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Parents' Guide to

McElligot's Pool

By Robyn Raymer, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 4+

Beautiful art but problematic portrayal of people and fish.

McElligot's Pool Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

age 6+

Based on 1 parent review

age 6+

Excellent

Mceligots Pool is masterful. Great characters, great action, great plot, and great villain. I rate 14 and up because of violence. Incredible movie.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (1 ):

This is among the most beautiful of Dr. Seuss' books. In lovingly painted watercolors, he renders underwater scenes in swirling blues, grays, and greens, and in one two-page picture, a lovely little city of pastel buildings and telephone poles nestles among rolling green hills beside a blue-gray ocean. Beneath the city, the sea flows in a subterranean channel straight to McElligot's pool (for literate fish, there's a handy sign pointing the way).

Despite its beauty, McElligot's Pool has some probelmatic language and imagery: It uses the term "Eskimo" and depicts "Eskimo fish" in a sterotypical manner. It's also a little flat compared with other Dr. Seuss books. Apart from the farmer's good-natured jeers, the story features little conflict. Another reason for the comparative lack of vitality might be that Dr. Seuss' invented creatures still resemble real ones. And in this book, Dr. Seuss' wordplay had not yet reached the exuberant pitch it later achieved.

Book Details

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