Book Details
Written by
Illustrated by
Genre
More details

Horton Hears a Who (by Dr. Seuss)

common sense media says

A whimsical tale with a stirring message.


parents & educators say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that kids will cheer for huge Horton, defender of the small. They'll identify with the spindly little beings of the dust speck, and rail against the sour kangaroo and his monkey henchmen.

Positive messages: One of the villains (an eagle) is named Vlad Vlad-i-koff. In 1954 even liberal Seuss may have been catering to the notion that Russians were evil.
Violence & scariness: An eagle drops a dust speck full of tiny people and buildings onto the ground, causing moderate destruction. A gang of monkeys rope Horton and force him into a cage. Horton endures sneering and physical abuse from other animals that think he is crazy to
Language: Not applicable.

More on Horton Hears a Who

What to talk about

Talk to your kids

Families can talk about Horton's compassion. Why does he feel the need to help small, vulnerable beings? What does this teach us about how to treat others in the real world?

What's the story?

What's the story?

Horton adopts a petite planet full of perky little persons led by a tiny, gallant mayor. Believing Horton must be crazy to befriend a dust speck, a snooty, meddlesome kangaroo and her gang of monkey roughnecks decide to boil the elephant's microscopic pals in Beezle-Nut oil! Seuss takes readers on a whimsical tale with a stirring message.

 

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

Inside hulking Horton dwells the soul of a gentle, steadfast caretaker, and Seuss uses the elephant's immensity to make a point about taking care of those more vulnerable than ourselves. In one two-page picture, Horton is so huge that there are only a few scraps of blue sky showing. In contrast, the dust speck on the pink clover is bitty indeed. (And if their planet is this tiny, how microscopic are the Whos?) Gigantic-eared Horton hears them all along -- perhaps his compassionate soul acts as a cosmic hearing aid.

Book themes & details

Book Details
Author: Dr. Seuss
Illustrator: Dr. Seuss
Publisher: Random House
Publication date: August 12, 1954
Number of pages: 64
Hardcover price: $14.95

This review was written by Robyn Raymer
 
 

Review It

 

Review Horton Hears a Who





Hang on! You need to be a member to post your review.
A safe community is important to us. Please observe our guidelines.
 

What parents & educators say

11

Most useful reviews by all members

 
Horton should be every kid's hero!
Horton Hears a Who is one of Seuss' best books! I'm 21 and I still enjoy it. It teaches a valuable lesson in helping those who cannot help themselves. It is a little intense at the end when animals attack the protagonist, so I'd say to wait until your kids are old enough to not panic!

Tweetybird
teen, 17 years old
 
ilaughed!
it was a great movie i liked it it was the best movie ever i want to watch it about a thousand times so i can crack up some more every time i see it.

 
its awesome
I thought that book is very interesting.

Spiff
adult
 
Wonderful story with a great message, but can scare younger kids with Horton being tied up by the monkeys and them threatening to throw the clover into hot beezle nut oil.

An independent voice for families
Age-appropriate reviews
 

vote now

Will you read Horton Hears a Who?


Already read it? What do you think?

 

Great alternatives handpicked by our editors


About our rating system
ON: Content is appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child, some content may not be right for some kids
OFF: Not age appropriate for kids this age