The tension is palpable when the young boy and girl bring home a large, walrus-like pet and wonder how their mother will feel about their deed; no preschooler could miss this reference to the Teapot Dome scandal. Similarly, their advice to get a pet Yink simply because of its fondness for pale red india writing product is a sardonic commentary on rampant consumerism. And the camel-like Wump shows his prophetic realization that our demand for oil would force us to deal with the Saudis on a regular basis.
Seuss warns us of the coming divide in these United States in the introduction: "From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere." It starts with the fish, red, blue, and black (but not white, showing where Geisel's sympathies lie), young and old, then proceeds up the evolutionary chain to large land mammals, eventually including the aforementioned school-aged boy and girl. They serve as the Adam and Eve as well as the Joe and Joan Sixpak of the book. They espouse embracing what is different while they reinforce doing the same.
Seuss knew where we were headed in both 2000 and 2004, and this book shows the way out. The US has plenty of (pale) red ink, so we should get a Yink. I think.
Throughout this book we are introduced to a number of cute creatures from fish to Wumps to Zeds. Like all Dr. Seuss creations they are very cute, bold, colorful and expressive. Another characteristic of a Dr. Seuss book is how the words flow wonderful and manage to rhyme well in a manner completely unforced and effortless. This is one of my favorite Dr. Seuss books.
Loggie-log-log-log
Consequently, if "One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish" is one of the first Dr. Seuss books that a beginning reader begins reading they should go back and read it again after they have gone through the rest of the good doctor's books because they will then be better able to appreciate some of the familiar faces in this book. However, since this is not a book for early beginning readers, most kids will get to this one after they have covered the basic Dr. Seuss books and become well accustomed to his delightful volumes of rhymed absurdity. This particular book has been inspiring the imagination of beginning readers since 1960 and there is no reason for it to stop with that endeavor at this point in time.
