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This one’s for you parents out there. Dr. Seuss is about as well-known, classic author as they come, but you may not have heard of this classic tale of an unfortunate little creature and the difficulties he endures in trying to run away from his problems. This is my absolute favourite children’s story—and one of the principle influences in my youthful decision to “grow up to be a writer.”
Theodore Geisel (AKA Dr. Seuss) wrote many moral stories, but this one stands out, as I’ve always felt the lesson was one of the utmost importance for children (and adults, come to think of it). In essence, you can’t run from your problems—or you’ll simply run into more.
The story begins in a hilly place with large surreal flowers called the Valley of Vung, where a young creature resembling a bear cub is strolling along without a care in the world. Suddenly, he’s attacked by other creatures from both sides, above and below. Fortunately, he comes across a wubble-chap on a one-wheeler wubble, an interesting one-wheeled contraption that’s pulled by a camel. The wubble-chap offers to take him to Solla Sollew, where “they never have troubles, at least very few.”
They travel for many miles until their camel gets sick, forcing the cub-creature to leave the wubble-chap and his camel in lieu of taking a bus. The bus is broken down, informs a sign at the station, so he must continue on foot. A great series of horrid and unpredictable events follows—all described in that unbeatable rhyme of Geisel’s—until at last, just when he’s ready to give up all hope, he arrives at Solla Sollew. But, of course, there’s trouble here, too!
There’s only one door into Solla Sollew, and a terrible little creature called a key slapping slippard has invaded the keyhole, making it impossible to enter the city. The doorman is off to another famed paradise and offers to take the cub-creature with him. He considers this, but then he comes to the realization that you can’t run from your problems. So he heads back to the Valley with a baseball bat, to confront his problems head-on. It’s important to point out that no violence ensues, as this was never the point. The bat is simply a metaphor, but you may want to add, after reading this to your kids, that violence is not the right answer
either—my only minor problem with the book’s ending.
This is a really fun read for kids, and, as with most Dr. Seuss books, the drawings are as lively and imaginative as the text. So herd your kids onto the couch, open up this classic, and tell them a story that they won’t soon forget.
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