Horton Is My Hero

Horton Hatches The Egg by Dr. Seuss

Of all the characters Dr. Seuss created, Horton is the one for which I have a special soft spot in my heart. This great big elephant is disinclined to lecture. Rather, by his example, he shows us what it means to be tolerant, loyal, steadfast, caring, and devoted.

Horton Hatches The Egg is the lesser known of the two books in which Seuss featured him. However, it has all the lyrical qualities of the first one and shows an extra sweetness. Indeed, of this one and Horton Hears a Who this is my favorite. Perhaps it is because few children will have the opportunity to save an entire city through their actions, but every child will face an unwanted task and have to decide whether he or she will stick with it and be true to his or her word.

The book opens with a lazy bird who is tired of sitting on her egg. She's bored and ready for a vacation. Hapless Horton wanders by and Mayzie the lazy bird convinces him to sit on the egg for her.

Horton, that wonderful elephant, demonstrates two wonderful qualities:

* He is true to his word
* He works hard even when the task is unpleasant

Lazy Mayzie takes off for Palm Beach and decides never to return. So poor Horton is left sitting on the egg. The weather turns fierce and then his friends turn out to laugh at him. Then they run off to play, leaving the wistful Horton to watch. Finally, three hunters come sneaking through the bush and are ready to shoot him dead. Does Horton run? Of course not!

"He held his head high
And he threw out his chest
And he looked at the hunters
As much as to say:
'Shoot if you must
But I won't run away!
I mean what I said
And I said what I meant....
An elephant's faithful
One hundred per cent!"

Fortunately for Horton, the young readers, and the rest of the story, the hunters don't kill Horton, but they haul him off on a boat in a cage. They sell him to the circus in America where Horton is dragged all around the country. Finally, they arrive in Palm Beach, where our lazy Mayzie comes to see the fun. Then the egg cracks and Mayzie reclaims her egg.

The pages where Mayzie returns are some of my favorite. For when she accuses Horton of stealing her egg and demands that he give it back, Horton shows his true colors. He doesn't rage, he doesn't accuse, and he doesn't argue. He simply climbs down with a sad, heavy heart. He's ready to relinquish the egg despite the fact he got only criticism instead of praise for all of his hard work.

But of course, Seuss is not so cruel as to leave it there. Horton does get his reward, and we close the book feeling happy and content.

So if you have a child (or even if you don't), get this book for your shelf. I do recommend it, one hundred percent! --B. Redman