I have been buying Dr Seuss books for my son. I am starting with the easy books.
I never realised before how many books for older children that he wrote. I am trying to borrow these from the library to see whether I should buy them.
I love the books for younger readers - Cat in Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, One fish 2 fish, red fish blue fish.
But I have my doubts about some of the books for older readers. I found the* Lora*x disappointing. I was amazed that it was written in the 1960s. But it was dull. Daisy-Head Mayzie was pretty bad - but it was after he died.
Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are? - good concept but not a great book.
The reviews on Amazon seem just to skew -too highly rated. For the Lorax 111 out of 128 gave it 5 stars. I would give it 2 1/2.
I liked I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew and Oh, the Places You’ll Go ! ( although the latter is not a kid’s book I would say).
Anyone with any thoughts
The Horton stories and the Bartholomew Cubbins stories. Those are my favorites, I think, and they’re good reading for most kids. On Beyond Zebra, too. It’s just fun for kids, and I still like it.
My 5-year-old daughter loves me to read The Lorax to her. I’m a big fan of the use and “sound” of the nonsense words in the narrative. There are some not-so-subtle puns in there, as well – the name of the wasting industrialist is the “Once-ler”, for instance.
I don’t know if my daughter picks up on that stuff at some level or not.
I can see how it comes off as predictable and preachy to an adult, for whom many of the book’s themes have become integrated into his worldview already. But the story is aimed at children (if not toddlers) not yet exposed to even the basic concepts of environmentalism.
One factor I imagine you’re seeing for the high rating of The Lorax is that many of the people rating it are going to be doing so based on nostalgia, rather than a current reading of the work. FTM, you can’t ignore the effectiveness of the animated version of The Lorax, produced by Friz Freleng. It’s an excellent short film, and represents many people’s first exposure to the work.
Then, consider that for many of these same people it’s the first time that environmental issues were shown in a manner that was comprehensible, and pretty stark. I don’t disagree that it’s simplistic, and predictable. But it’s effective, too. IMNSHO I think that The Lorax is probably the most influential environmental work of the twentieth century. And that’s over such seminal works as Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring. I don’t believe it would have been written without the work of Ms. Carson, but it affected the attitudes of far more people.
So, all that is going to affect how the people who first encountered the work as impressionable children view it, today.
I’d probably give it a five star rating, myself - even though I see the flaws you’ve been pointing to.
Besides, I hope to see the publication of a Latin version of The Lorax, to go with the Latin Green Eggs and Ham and Grinch editions.
The Butlerette, who is 3 1/2, loves Sneeches on Beaches.
Though she’s loved most of the Seuss books… even if they do twist her father’s tongue up a bit. 
I’ve enjoyed The Lorax now that I’ve got a kid to read it to. Not my favorite Seuss, but it’s pretty good.
On the other hand, The Butter Battle Book is awful.