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Horton Hears A Who! [Hardcover]

Dr. Seuss
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (108 customer reviews)

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Book Description

August 12, 1954 5 - 9 years490L (What's this?)
Join one of the most beloved Dr. Seuss characters in this timeless, moving, and comical classic. Thanks to the irrepressible rhymes and eye-catching illustrations of Dr. Seuss, young readers will learn the importance of kindness, trustworthiness, and perseverance from the very determined—and very endearing—Horton the Elephant.

Frequently Bought Together

Horton Hears A Who! + The Lorax (Classic Seuss) + Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories
Price for all three: $34.85

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Surely among the most lovable of all Dr. Seuss creations, Horton the Elephant represents kindness, trustworthiness, and perseverance--all wrapped up, thank goodness, in a comical and even absurd package. Horton hears a cry for help from a speck of dust, and spends much of the book trying to protect the infinitesimal creatures who live on it from the derision and trickery of other animals, who think their elephant friend has gone quite nutty. But worse is in store: an eagle carries away the clover in which Horton has placed the life-bearing speck, and "let that small clover drop somewhere inside / of a great patch of clovers a hundred miles wide!" Horton wins in the end, after persuading the "Who's" to make as much noise as possible and prove their existence. This classic is not only fun, but a great way to introduce thoughtful children to essentially philosophical questions. How, after all, are we so sure there aren't invisible civilizations floating by on every mote? (Ages 4 to 8) --Richard Farr

Review

"Dr Seuss ignites a child's imagination with his mischievous characters and zany verses." The Express --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

  • Age Range: 5 - 9 years
  • Hardcover: 72 pages
  • Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers; First Printing edition (August 12, 1954)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0394800788
  • ISBN-13: 978-0394800783
  • Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.2 x 0.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (108 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,382 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

"A person's a person, no matter how small," Theodor Seuss Geisel, a.k.a. Dr. Seuss, would say. "Children want the same things we want. To laugh, to be challenged, to be entertained and delighted."

Brilliant, playful, and always respectful of children, Dr. Seuss charmed his way into the consciousness of four generations of youngsters and parents. In the process, he helped millions of kids learn to read.

Dr. Seuss was born Theodor Geisel in Springfield, Massachusetts, on March 2, 1904. After graduating from Dartmouth College in 1925, he went to Oxford University, intending to acquire a doctorate in literature. At Oxford, Geisel met Helen Palmer, whom he wed in 1927. Upon his return to America later that year, Geisel published cartoons and humorous articles for Judge, the leading humor magazine in America at that time. His cartoons also appeared in major magazines such as Life, Vanity Fair, and Liberty. Geisel gained national exposure when he won an advertising contract for an insecticide called Flit. He coined the phrase, "Quick, Henry, the Flit!" which became a popular expression.

Geisel published his first children's book, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, in 1937, after 27 publishers rejected it.

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1984, an Academy Award, three Emmy Awards, three Grammy Awards, and three Caldecott Honors, Geisel wrote and illustrated 44 books. While Theodor Geisel died on September 24, 1991, Dr. Seuss lives on, inspiring generations of children of all ages to explore the joys of reading.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#81 Overall (See top 100 authors)
#78 in Books
#78 in Books

Customer Reviews

My kids loved reading and being read to with these books. Vicki Brokos  |  12 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
42 of 45 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A children's book that can be read on many levels... February 14, 2001
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
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.

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48 of 53 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
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".

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25 of 27 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars The Most Important Kids' Book September 3, 2005
Format:Hardcover
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.
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40 of 49 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A classic parable of social justice August 13, 2001
Format:Hardcover
Like many of Dr. Seuss' great classics, "Horton Hears a Who!" can be read on multiple levels. You could approach it as a straightforward story (which is, I'm sure, how most children enjoy it). Or you could read the plot and characters as metaphors for larger issues. Either way, "Horton" is an unforgettable text.

"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....

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. Read more ›

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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Horton the Elephant: A True Hero for Our Time April 8, 1998
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
I suspect that even people who don't know a word of English might enjoy Dr. Seuss's galloping rhythms, precise rhymes, and intricate illustrations of creatures and objects that couldn't possibly exist outside the wonderful, whimsical Seussian universe. But in Horton Hears a Who, the good doctor uses his inimitable talents not only to amuse but to weave a morality tale of surprising profundity. Although Horton is the largest creature in the Jungle of Nool, he alone is sensitive to the needs of the very smallest and most helpless. "A person's a person no matter how small" is a refrain that has rung true with several generations of young readers, and it is a credo that is no less valid today than it was half a century ago. Although Horton is referring to the tiny inhabitants of Whoville, young readers know intuitively that the author is really speaking about them. That children both need and deserve the respect and protection of their elders is a point that is all too rarely made in children's literature. Come to think of it, don't all of need to be reassured once in a while that compassionate spirits like Horton can be counted upon to come forward in times of crisis to protect us from the likes of the gleefully ignorant Wickersham Brothers and the mean-spirited Vlad Vlad-i-koff?
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful
this is a great book a to read as a night time story and I loved reading to my little one
Published 2 days ago by AZ
5.0 out of 5 stars Emma loved it!
I bought this for my granddaughter and she read it to me as soon as she opened the package. She was very happy she could read it with very little help.
Published 12 days ago by Linda L Hindman
5.0 out of 5 stars Horton is great
I love it! Classics are great, you can go back to old memories to remember such good times. Then share them with Grand Children.
Published 1 month ago by L. Ed Bruns, Jr.
5.0 out of 5 stars Classic
One of Seuss' classic reads. Horton is the most loveable sweet character. He is so thoughtful and caring. Great fun.
Published 1 month ago by Claudine
3.0 out of 5 stars Not "new"
This was supposed to be a "new" book but it clearly wasn't. While it's in close to new condition, it clearly wasn't new. It was scratched up and an older style.
Published 1 month ago by Jennifer Krog
5.0 out of 5 stars Great!
Classic Dr. Seuss. We read this book and also rented the original movie for it and my kids loved it. Dr. Seuss is the best.
Published 1 month ago by Vee
5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read
Whether to tots or to people my age (just turned 80), this book never gets old. I consider it one of the best theological treatises I have read. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Teresa Boersig
5.0 out of 5 stars great
Just wanted this for the libary of OLIVE...great book to share lessons in Sunday School grandchildren. and great children...Dr. Suess had great insights into life. Read more
Published 2 months ago by ooesch
5.0 out of 5 stars my daughter's favorite book!
This is a fun book! It has quickly become my 4 year old daughter's favorite book. She wants us to read it to her nearly every day.
Published 2 months ago by Megan C Brandenburg
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Book!
This book is a favorite of our family. Highly recommended!! Kids love it and it has a great message. Don't miss it!!
Published 2 months ago by Sam DeLaney
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