Dr. SeussThe Sneetches and Other Stories: A classic children's story book from the Sunday Times bestselling author, for young readers ages 3 – 7

"The Sneetches and Other Stories" by Dr. Seuss is a classic collection of tales that has captivated readers for generations. This book is comprised of four distinct stories: "The Sneetches," "The Zax," "Too Many Daves," and "What Was I Scared Of?" Each story, in typical Dr. Seuss fashion, is marked by whimsical rhymes, imaginative illustrations, and an underlying moral lesson."The Sneetches" is perhaps the most famous story in the collection. It addresses themes of prejudice and discrimination in a manner that is accessible to children. The Sneetches are creatures divided into groups based on physical characteristics (having or not having a star on their bellies), leading to a poignant discussion about the absurdity and harm of such divisions. This story is often celebrated for its subtle yet powerful way of teaching children about equality and the importance of accepting differences."The Zax" is a shorter tale about stubbornness and the consequences of inflexibility. It features two creatures, the North-Going Zax and the South-Going Zax, who refuse to budge from their paths, resulting in a standstill. This story humorously highlights the importance of compromise and the foolishness of unwavering stubbornness."Too Many Daves" is a lighter, more humorous story about a mother who named all her sons Dave, leading to practical and humorous complications. This story is often seen as a playful take on the importance of individuality and the uniqueness of each person."What Was I Scared Of?" is a slightly eerie tale about encountering the unknown, in this case, a pair of pale green pants with nobody inside them. The story deals with fear of the unknown and the realization that what we fear often has more to do with our perceptions than with reality. It's a gentle reminder about the unfounded nature of many fears and the importance of understanding and empathy.Overall, "The Sneetches and Other Stories" is a brilliant collection that combines humor, wisdom, and whimsy. Dr. Seuss' ability to weave important life lessons into entertaining stories is unparalleled, making this book not only a delightful read for children but also a valuable tool for parents and educators in discussing complex social and emotional topics. The book's enduring popularity is a testament to its quality and the timeless nature of its messages.

These are wonderful stories for children, especially the Sneetches. They teach great morals, are fun and easy to read, and make for great bedtime stories. But as an adult, if you think about when Dr. Suess wrote these stories, during the lead up to the civil rights movement in America (the Sneetches was published in 1961, the Civil Rights Act was passed in 1967), they are remarkable in his attempts to influence society through children's literature. Dr. Suess himself was always very open about his push for social change through his books like the Lorax (environmentalism), the Sneetches (race relations), and Yertle the Turtle (class equality).For those who don't know, the Sneetches is a story about the Sneetches with stars on their bellies, and those without. The star bellied sneetches won't talk to those without. When a stranger comes to town and offers to put stars on the bellies of those without for three dollars each, everything changes. As the original star bellied sneetches pay ten dollars each to remove their stars to remain different the two groups eventually realise they really aren't that different after all.The Zax is a story about stubbornness and how sometimes it is better to give a little than to stand firmly in your place.Too Many Daves is a cute and funny poem with no real meaning behind it (as far as I can tell).What Was I Scared Of? is a bizarre story about a boy who is afraid of an empty pair of trousers he sees in the woods. Eventually he realises that they can be friends.Every kid should grow up on Dr. Suess, and I recommend this collection whole heartedly, as the Sneetches alone make it worth the purchase.

Perhaps it's me, but I can't say I regarded the Sneetches as one of Seuss's foremost tales. As such I see this as a bit of a gem. A timeless story, as per many of Dr Seuss's works, with a few more shorter tales that keep the amusement going. Love it.

This wonderful book addresses many issues related to prejudice, superiority, judging others, segregation, division of people, rigid thinking (You're Wrong and I'm Right) as well as "Fear of the UNKNOWN"..in 4 short stories.It was written around the period of the US Civil Rights movement, and was a way that Dr Suess hoped to reach youth, by exposing them to the adult nonsense of judging people by the way they look.Due to the current trend of Woke-ism in modern education, most modern books that attempt to address this topic end up creating more division, hatred, confusion and self-doubt rather than understanding, self-reflection, and love for other human beings.Mercifully, we can go back a few decades and find someone with the wisdom of Dr Suess, who came from a place of love.Although this may not be "the best" of his writing, it is surely one of the most important in terms of the themes it brings up.Note: if you are triggered by my using the term WOKE...just ignore this review and look up the book yourself and see if you like it. Don't look over this gem due to your dislike of me or any reviewer.As I struggle to find good children's books and young adult titles that are not influenced by WOKE culture, perhaps someone will find this review of use.P.S. The last story about the "scary trousers" is fantastic, too...addressing how we can fear something irrationally...just because we don't understand it.

I bought this story particularly to tell the story of the Sneetches and the moralistic values within it. This is a fantastic story to introduce discussions of discrimination in all forms and to talk about the unfairness of some Sneetches towards the other ones because of a perceived difference.I thoroughly recommend this story as a great way to discuss issues with youger children.

Great book