2. Dr. Seuss’ Political
Cartoons •
•
Collection of World War II editorial cartoons
Useful for illustrating point of view, theme,
bias, irony
• Analysis of a cartoon’s message can help
students make memorable connections to
content
www.amazon.co
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http://libraries.ucsd.edu/speccoll/dspolitic/Frame.htm
3. Yertle the Turtle
•Themes: tyranny, totalitarianism
•7th grade World History Connection:
Rise of Hitler
•“Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories…was first
released by Random House Books on April
12, 1958…Though it contains three short
stories, it is mostly known for its first story,
“Yertle the Turtle”, in which Yertle, king of the
pond, stands on his subjects in an attempt to
reach higher than the moon—until the bottom
turtle burps and he falls into the mud, ending
his rule. The story, among Seuss's most
notable, is widely recognized as condemning
fascism and absolute power; the despotic
ruler Yertle was intended to parallel the
dictator Adolf Hitler.” www.amazon.co
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Source: teachpeace.org
4. The Sneetches
• Themes: discrimination, tolerance
• 7th grade World History Connection:
Anti-Semitism
• “Published in 1961, The Sneetches was
written during the controversial times in
America of the civil rights
movement. Depicting messages of
racism, and discrimination, he uses a
simple star as the cause for major
conflict in this story. The yellow,
seemingly primitive Sneetches try to find
power through discriminating against
one another based on a distinction so
insignificant as the presence of a star on
their belly. ”
Source: teachpeace.org
www.amazon.co
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5. The Butter Battle
Book
• Themes: escalation of conflict
• 7th grade World History Connection:
The Cold War
• “Published in 1984, Butter Battle shed light
on the growing threat of war between Yooks
and the Zooks. The threat stems solely from
the way Yooks and Zooks choose to eat their
bread: butter-side up and butter-side down,
respectively. The story ends with a blank
page, leaving a cliffhanger ending that is open
to interpretation.”
Source: teachpeace.org
www.amazon.co
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6. The Lorax
• Themes: greed, environmental conservation
• 7th grade World History Connection:
Impacts of industrialization
• “The Lorax, written by Dr. Seuss in 1971, focuses
on environmentalism and the consequences of
increasing industrialization. …Seuss personifies
big industry in an entrepreneur, the Once-ler,
and the stereotypical environmentalist in the
Lorax. The Lorax is a mysterious character who
attempts to protect animals’ habitats from the
Once-ler's destructive and greedy actions. The
message Seuss portrays about the detrimental
effects of environmental apathy is one that
resounds strongly still in today’s world with the
ever looming prospects of global warming.”
www.amazon.co Source: teachpeace.org
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