Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Unless...

I was babysitting for the Frog (my friend's toddler) tonight and one of the stories I read him was the Lorax. The last page goes like this:

UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
nothing is going to get better. It´s not. SO...
Catch! calls the Once-ler. He lets something fall.
It´s a Truffula Seed. It´s the last one of all!
You´re in charge of the last of the Truffula Seeds.
And Truffula Trees are what everyone needs.
Plant a new Truffula. Treat it with care.
Give it clean water. And feed it fresh air.
Grow a forest. Protect it from axes that hack.
Then the Lorax and all of his friends may come back.
It seemed like so much responsibility to put on such a little baby, I got upset and teary reading it to him.* The world felt like a heavy weight today, and I didn't want to give it to him.

* Just to clarify I haven't completely changed my politics - I don't think the unless... is one boy and one Truffula seed (lots of children is a different matter), but it was close enough to upset me.

4 comments:

  1. Anonymous10:35 am

    Ha, I've been checking your blog every few hours just to catch up on the cop rapist case and came across your 'Lorax' post. I recently bought this book at a book fair for my 3 year old and after reading the first few pages, I realised it would have been better to give it to my partner who has almost finished his business studies degree. Dr Suess is just brilliant.

    Linda Axford

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  2. I read this story to my children and I get all teary too.

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  3. I've teared many a time reading that too.

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  4. Anonymous3:36 pm

    I prefer I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew - there is no utopia.

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