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Horton the Elephant
Horton Hatches the Egg
Beloved by generations for his kindness and loyalty, Horton the Elephant is one of the most iconic and honorable characters in children's literature – as well as the star of two books and a short story by Dr. Seuss (Horton Hatches the Egg, Horton Hears a Who!, and Horton and the Kwuggerbug).
Everyone laughs when Horton the Elephant offers to sit on Mayzie bird's egg while she goes on holiday. Horton's kindness and faithfulness are sorely tested when he, and the egg, are kidnapped and sold to a circus – but his reward for being faithful is more wonderful than he could ever have dreamed!
With his unique combination of hilarious stories, zany pictures and riotous rhymes, Dr. Seuss has been delighting young children and helping them learn to read for over fifty years. Creator of the wonderfully anarchic 'Cat in the Hat', and ranked among the world's top children's authors, Dr. Seuss is a global best-seller, with nearly half a billion books sold worldwide.
Everyone laughs when Horton the Elephant offers to sit on Mayzie bird's egg while she goes on holiday. Horton's kindness and faithfulness are sorely tested when he, and the egg, are kidnapped and sold to a circus – but his reward for being faithful is more wonderful than he could ever have dreamed!
With his unique combination of hilarious stories, zany pictures and riotous rhymes, Dr. Seuss has been delighting young children and helping them learn to read for over fifty years. Creator of the wonderfully anarchic 'Cat in the Hat', and ranked among the world's top children's authors, Dr. Seuss is a global best-seller, with nearly half a billion books sold worldwide.
64 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1940
About the author
Dr. Seuss
946 books17.9k followersTheodor Seuss Geisel was born 2 March 1904 in Springfield, Massachusetts. He graduated Dartmouth College in 1925, and proceeded on to Oxford University with the intent of acquiring a doctorate in literature. At Oxford he met Helen Palmer, who he wed in 1927. He returned from Europe in 1927, and began working for a magazine called Judge, the leading humor magazine in America at the time, submitting both cartoons and humorous articles for them. Additionally, he was submitting cartoons to Life, Vanity Fair and Liberty. In some of his works, he'd made reference to an insecticide called Flit. These references gained notice, and led to a contract to draw comic ads for Flit. This association lasted 17 years, gained him national exposure, and coined the catchphrase "Quick, Henry, the Flit!"
In 1936 on the way to a vacation in Europe, listening to the rhythm of the ship's engines, he came up with And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, which was then promptly rejected by the first 43 publishers he showed it to. Eventually in 1937 a friend published the book for him, and it went on to at least moderate success.
During World War II, Geisel joined the army and was sent to Hollywood. Captain Geisel would write for Frank Capra's Signal Corps Unit (for which he won the Legion of Merit) and do documentaries (he won Oscar's for Hitler Lives and Design for Death). He also created a cartoon called Gerald McBoing-Boing which also won him an Oscar.
In May of 1954, Life published a report concerning illiteracy among school children. The report said, among other things, that children were having trouble to read because their books were boring. This inspired Geisel's publisher, and prompted him to send Geisel a list of 400 words he felt were important, asked him to cut the list to 250 words (the publishers idea of how many words at one time a first grader could absorb), and write a book. Nine months later, Geisel, using 220 of the words given to him published The Cat in the Hat , which went on to instant success.
In 1960 Bennett Cerf bet Geisel $50 that he couldn't write an entire book using only fifty words. The result was Green Eggs and Ham . Cerf never paid the $50 from the bet.
Helen Palmer Geisel died in 1967. Theodor Geisel married Audrey Stone Diamond in 1968. Theodor Seuss Geisel died 24 September 1991.
Also worked under the pen name: Theo Le Sieg
In 1936 on the way to a vacation in Europe, listening to the rhythm of the ship's engines, he came up with And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, which was then promptly rejected by the first 43 publishers he showed it to. Eventually in 1937 a friend published the book for him, and it went on to at least moderate success.
During World War II, Geisel joined the army and was sent to Hollywood. Captain Geisel would write for Frank Capra's Signal Corps Unit (for which he won the Legion of Merit) and do documentaries (he won Oscar's for Hitler Lives and Design for Death). He also created a cartoon called Gerald McBoing-Boing which also won him an Oscar.
In May of 1954, Life published a report concerning illiteracy among school children. The report said, among other things, that children were having trouble to read because their books were boring. This inspired Geisel's publisher, and prompted him to send Geisel a list of 400 words he felt were important, asked him to cut the list to 250 words (the publishers idea of how many words at one time a first grader could absorb), and write a book. Nine months later, Geisel, using 220 of the words given to him published The Cat in the Hat , which went on to instant success.
In 1960 Bennett Cerf bet Geisel $50 that he couldn't write an entire book using only fifty words. The result was Green Eggs and Ham . Cerf never paid the $50 from the bet.
Helen Palmer Geisel died in 1967. Theodor Geisel married Audrey Stone Diamond in 1968. Theodor Seuss Geisel died 24 September 1991.
Also worked under the pen name: Theo Le Sieg
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September 14, 2024
Which takes precedence in creating a sense of human personhood? Our genes or our environment - or to rephrase that, our natural parentage or, let's say, our adoptive parentage?
Well, for Horton, the hatching of personhood in an adopted bird egg results in an exotically vibrant variant of himself. And the hatching of adulthood in a male child - me - by my Mom - on her own, created a whole new side of my personality: HER side.
Being prime caregiver at puberty makes a difference!
In 1963, my Dad took up an offer which was the chance of a lifetime - a postdoctoral fellowship - which involved a two-year hiatus in his parenting. It was a serious chance at advancement, not a frivolous whim as it was for Mayzie Bird.
But then the metaphor starts to work, for while my Dad had always instructed me in manners, Mom started to inculcate a stubborn set of morals in me in '63.
Dad is Anglican, and went with the flow of 1960's theology, dithering on moral issues like modern clergy. But Mom had the maternal morals of HER Mom's Utah pioneer stock in mind when she led me along the old straight and narrow road for those two years.
I felt radically disjointed for a while - but it worked! Even if I slouched over my homework, my orientation was ramrod straight. No stranger to accidie, I still started to learn a more solid kinda ataraxy - just like Horton.
So almost like Horton's new offspring, my INNER features are like my Mom's.
All that to say, like Robert Frost at his famous crossroads:
I took the road less travelled by -
And that has made ALL the DIFFERENCE!
Well, for Horton, the hatching of personhood in an adopted bird egg results in an exotically vibrant variant of himself. And the hatching of adulthood in a male child - me - by my Mom - on her own, created a whole new side of my personality: HER side.
Being prime caregiver at puberty makes a difference!
In 1963, my Dad took up an offer which was the chance of a lifetime - a postdoctoral fellowship - which involved a two-year hiatus in his parenting. It was a serious chance at advancement, not a frivolous whim as it was for Mayzie Bird.
But then the metaphor starts to work, for while my Dad had always instructed me in manners, Mom started to inculcate a stubborn set of morals in me in '63.
Dad is Anglican, and went with the flow of 1960's theology, dithering on moral issues like modern clergy. But Mom had the maternal morals of HER Mom's Utah pioneer stock in mind when she led me along the old straight and narrow road for those two years.
I felt radically disjointed for a while - but it worked! Even if I slouched over my homework, my orientation was ramrod straight. No stranger to accidie, I still started to learn a more solid kinda ataraxy - just like Horton.
So almost like Horton's new offspring, my INNER features are like my Mom's.
All that to say, like Robert Frost at his famous crossroads:
I took the road less travelled by -
And that has made ALL the DIFFERENCE!
February 9, 2017
They say an elephant's word is the most trustworthy word in the world.
Horton, our gigantic animal, agrees to hatch the lazy bird's egg. Zany it might seem but he manages to prop himself up and come what may, does not leave the fort.
Not until the bird will return.
Only that the bird does not return until very long. Until it's too late and a new mutated being is born.
Dr. Seuss and his imaginations run at a berserk pace.
February 23, 2019
Horton Hatches the Egg, Dr. Seuss
The book tells the story of Horton the Elephant, who is tricked into sitting on a bird's egg while its mother, Mayzie, takes a permanent vacation to Palm Beach. The book centers on Horton, a genial elephant, who is convinced by Mayzie, a lazy, irresponsible bird, to sit on her egg while she takes a short "break", which turns into her permanent relocation to Palm Beach. Horton Hatches the Egg is a children's book written and illustrated by Theodor Geisel under the pen name Dr. Seuss and published in 1940 by Random House.
عنوانها: فیل فداکار؛ هورتون جوجه از تخم درمیآورد؛ نوشته: سوس (زویس)؛ تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز سیزدهم ماه سپتامبر سال 2005 میلادی
عنوان: فیل فداکار؛ نوشته: سوس (زویس)؛ مترجم: فریبا عرفانی؛ مشخصات نشر: تهران، شب پره، 1383، 29 ص ، مصور، شابک: 9649448764؛ موضوع: شعر کودکان از نویسندگان امریکایی - سده 20 م
عنوان: هورتون جوجه از تخم درمیآورد؛ اثر: زویس (سوس)؛ مترجم: رضی هیرمندی؛ مشخصات نشر: تهران، افق، کتابهای بنفشه، 1383، 64 ص ، مصور رنگی، شابک: 9643692590؛ موضوع: شعر کودکان، داستانهای حیوانات، داستانهای تخیلی، داستانهای ماجرایی
تئودور سوس گایزل: مشهور به دکتر سوس (متولد روز دوم ماه مارس سال 1904 میلادی، درگذشته روز بیست و چهارم ماه سپتامبر سال 1991 میلادی)، داستاننویس آمریکایی کودکان بودند. تلفظ نام ایشان به زبان آلمانی «زویس» است؛ معروفترین کتابهای ایشان، با عنوانهای: «تخم مرغهای سبز و گوشت (1960 میلادی)»، «گربه کلاه به سر (1957 میلادی)»، «یک ماهی دو ماهی ماهی قرمز ماهی آبی»، «هورتون تخم میگذارد»، «هورتون صدایی میشنود (1950 میلادی)» و «چطور گرینچ کریسمس را دزدید (1957 میلادی)» منتشر شده اند. ا. شربیانی
The book tells the story of Horton the Elephant, who is tricked into sitting on a bird's egg while its mother, Mayzie, takes a permanent vacation to Palm Beach. The book centers on Horton, a genial elephant, who is convinced by Mayzie, a lazy, irresponsible bird, to sit on her egg while she takes a short "break", which turns into her permanent relocation to Palm Beach. Horton Hatches the Egg is a children's book written and illustrated by Theodor Geisel under the pen name Dr. Seuss and published in 1940 by Random House.
عنوانها: فیل فداکار؛ هورتون جوجه از تخم درمیآورد؛ نوشته: سوس (زویس)؛ تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز سیزدهم ماه سپتامبر سال 2005 میلادی
عنوان: فیل فداکار؛ نوشته: سوس (زویس)؛ مترجم: فریبا عرفانی؛ مشخصات نشر: تهران، شب پره، 1383، 29 ص ، مصور، شابک: 9649448764؛ موضوع: شعر کودکان از نویسندگان امریکایی - سده 20 م
عنوان: هورتون جوجه از تخم درمیآورد؛ اثر: زویس (سوس)؛ مترجم: رضی هیرمندی؛ مشخصات نشر: تهران، افق، کتابهای بنفشه، 1383، 64 ص ، مصور رنگی، شابک: 9643692590؛ موضوع: شعر کودکان، داستانهای حیوانات، داستانهای تخیلی، داستانهای ماجرایی
تئودور سوس گایزل: مشهور به دکتر سوس (متولد روز دوم ماه مارس سال 1904 میلادی، درگذشته روز بیست و چهارم ماه سپتامبر سال 1991 میلادی)، داستاننویس آمریکایی کودکان بودند. تلفظ نام ایشان به زبان آلمانی «زویس» است؛ معروفترین کتابهای ایشان، با عنوانهای: «تخم مرغهای سبز و گوشت (1960 میلادی)»، «گربه کلاه به سر (1957 میلادی)»، «یک ماهی دو ماهی ماهی قرمز ماهی آبی»، «هورتون تخم میگذارد»، «هورتون صدایی میشنود (1950 میلادی)» و «چطور گرینچ کریسمس را دزدید (1957 میلادی)» منتشر شده اند. ا. شربیانی
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December 4, 2017
This is my favorite story of Dr. Seuss because it teaches young readers and reminds adults to be true to one's word. A very simple lesson to learn or to keep in mind, but the impact of not remembering is tremendous.
October 25, 2016
Oooh! I love this book 100%! I love the writing and the rhyming, I love the picture graphics, I love the story,and I love how it gives you a moral lesson. And I sure am gonna read this over and over to my cute little boy!^^
Many thanks to Anne,who inspired me to read this and who is celebrating her birthday tomorrow( October 26)! HAPPY BIRTHDAY,my friend! Miss you,sweetie!^^
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July 21, 2008
It's impossible for me to have a favorite Dr. Seuss book, but this one gives some stiff competition. Whenever I read it to my nursery school English classes, I ask the kids to whom the egg ultimately belongs right before the baby hatches. The younger kids in the class (2 to 3 years old) almost always say the egg belongs to the bird because eggs belong with birds. The older kids (4 to 5) say the egg belongs to the elephant because he took care of it. An interesting revelation as to how kids approach the world at different stages as they try to make sense of it.
February 21, 2020
A childhood favorite. I'd forgotten, though the end, where Mayzie wants the hatchling back. Now I see that it's a great adoption metaphor as well as a lesson on keeping one's promises despite the courage and endurance sometimes necessary to do so.
Too bad the very ending is so unrealistic - the humans would be even more keen to keep Horton and the special hatchling back than they would to let them go back to their home. I have to take off almost half a star for that (even though I don't see any other way to end the book as it's for children). Still, if you've never read this or have forgotten it, go do so right now.
Too bad the very ending is so unrealistic - the humans would be even more keen to keep Horton and the special hatchling back than they would to let them go back to their home. I have to take off almost half a star for that (even though I don't see any other way to end the book as it's for children). Still, if you've never read this or have forgotten it, go do so right now.
April 13, 2022
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. This was such a fun book to read. Mayzie was awful, and I was so pleased that she had her comeuppance. But Horton was amazing! I loved his constancy and honour. Like all Seuss books, the writing was great, and it was just a total delight.
They laughed and they laughed. Then they all ran away.
And Horton was lonely. He wanted to play.
But he sat on the egg and continued to say:
“I meant what I said
And I said what I meant.
An elephant’s faithful
One hundred percent!”
They laughed and they laughed. Then they all ran away.
And Horton was lonely. He wanted to play.
But he sat on the egg and continued to say:
“I meant what I said
And I said what I meant.
An elephant’s faithful
One hundred percent!”
February 7, 2017
"Wow, What a cute poem
with intense meaning.
I loved it, I loved it.
Great to be reading."
with intense meaning.
I loved it, I loved it.
Great to be reading."
February 10, 2017
"Horton Hatches the Egg" is one of Dr. Seuss' most memorable classics as it stars everyone's favorite elephant, Horton! This time, Horton has his hands full as he tries his best to take care of a lazy bird named Mayzie's egg while she goes off to take a vacation. Unfortunately, hunters come in the jungle and they got Horton trapped! Will Horton get out of this dangerous predicament and still protect Mayzie's egg? Read the story to find out!
Dr. Seuss had done a great job at both illustrating and writing this book. What was so unique about this book were the illustrations. The main colors used for the images were blue, black, white and red, which makes the book extremely creative as few books use only three or four colors to color the images. Horton the elephant always wore a smile on his face, despite his horrendous situation, making him a truly innocent and friendly animal. A great trait that this book has shown is how loyal and determine Horton is as he was willing to take care of Mayzie's egg and he refused to let anyone tease him about taking care of the egg since he wanted to follow on his word that he will take good care of the egg.
The only problem this book has, in terms of if it is appropriate for children, is that Mayzie was being selfish around Horton and she refused to take responsibility for taking care of her egg at the expense of Horton. But, don't worry, Mayzie's irresponsible actions are shown in a negative light and the story strongly encourages children to be more responsible and to not follow Mayzie's example of irresponsibility.
"Horton Hatches the Egg" is truly a memorable classic about the importance of being loyal and keeping your promise to people and this book will easily be an instant hit for children everywhere. I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book unless you count Mayzie's irresponsible behavior being unsuitable for children to learn from.
Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog
March 17, 2021
I have but to see the cover of this classic picture-book about Horton the elephant for the words "I meant what I said / And I said what I meant... / An elephant's faithful / One hundred per cent!" to float up through my memory. This was a story read to me countless times as a young child, and then read by me countless times, once I gained the ability, and that refrain never fails to elicit a thrill of fellow-feeling and pride. The story of the kindhearted Horton, imposed upon by that lazy Maizie bird, climbing up on to her egg to keep it warm, while she goes on a short "vacation," it features any number of challenges for the titular elephantine hero. Enduring all kinds of weather, suffering the mockery of his friends, standing up to hunters, surviving being carted off to a zoo and made a spectacle of, Horton remains faithful, keeping his word no matter what life throws at him. And when Maizie returns, claiming the egg she had no hand in caring for, something magical happens - the egg hatches an entirely new kind of creature: an elephant bird! This is, the narrative informs us, how it should be...
Originally published in 1940, Horton Hatches the Egg was the first of two picture-books devoted to the doings of the eponymous elephantine hero, followed by Horton Hears a Who! , published in 1954. It was the fourth of Dr. Seuss' picture-books to be released, following upon And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street (1937), The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins (1938) and The King's Stilts (1939). Although a treasured memento of my childhood, I had not picked this book up in years, until prompted by my recently begun Dr. Seuss retrospective, in which I plan to read and review all forty-four of his classic picture-books, in chronological publication order. I launched this project as an act of personal protest against the suppression of six of the author/artist's titles - And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street , McElligot's Pool , If I Ran the Zoo , Scrambled Eggs Super! , On Beyond Zebra! and The Cat's Quizzer - by Dr. Seuss Enterprises. See my review of And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street , to be found HERE, for a fuller exploration of my thoughts on that matter.
I think that it is here, in Horton Hatches the Egg, that we begin to see the full emergence of Dr. Seuss the wordsmith, as his rhyming text rollicks merrily along, perfectly communicating the story through a perfectly rhythmic text. And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street had some rhyme to it, but it didn't have that seemingly free and easy, effortless feeling that one finds here, in this tale of the faithful Horton, while The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins and The King's Stilts were told entirely in prose. Unlike these three predecessors, this tale of Horton is one that begs to be read aloud, rolling off the tongue in entertaining waves: "There rang out the noisiest ear-splitting squeaks / From the egg that he'd sat on for fifty-one weeks! / A thumping! A bumping! A wild alive scratching! / "My egg!" shouted Horton. "MY EGG! WHY IT'S HATCHING!" The rhyming structure, the use of italics and capitalization - all work together to create a particular rhythm, as one reads. This isn't to say, of course, that the others don't make for a good read-aloud, simply that they don't have that cadence one associates with their celebrated creator.
The proverb that an elephant never forgets is one that predates Seuss by many years, but that genius managed to create something a little different with it, presenting a character who doesn't just remember, whether it be his word or his task, but who is faithful to that word and that task. Someone with a strong sense of honor, and a protective and nurturing attitude to those weaker and more vulnerable than he. In short: the archetype of a great dad! It's interesting to speculate that there might be some message here, not just about keeping one's promises, but about the nature of parenting. Maizie may be the egg's biological parent, but it is Horton who is the adoptive one, doing all of the work of the parent. In real life, adoptive children don't assume the biological qualities of their adoptive parents - nature doesn't really work that way - but Seuss seems to be arguing that they should. Perhaps he is even arguing that they do, if not in body, then in spirit. As I mentioned above, there is a magical quality to this tale, but it is not the magic of fairy-tales or fantasy. It is the magic of justice, something rare enough indeed in the world to be like enchantment, when it finally comes. It should be this way, the narrative tells us, and it would be, the implication seems to be, if the world were a just place...
Just a wonderful, wonderful tale, both well-crafted and well-told, Horton Hatches the Egg is also beautifully and expressively illustrated, in Dr. Seuss' own inimitable cartoon style. One really gets the sense of Horton's emotional ups and downs from the artwork here! I could go on and on, but as my (very rare) five-star rating must make plain: I think that this is a marvelous picture-book, and it is one I would recommend to all readers of that form. I would also recommend it to picture-book readers looking for stories about keeping one's word, and taking care of those in need.
Originally published in 1940, Horton Hatches the Egg was the first of two picture-books devoted to the doings of the eponymous elephantine hero, followed by Horton Hears a Who! , published in 1954. It was the fourth of Dr. Seuss' picture-books to be released, following upon And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street (1937), The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins (1938) and The King's Stilts (1939). Although a treasured memento of my childhood, I had not picked this book up in years, until prompted by my recently begun Dr. Seuss retrospective, in which I plan to read and review all forty-four of his classic picture-books, in chronological publication order. I launched this project as an act of personal protest against the suppression of six of the author/artist's titles - And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street , McElligot's Pool , If I Ran the Zoo , Scrambled Eggs Super! , On Beyond Zebra! and The Cat's Quizzer - by Dr. Seuss Enterprises. See my review of And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street , to be found HERE, for a fuller exploration of my thoughts on that matter.
I think that it is here, in Horton Hatches the Egg, that we begin to see the full emergence of Dr. Seuss the wordsmith, as his rhyming text rollicks merrily along, perfectly communicating the story through a perfectly rhythmic text. And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street had some rhyme to it, but it didn't have that seemingly free and easy, effortless feeling that one finds here, in this tale of the faithful Horton, while The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins and The King's Stilts were told entirely in prose. Unlike these three predecessors, this tale of Horton is one that begs to be read aloud, rolling off the tongue in entertaining waves: "There rang out the noisiest ear-splitting squeaks / From the egg that he'd sat on for fifty-one weeks! / A thumping! A bumping! A wild alive scratching! / "My egg!" shouted Horton. "MY EGG! WHY IT'S HATCHING!" The rhyming structure, the use of italics and capitalization - all work together to create a particular rhythm, as one reads. This isn't to say, of course, that the others don't make for a good read-aloud, simply that they don't have that cadence one associates with their celebrated creator.
The proverb that an elephant never forgets is one that predates Seuss by many years, but that genius managed to create something a little different with it, presenting a character who doesn't just remember, whether it be his word or his task, but who is faithful to that word and that task. Someone with a strong sense of honor, and a protective and nurturing attitude to those weaker and more vulnerable than he. In short: the archetype of a great dad! It's interesting to speculate that there might be some message here, not just about keeping one's promises, but about the nature of parenting. Maizie may be the egg's biological parent, but it is Horton who is the adoptive one, doing all of the work of the parent. In real life, adoptive children don't assume the biological qualities of their adoptive parents - nature doesn't really work that way - but Seuss seems to be arguing that they should. Perhaps he is even arguing that they do, if not in body, then in spirit. As I mentioned above, there is a magical quality to this tale, but it is not the magic of fairy-tales or fantasy. It is the magic of justice, something rare enough indeed in the world to be like enchantment, when it finally comes. It should be this way, the narrative tells us, and it would be, the implication seems to be, if the world were a just place...
Just a wonderful, wonderful tale, both well-crafted and well-told, Horton Hatches the Egg is also beautifully and expressively illustrated, in Dr. Seuss' own inimitable cartoon style. One really gets the sense of Horton's emotional ups and downs from the artwork here! I could go on and on, but as my (very rare) five-star rating must make plain: I think that this is a marvelous picture-book, and it is one I would recommend to all readers of that form. I would also recommend it to picture-book readers looking for stories about keeping one's word, and taking care of those in need.
May 16, 2018
I am currently reading a lot of Dr. Seus books. They enjoyed this book.
"Everyone laughs when Horton the Elephant offers to sit on Mayzie bird's egg while she goes on holiday. Horton's kindness and faithfulness are sorely tested when he, and the egg, are kidnapped and sold to a circus - but his reward for being faithful is more wonderful than he could ever have dreamed!"
"Everyone laughs when Horton the Elephant offers to sit on Mayzie bird's egg while she goes on holiday. Horton's kindness and faithfulness are sorely tested when he, and the egg, are kidnapped and sold to a circus - but his reward for being faithful is more wonderful than he could ever have dreamed!"
September 6, 2017
Muchas reseñas hablan mal de Mayzie por haber abandonado su huevo ("es egoísta, irresponsable"), pero NADIE menciona a los tres humanos que apuntaron a Horton con escopetas, cortaron el árbol donde se encontraba, lo encerraron en una jaula, lo sometieron a semanas de navegación y luego lo vendieron a un circo... por diversión!!! ¿Dónde está el reproche de estas acciones? ¿Dónde están las consecuencias?
Lindas rimas y dibujos, pero me molesta que el mensaje refleje que está mal renunciar a una responsabilidad pero que no importa dañar intencionalmente a otro ser vivo.
Lindas rimas y dibujos, pero me molesta que el mensaje refleje que está mal renunciar a una responsabilidad pero que no importa dañar intencionalmente a otro ser vivo.
March 3, 2016
Read to a classroom of first graders
The kids knew all about "Horton Hears a Who" but they didn't know "Horton Hatches the Egg". This is still one of my favorite Dr. Seuss books. Maisy talks Horton the Elephant into sitting on her egg because it's just too much work. Of course, Maisy flies away and doesn't intend to come back. Meanwhile, Horton sits on her egg for 51 weeks because, "I meant what a said and I said what I meant, an elephant's faithful 100 percent". The kids love that no matter what happens, Horton doesn't leave his egg. They also got really angry when Maisy tried to take the egg back as it began to hatch! In the end, faithfulness and honoring one's word wins the day!
The kids knew all about "Horton Hears a Who" but they didn't know "Horton Hatches the Egg". This is still one of my favorite Dr. Seuss books. Maisy talks Horton the Elephant into sitting on her egg because it's just too much work. Of course, Maisy flies away and doesn't intend to come back. Meanwhile, Horton sits on her egg for 51 weeks because, "I meant what a said and I said what I meant, an elephant's faithful 100 percent". The kids love that no matter what happens, Horton doesn't leave his egg. They also got really angry when Maisy tried to take the egg back as it began to hatch! In the end, faithfulness and honoring one's word wins the day!
January 28, 2008
One of Dr Seuss's earliest books, and for me, his all-time best. I adore Horton! His determined goodness and those wonderful expressions on his dear face. I still read this several times a year and never fail to be pleased that things work out well for Horton in the end. And clearly Dr Seuss was ahead of his time; as it turns out, research into their lives in the wild reveals that elephants are indeed faithful (one hundred percent).
June 17, 2016
Cute and beautiful story that will teach the children to be a faithful person, just like Horton. Love it ♥
October 23, 2023
About the Story.
Horton answers a mother bird's request for help to stay on her nest while she takes a break. This delightful story can lead to discussions
* about the definition of mother/motherhood.
* about nature versus nuture.
* about decisions and commitments.
* about commitment and love.
About the art.
The media used: Art sticks--Deco Green and Carmine Red and Black-and-white used on off-white paper. The contrasts between green and red & between black and white show the contrasting commitment to parenting.
Horton answers a mother bird's request for help to stay on her nest while she takes a break. This delightful story can lead to discussions
* about the definition of mother/motherhood.
* about nature versus nuture.
* about decisions and commitments.
* about commitment and love.
About the art.
The media used: Art sticks--Deco Green and Carmine Red and Black-and-white used on off-white paper. The contrasts between green and red & between black and white show the contrasting commitment to parenting.
February 9, 2024
Poor Horton, all his friends are such pests to him when he’s just trying to be a kind and caring elephant.
June 12, 2017
Cute story in rhyme, how Horton the elephant sit on the egg :)
January 6, 2022
Everyone laughs when Horton the Elephant offers to sit on Mayzie bird's egg while she goes on holiday. Horton's kindness and faithfulness are sorely tested when he, and the egg, are kidnapped and sold to a circus - but his reward for being faithful is more wonderful than he could ever have dreamed!
January 10, 2021
Muy CUTE! Una parte de mi ser me estaba convenciendo de que iba a tener un final terrible?? Pero no, es muy tierno y amo mucho a Horton.
February 8, 2018
A fun and quirky typical Dr. Seuss book, focusing on themes of determination and sticking to one’s word.
May 14, 2019
One of my favorite children’s books. I love the cadence behind the prose and the silly premise of the story. A must read in its genre!
September 12, 2011
Poor Horton. Dr. Seuss's kindly elephant is persuaded to sit on an egg while its mother, the good-for-nothing bird lazy Maysie, takes a break. Little does Horton know that Maysie is setting off for a permanent vacation in Palm Springs. He waits, and waits, never leaving his precarious branch, even through a freezing winter and a spring that's punctuated by the insults of his friends. ("They taunted. They teased him. They yelled 'How Absurd! Old Horton the Elephant thinks he's a bird!'") Further indignities await, but Horton has the patience of Job--from whose story this one clearly derives--and he is rewarded in the end by the surprise birth of... an elephant-bird. Horton Hatches the Egg contains some of Theodor Geisel's most inspired verse and some of his best-ever illustrations, the dated style of which only accentuates their power and charm. A book no childhood should be without.
I will use this book in my classroom when we talk about poetry, Dr. Seuss, and many vocabulary words. When talking about poetry and rhyme I will discuss about the patterns that Dr. Seuss's use, ex. ababa,cdcd. This will give students an example of what they should try to do when assigned a poetry assignment. Dr. Seuss's birthday is nationally celebrated and it will be exciting to read many of his books during this month. This one will be a very funny, cute, and interesting book to read in class. One vocabulary word that I would like to talk about in this book would be 'faithful'. I believe that Horton shows the read exactly what that word means. I think kids would like to be taught vocabulary with a book like this. When learning is fun it is worth the work. I will use this book in my classroom.
I will use this book in my classroom when we talk about poetry, Dr. Seuss, and many vocabulary words. When talking about poetry and rhyme I will discuss about the patterns that Dr. Seuss's use, ex. ababa,cdcd. This will give students an example of what they should try to do when assigned a poetry assignment. Dr. Seuss's birthday is nationally celebrated and it will be exciting to read many of his books during this month. This one will be a very funny, cute, and interesting book to read in class. One vocabulary word that I would like to talk about in this book would be 'faithful'. I believe that Horton shows the read exactly what that word means. I think kids would like to be taught vocabulary with a book like this. When learning is fun it is worth the work. I will use this book in my classroom.
February 27, 2011
As an adoptive mom, I found the charge that the birth-mother was lazy and greedy difficult to stomach. In this case Maysie completely abandoned the egg to someone with no idea if it was a good caregiver and then takes off. Not a good parent, but certainly NOT representative of all parents who place their kids for adoption. I could see my son's questions forming as we read it: why would she abandon her egg? Why couldn't she take care of the egg? (in his head: why couldn't my mom take care of me? And "because she was lazy and stupid" is not the answer in his case at all!) Had his own first mother ever wanted him back? Had she been denied access to him by us? (No, and she never would be!) Why did that bird look like Horton when that's not how it works? While Horton's efforts and trials and feeling like we were constantly on display to be judged are certainly a reminder of the parade of work we went through to complete our adoption, in the end this was just painful. I love Seuss and we have an entire shelf of Seuss books and hardly a day passes without reading something Seuss, but this isn't one of them. I worry about the implied message it gives people about adoption and that some kids may be internalizing the idea that adopted kids must all have "lazy good-for-nothing" birth parents.
June 16, 2015
How can one not like Dr Seuss?
In this typically zany tale, Horton the elephant agrees to look after lazy Mayzie's egg and once Horton has committed to a task, he sticks to it - come what may.
Once Mayzie has persuaded Horton to sit on the egg in the nest at the top of the tree, she departs for a holiday in Palm Beach where she is pictured soaking up the sun, having a wonderful rest and determined never to go back to her nest.
So that leaves Horton trying to overcome all obstacles, including some hunters who wish to shoot him down. But eventually he, the tree and the nest are commandeered for a travelling circus in which he becomes the star attraction. New York, Boston, Kalamazoo, Washington too and plenty of other places are visited. And then the show lands in Palm Beach.
When settled at Palm Beach the circus is espied by Mayzie who zooms down to have a close look. She spots Horton, recognises him and ironically, while with him, the egg begins to hatch. Horton shouts, 'My egg, why, it's hatching!' But Mayzie suddenly becomes parental again and exclaims that it is her egg.
Then the surprise occurs, the egg hatches and the baby is a spit image of Horton, which prompts the spectators to shout, 'My word, it's an elephant-bird!' So Horton was sent home, very proudly and became a happy parent. What happened to Mayzie, we will never know!
In this typically zany tale, Horton the elephant agrees to look after lazy Mayzie's egg and once Horton has committed to a task, he sticks to it - come what may.
Once Mayzie has persuaded Horton to sit on the egg in the nest at the top of the tree, she departs for a holiday in Palm Beach where she is pictured soaking up the sun, having a wonderful rest and determined never to go back to her nest.
So that leaves Horton trying to overcome all obstacles, including some hunters who wish to shoot him down. But eventually he, the tree and the nest are commandeered for a travelling circus in which he becomes the star attraction. New York, Boston, Kalamazoo, Washington too and plenty of other places are visited. And then the show lands in Palm Beach.
When settled at Palm Beach the circus is espied by Mayzie who zooms down to have a close look. She spots Horton, recognises him and ironically, while with him, the egg begins to hatch. Horton shouts, 'My egg, why, it's hatching!' But Mayzie suddenly becomes parental again and exclaims that it is her egg.
Then the surprise occurs, the egg hatches and the baby is a spit image of Horton, which prompts the spectators to shout, 'My word, it's an elephant-bird!' So Horton was sent home, very proudly and became a happy parent. What happened to Mayzie, we will never know!
May 4, 2012
This is an exciting book to capture a child’s imagination and is written by the great Dr. Seuss. I would recommend it for children aged 4-7 years as it would teach them in a fun way, the importance of keeping your word and looking out for people who are in need. Mayzie, a very lazy bird persuades Horton, an elephant, to sit on her egg to help her hatch it, while she takes a well earned rest . But what Horton doesn’t know is she is headed for a very long break to the Palm Springs. I loved the fact that Dr. Seuss makes the reader believe that elephants can climb trees, a nest can hold an elephants weight and an egg won’t break when they sit on it!! As he finds himself on a series of adventures; a sea voyage and a travelling circus, Horton refuses to leave the egg unattended. He claims to stick by his word "I meant what I said and I said what I meant, And an elephant's faithful, one hundred per cent!”. Horton grows very attached to this precious egg but then finds himself face to face with Mayzie, who wants her egg back , however when the egg hatches out comes an elephant bird. Who will keep this strange creature??Get reading to find out! A book with excellent verses you will enjoy reading out.
October 9, 2017
On the eve of the 8th month since my father's death, my partner read this book aloud to our 12-week-old daughter. He didn't know this, perhaps, but I did. I remember every month and the day goes by very slowly.
I can still recite the intro to this book as I did with my dad when I was a kid. He would prompt me with the first line, and off I would go - "I'm tired and I'm bored, and I've got kinks in my legs!" We would do this until I thought I was too old, too cool, too annoyed by my father.
Now, I just wish he could read it aloud to his granddaughter, just once. So I could hear him again, just once more.
But, so far, our daughter seems intrigued by this story. She will stare at the pages, or our faces, as we read and maybe one day, she'll recite it back to me when I prompt her. We'll laugh and laugh, until she's too cool for us too.
I can still recite the intro to this book as I did with my dad when I was a kid. He would prompt me with the first line, and off I would go - "I'm tired and I'm bored, and I've got kinks in my legs!" We would do this until I thought I was too old, too cool, too annoyed by my father.
Now, I just wish he could read it aloud to his granddaughter, just once. So I could hear him again, just once more.
But, so far, our daughter seems intrigued by this story. She will stare at the pages, or our faces, as we read and maybe one day, she'll recite it back to me when I prompt her. We'll laugh and laugh, until she's too cool for us too.
July 26, 2008
I love this book. It is an all time favorite for me. This book conveys the importance of integratiy if the face of adversity. This book shows that different isn't bad and despite the challenge of being or doing something that is outside the relms of what is expected that the result of doing this with integrity and dilligence should result in the new beginings of acceptance. It should be...It should be..... It should be like that....but it is classified as a children's story.
December 1, 2009
I read this when i was a child, i read it to my children when they were small. This is one of the best childrens books out there. i prefer it to Horton Hears a Who, but that may be simply because I came across it first.
Thank you Theodor Seuss Geisel.
Thank you Theodor Seuss Geisel.
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