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Jump to navigationJump to searchHow the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr Seuss (view source)
Revision as of 11:06, 14 September 2013
, 11:06, 14 September 2013no edit summary
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|pages=64|publisher=Picture Lions64Harper Collins Children's Books
|date=October 2003
|isbn=978-0007170241
Part of the "yellow back" Seuss series, designed for fluent readers, but also eminently suitable for reading aloud to younger children, ''Grinch'' has all the Seuss signature features: illustrations for which the word quirky must have been invented and the wonderful, energetic, confident, anarchic rhyme. I often feel Seuss is going to fail and fall off a rhyme and consonance tower of verse, but he somehow always pulls it off - sometimes just by inventing a word.
''Grinch'' is actually, and I suppose inevitably, less anarchic and more conventional tale as it delves into the "true meaning of Christmas"
land. A grumpy Grinch hates Christmas - possibly because his heart is too small - and is desperate to stop it from coming. He gets a ''wonderful, awful idea'' and decides to dress up as Santa and steal it from the happy little creatures of Who-ville: the food, the presents, the stockings and even the trees! To his dismay, Christmas still comes and the Whos sing loudly and joyfully. What will Grinch do?
I think we all know, and those who don't can get the book and can find out.The moral is there, perfectly: it's got nothing to do with the external trappings, the joy is in the people and presents or no presents, feast or no feast, Christmas will come regardless and all in the right frame of mind can celebrate. And if it's done in good spirit, Who-knows, maybe the transformed Grinch himself will whizzz down to distribute the stolen presents back and carve the roast beast.
Highly recommended for all that like Seuss aged 3 and above, and if you have to have one positive Christmas tale you can as well make it this one (though, as now commonplace, the Christian part is non-existent).
