The Value of Reading
The point of the entire book is to teach very young children to read, of course, but all those words that rhyme with “pop” inexorably lead to its final pages. It is on those final pages that fundamental underlying theme is spelled out in no uncertain terms:
“My brothers read
A little bit.
Little words
Like
If and It.
My father can read big words, too.”
And then, of course, the really long words that the father can read are starkly highlighted in black font on a gold background which itself is situated against a wall of pink covering almost the entire page. The effect is quite impressive, as are the words themselves: “Constantinople and Timbuktu.” The lesson is clear: you, too, can grow up to read great bit mysterious words like these.
Spelling is Magic
Seuss pulls what can only seem like some sort of magic trick to very young kids in this book. The very act of spelling takes on a spectacularly miraculous and even enchanted aspect through the use of huge block typeface and the accompanying illustrations. By changing just one single letter, a cup is transformed into a pup. Take away an “M” and replace it with an “H” and, presto-chango, a tiny black and white mouse becomes a gigantic red and yellow house. Seuss exploits this wondrous aspect of language by literally illustrating the transformation and the complexity required to change a picture of a mouse into a house makes the simplicity of altering a single letter in the text seem almost like witchcraft by comparison.
The Joy of Reading
There’s The Joy of Running. The Joy of Cooking. Even The Joy of Sex. Had Seuss been aware of this coming trend when he published the book in 1963, he might well have titled it “The Joy of Reading.” Perhaps no other Seuss book features so many illustrations of characters smiling or otherwise expressing great happiness or delight. The guys on top of the wall all playing ball are particularly animated. Mr. Brown and Mr. Black are linked arm in arm with satisfied grins on their faces. Best of all, however, is the pup in the cup who is simply one of the most adorable creatures in the entire Seuss canon. The little brown dog looks about as satisfied it is possible to be. The underlying theme at play here all points toward the book’s conclusion about the value of reading by subtly implying that learning to read makes life more fun.
