The now remorseful Once-ler--our faceless, bodiless narrator--tells the story himself. Long ago this enterprising villain chances upon a place filled with wondrous Truffula Trees, Swomee-Swans, Brown Bar-ba- loots, and Humming-Fishes. Bewitched by the beauty of the Truffula Tree tufts, he greedily chops them down to produce and mass-market Thneeds. ("It's a shirt. It's a sock. It's a glove. It's a hat.") As the trees swiftly disappear and the denizens leave for greener pastures, the fuzzy yellow Lorax (who speaks for the trees "for the trees have no tongues") repeatedly warns the Once-ler, but his words of wisdom are for naught. Finally the Lorax extricates himself from the scorched earth (by the seat of his own furry pants), leaving only a rock engraved "UNLESS." Thus, with his own colorful version of a compelling morality play, Dr. Seuss teaches readers not to fool with Mother Nature. But as you might expect from Seuss, all hope is not lost--the Once-ler has saved a single Truffula Tree seed! Our fate now rests in the hands of a caring child, who becomes our last chance for a clean, green future. (Ages 4 to 8)



Customer Reviews
Great book! -- 2010-07-19
This book has a great message to it. Any one can relate to the idea that overusing resources and polluting the land leave our children with nothing. This was my favorite book growing up, the movie is just as great. It bothers me so much that a book with such a great meaning behind it could be banned by some school districts. Are our kids not allowed to learn that natural resources can be limited or used up because our actions??


Serious message with Suessian style -- 2010-07-13
This is by far my absolute favorite Dr. Suess book of all time. Socially concious Suess wrote this book as a reminder that we have a responsibility to our planet and its inhabitants no matter how much we THINK we need the latest fad. The Once-ler tells this story from the perspective of someone who knows the damage that can be done and regrets his part in it terribly. I use this book as a teaching tool in my gifted classes every year because I think it carries such an important and potentially tragic message while still leaving a ray of hope that these situations can be corrected. This story simplifies a serious social issue in a way that only Suess can...and in a way that makes it easy for children to see what adults don't always pick up on. To be honest, I'd be lying if I told you that I didn't get a little choked up and misty every time I read the line, "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." Noone can argue with the simple truth that Suess provided us with in this book and that's what makes it so much more valuable than just some old children's book. Personally, I feel like a lot of adults would benefit from a good read-through of this one.


WOW! -- 2010-06-09
Written in 1971??? Holy Cow!!! Is anyone out there listening??? Today as I write this in 2010, I sit, watching the Once-ers (also known as the BP ers) continue to destroy our good earth. The sad part is, there may not be a seed to throw to the next generation. What a fabulous book. What a sad but honest commentary about greed.


The lorax -- 2010-05-03
This is for me, Dr Seuss' most poignant work. The message is clear, "unless someone cares a whole awful lot, Nothing is going to get better, it's not. Read this to your children!


Entertaining book with environmental lesson -- 2010-04-22
I bought this book back in college when I was intersted in teaching environmental science. I ended up using it when I substitute taught and worked at an environmental camp. It is enteraining like most Dr. Seuss books and has a timeless lesson. I have started reading to my 4 year old. I highly recommend it.