students can help raise an awareness without being "preachy." It is all well and good to tell students how important it is to recycle, reduce, and reuse, but until they really believe it, they won't make it a part of their everyday lives.
I would definitely have this book in my classroom library and use it for read alouds. I think that second graders on up would get more out of it, as the storyline is more involved than Dr. Seuss favorites like The Cat and the Hat and Hop on Pop. I'm pretty sure I did use this book in my third grade class after a discussion about recycling came up. The kids liked the illustrations and tone of the book. We were able to have a discussion about what was happening to the land in the book and create more internal connections.
Where I taught in North Carolina, people didn't recycle and my students hated using the backsides of their papers. I had one student who was especially adamant about using a clean sheet. To help emphasize my point about waste, we created two "landfills" filled with paper, plastic, cereal, pencils, and leaves. We watered and observed the flower pots for several months and then dug up what was left. There had been a straw in a plastic wrapper that was still as good as new and I shocked the students by opening the plastic and using the straw to drink water.
Obviously this experiment was not totally realistic, but it did raise awareness. I don't think I created a new Eco-Crusader that day, but I did give my students another viewpoint to consider. It starts with one person saying they are going to make a difference--just as the little boy is told when standing in the pile of stones marked "Unless."
"I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees. I speak for the trees for the trees have no tongues."
"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better."
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