And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street
Common Sense Note
The colorful and lively pictures, bouncy rhyming text, and speedily escalating fantasy will keep children fascinated. Especially appealing to those who, like Marco, love to embroider the truth.
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Robyn Raymer
Chipper, creative little Marco has a tidy mind. He does not make things up willy-nilly, but rather embellishes his original fantasy for good reasons. He adds two giraffes because the vehicle carrying the brass band is too heavy for the elephant to pull by itself.
One six-year-old, who also loves telling tall tales, requested this book again and again, but Marco fans may feel sad when the boy is too intimidated by his austere dad to tell his Mulberry Street tale. As with many of Dr. Seuss's other zany stories, this one rests on a foundation of indignation--in this case, against sober-minded grown-ups who frown on children's delightful imaginations.
Dr. Seuss's illustrations are as colorful, energetic, and fanciful as his writing: In one illustration, a blue elephant pulls a sled so fast that it and its passengers sail through the air.
Marco makes a comeback in McElligot's Pool. Other early Dr. Seuss books that are springboards for fantasizing include If I Ran the Zoo and If I Ran the Circus.
Plot Summary:
Young Marco weaves a tall tale about a Roman charioteer, an elephant, a zebra, and a menagerie parading down the title thoroughfare in this, the first of Dr. Seuss's many classics. The simple story is an indictment of stern, soul-crushing adults who stifle creativity, but it stands on its own two hooves as a colorful flight of fancy for kids.
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Social BehaviorEveryone is Caucasian except an Indian rajah and a stereotyped "Chinese man who eats with sticks." |
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