The Parables of Dr. Seuss

I've known there was more to Dr. Seuss ever since I read through his collection of World War II-era cartoons: "Dr. Seuss Goes to War: The World War II Editorial Cartoons of Theodor (Seuss) Geisel." His strong social conscience was obvious as he skewered the dangers of the Nazi thugs extending their grasp across Europe. Some of his cartoons were even razor-sharp darts at the handful of Americans who were sympathetic to the Fascists.Now, Robert Short has turned to a theological study of Seuss' dozens of children's books. This is not as crazy as it may sound to Baby Boomers reared on "Cat in the Hat." Short has a sharp eye and mind for these things. After all, he's the "godfather" of the "Gospel According to ..." genre. In the 1960s, Short wrote the original "Gospel According to Peanuts" book that sold millions and millions of copies. Digging into Seuss' early life, Short points out that -- while studying at Oxford University in the mid 1920s -- Seuss' greatest desire was to illustrate a new edition of "Pilgrim's Progress." The fact that Oxford scholars blocked his plan eventually led to his departure from Britain -- and, Short argues, his later strategy of submerging spiritual themes beneath the surface of his book projects.Short doesn't completely prove that Seuss deliberately placed Christian themes in his children's books -- but Short does convincingly demonstrate that these themes must have been a part of the spiritual fabric of Seuss' creative life.You'll have to read the book to decide for yourself, but after examining 11 of Seuss' most popular books -- Short makes a mighty convincing case that Seuss has been passing powerful messages along to us through the years with equal doses of joy and laughter!Members of small groups, looking for intriguing books to study, will thoroughly enjoy this journey with Short and Seuss.

Great book, good for adult bible study lessons

My boys like to watch YouTube videos of Dr. Seuss stories with Jonathan Lithgow narrating, This book really helps me appreciate the stories as well.

really great book. it sucks that this computer program makes you write more words than you have to say before it lets you hit submit.

I totally enjoyed this book. It was very thought provoking and our study group had an interesting discussion about it.

I'm very pleased with my book. Prompt & in wonderful condition!

Since we had our first daughter almost four years ago, I've read dozens of Dr. Seuss books probably thousands of times, and I absolutely love them. His language and rhyming and vocabulary and cadence and creativity are simply brilliant, and the illustrations fit the text perfectly. And as a pastor, I'm always interested in finding legitimate points of connection between seemingly secular work and the Christian artists and authors who often create some of the best stuff. So, I was intrigued by the idea of Robert Short's "The Parables of Dr. Seuss." Unfortunately, it fell far short of my modest expectations.The premise of the book is that Dr. Seuss' books were written with connections to the gospel of Jesus Christ all throughout them, a fascinating idea to consider. But when Short began Chapter 1 by suggesting that green eggs and ham represent the body and blood of Christ, I had to reread it several times. Seriously, green eggs and ham were intended to demonstrate the sacramental elements of Communion? Well, Short was serious. And those sorts of absurd intellectual leaps were the main content of this entire book. His connections, without exception though to varying degrees, ranged from ridiculous to borderline offensive, and I simply couldn't believe that he was taking such liberties with Dr. Seuss' work. Of course, if there was any hint of evidence to suggest that Dr. Seuss was actually writing with these metaphors in mind, I would have given Short some latitude to be creative. But he offered no such evidence and simply asked us to believe that these laughable allusions were actually behind Dr. Seuss' vast library of classic children's literature.Frankly, I thought this entire book was just silly. I gave it two stars because Short deserves some sliver of credit for working so hard to make up these connections. But everything was such a stretch and the points of connection were so far-fetched and cheesy that I had a hard time even getting through the chapters. I really wouldn't recommend this book to anyone and would instead suggest that we all just stick with the original, the great Dr. himself, and let his work stand on its own merit, not the imaginary, wishful ramblings that filled this book.

excellent book. Well recommended for Dr Seuss book lovers