Senior
Research
Project
About Dr. Seuss
Your project
Bartholomew and the Oobleck
The Lorax
I Had Trouble in
Getting to Solla Sollew
The King’s Stilts
And To Think I Saw It
On Mullberry Street.
The Butter Battle Book
Yertle the Turtle
Would you rather
be a Bullfrog
The Sneetches
Gerald
McBoing
Boing
Thidwick the BigHearted Moose
Please Try to Remember
the First of Octember
Oh, The Places
You’ll Go
Oh The Thinks
You Can Think
If I ran the circus
Horton Hatches
the Egg
Oh, The Thinks You Can Think
The Sneetches
Please Try To Remember The First of Octember
Yertle The Turtle
Bartholomew and The Oobleck
And To Think I Saw It on Mullberry Street
Gerald McBoing Boing
If I Ran The Circus
I Had Trouble In Getting to Solla Sollew
Would You Rather be a Bullfrog
The Lorax
Horton Hatches The Egg
Oh, The Places You’ll Go
The King’s Stilts The Butter Battle Book
Thidwick The Big-Hearted Moose
About Dr. Seuss
Theodor Seuss Geisel (pen name Dr. Seuss) is perhaps the most influential children’s
book writer since Aesop or the Grimm brothers. His children books have proven
themselves as timeless works that continue to appeal to the masses of young and
influential minds.
Born in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1904, Seuss drew much of the inspiration for his
books from his childhood home and memories. Whimsical rhymes about babbling
streams, quaint streets and magical forests are frequently mentioned in Seuss’ rhymes.
Like Picasso, Seuss spent years perfecting the silliness of his extensive collection. He
graduated from Dartmouth College, and began a degree at Oxford shortly after
completing his undergraduate degree. He was a highly intelligent man, but his personality
was rooted in sarcasm, recklessness and humor. In short, he was a rebel and a rule
breaker.
Seuss got fired as an editorial writer at Dartmouth College for throwing a drinking party
during the prohibition. Later, instead of completing a degree at Oxford, Seuss decided to
tour Europe.
Before becoming a children’s book author, Seuss worked as a political cartoonist during
WWII, specifically targeting the Third Reich and Nazi Germany.
Seuss passed away in 1991 at the age of 87. He published 44 books in 15 different
languages, leaving a legacy that will not soon be forgotten. More than 200 million copies
of his books have been published, and his works have yielded 11 television series. At the
very least, Dr. Seuss is a name to be remembered in children’s literature.
Your project
About Dr. Seuss
Home
Oh, The Thinks You Can Think
The Sneetches
Please Try To Remember The First of Octember
Yertle The Turtle
Bartholomew and The Oobleck
And To Think I Saw It on Mullberry Street
Gerald McBoing Boing
If I Ran The Circus
I Had Trouble In Getting to Solla Sollew
Would You Rather be a Bullfrog
The Lorax
Horton Hatches The Egg
Oh, The Places You’ll Go
The King’s Stilts The Butter Battle Book
Thidwick The Big-Hearted Moose
About Your Project
Learning objective: You will be able to relate a culturally
relevant issue to a book by a familiar and well known author.
What to do: This PowerPoint is interactive. Each of the titles above are hot links that
will bring you to a synopsis of the book and suggestions for your paper topic. You will
choose one of the books on this list to write a research paper on. You may use one of
the suggested research topics or propose your own to me. Your topic must relate to
the Dr. Seuss book you choose, and must be something that can be researched
using electronic and textual resources.
Your Guidelines:
-A 3-5 page typed research paper, written in proper MLA format.
-12 point font, Times New Roman, double spaced, 1” margins.
-A complete and accurate works cited page (use Purdue OWL!)
-Four sources, one of which must be the Dr. Seuss book you choose. Two of the
remaining sources must be in print. The third may be an electronic source, but you
may not use Wikipedia as an official source.
-Each of the sources you choose must be explicitly or implicitly cited at least two
times each (meaning you will either use direct quotes, or refer to a specific aspect of
your source).
-You must have a clear thesis that is making a point.
-Have fun! The point of this assignment is to explore something you are
genuinely interested in.
Your project
About Dr. Seuss
Home
Oh, The Thinks You Can Think
The Sneetches
Please Try To Remember The First of Octember
Yertle The Turtle
Bartholomew and The Oobleck
And To Think I Saw It on Mullberry Street
Gerald McBoing Boing
If I Ran The Circus
I Had Trouble In Getting to Solla Sollew
Would You Rather be a Bullfrog
The Lorax
Horton Hatches The Egg
Oh, The Places You’ll Go
The King’s Stilts The Butter Battle Book
Thidwick The Big-Hearted Moose
Oh, The Thinks You Can Think
Oh, the Thinks You Can Think is a story
of possibilities. It illustrates the unusual
and the possible and the almost
unbelievable. It encourages imagination
and a strong sense of independent
thinking.
Possible paper topics:
Who do you think the most influential
inventor in history was? In what way does
this book relate to them?
Do you think there is a social stigma
toward people who think differently than
the mass majority? In what way? Write a
paper on one historical example of this.
Your project
About Dr. Seuss
Home
Oh, The Thinks You Can Think
The Sneetches
Please Try To Remember The First of Octember
Yertle The Turtle
Bartholomew and The Oobleck
And To Think I Saw It on Mullberry Street
Gerald McBoing Boing
If I Ran The Circus
I Had Trouble In Getting to Solla Sollew
Would You Rather be a Bullfrog
The Lorax
Horton Hatches The Egg
Oh, The Places You’ll Go
The King’s Stilts The Butter Battle Book
Thidwick The Big-Hearted Moose
The Sneetches
The Sneetches are a particular type.
Some have stars on their bellies, while
some do not. If a sneetch is unfortunate
enough to be born without a star, he is
terribly discriminated against, until a fix-itall man comes along and offers to make
them all exactly the same.
Possible paper topics:
This Dr. Seuss book is openly alluding to
the Holocaust and Nazi Germany. Write a
paper addressing the discrimination that
lead to the Holocaust as it relates to this
book.
There are a number of short stories that
are with The Sneetches. Use one of
these stories to address an historical time
of discrimination, such as the women’s
suffrage movement or the civil rights
movement.
Your project
About Dr. Seuss
Home
Oh, The Thinks You Can Think
The Sneetches
Please Try To Remember The First of Octember
Yertle The Turtle
And To Think I Saw It on Mullberry Street
Gerald McBoing Boing
Bartholomew and The Oobleck
If I Ran The Circus
I Had Trouble In Getting to Solla Sollew
Would You Rather be a Bullfrog
The Lorax
Horton Hatches The Egg
Oh, The Places You’ll Go
The King’s Stilts The Butter Battle Book
Thidwick The Big-Hearted Moose
And To Think I Saw It on Mullberry Street
A young boy named Marco lets his
imagination run wild as he walks down
Mullberry street. He sees fanciful cars,
marching bands, animal parades and
so much more. But when his father
asks him what he saw on Mullberry
street, he decides just to tell the boring
old truth.
Possible paper topics:
What is imagination? How do different
cultures view imagination and makebelieve?
Do you believe that discouraging
young children from role-playing and
make-believing is a form of
oppression?
Your project
About Dr. Seuss
Home
Oh, The Thinks You Can Think
The Sneetches
Please Try To Remember The First of Octember
Yertle The Turtle
Bartholomew and The Oobleck
And To Think I Saw It on Mullberry Street
Gerald McBoing Boing
If I Ran The Circus
I Had Trouble In Getting to Solla Sollew
Would You Rather be a Bullfrog
The Lorax
Horton Hatches The Egg
Oh, The Places You’ll Go
The King’s Stilts The Butter Battle Book
Thidwick The Big-Hearted Moose
If I ran the Circus
Little Morris McGurk is a dreamer.
In the empty lot behind Mr. Sneelock’s story, Morris dreams up
a fanciful circus that is over the top and crazy. Little does Mr.
Sneelock know, his part Morris’ brainchild is absolutely
imperative.
Possible paper topics:
What is a manageable goal? It is
often thought that the current political
campaigns promise things they
cannot fulfill, and much like Mr.
Sneelock in this story, the citizens are left
in the dark. Do you agree? Focus on one
political campaign in the last 50 years to
support your argument.
Write about one historical event that went haywire because of
it’s grandeur and over-zealousness. One example of this may
be Woodstock.
Your project
About Dr. Seuss
Home
Oh, The Thinks You Can Think
The Sneetches
Please Try To Remember The First of Octember
Yertle The Turtle
And To Think I Saw It on Mullberry Street
Gerald McBoing Boing
Bartholomew and The Oobleck
If I Ran The Circus
I Had Trouble In Getting to Solla Sollew
Would You Rather be a Bullfrog
The Lorax
Horton Hatches The Egg
Oh, The Places You’ll Go
The King’s Stilts The Butter Battle Book
Thidwick The Big-Hearted Moose
Horton Hatches The Egg
When Mayzie (a lazy bird) convinces
Horton the elephant to sit on her egg for
her, Horton is put to the test. Mayzie never
returns, and Horton is exposed to extreme
elements and harsh ridicule from the other
jungle animals. Will Horton get to keep the
little egg, or will things become to
complicated?
Possible paper topics:
Child abandonment is a very real issue
world wide. Orphanages are short-staffed
and under-prepared for these children.
Write a paper focusing on one area in the
world and how they address orphans.
Historically, a nuclear family has been a
mother, a father and their children. In an
ever evolving world, do you think this is
typical? Write a paper about the evolving
views of family in America.
Your project
About Dr. Seuss
Home
Oh, The Thinks You Can Think
The Sneetches
Please Try To Remember The First of Octember
Yertle The Turtle
Bartholomew and The Oobleck
And To Think I Saw It on Mullberry Street
Gerald McBoing Boing
If I Ran The Circus
I Had Trouble In Getting to Solla Sollew
Would You Rather be a Bullfrog
The Lorax
Horton Hatches The Egg
Oh, The Places You’ll Go
The King’s Stilts The Butter Battle Book
Thidwick The Big-Hearted Moose
Please Try To Remember The
First Of Octember
What do you give a child who has everything? This
book! It’s all about saying no. Our young character asks
and asks and asks for things that our
out of reach. He gets to have
everything on the first of Octember.
Possible paper topic:
Consumerism is a hot topic in the
United States today. What does
consumerism look like in the United
States? Do you think the United
States is on the extreme path of
consumerism?
Your project
About Dr. Seuss
Home
Oh, The Thinks You Can Think
The Sneetches
Please Try To Remember The First of Octember
Yertle The Turtle
And To Think I Saw It on Mullberry Street
Gerald McBoing Boing
Bartholomew and The Oobleck
If I Ran The Circus
I Had Trouble In Getting to Solla Sollew
Would You Rather be a Bullfrog
The Lorax
Horton Hatches The Egg
Oh, The Places You’ll Go
The King’s Stilts The Butter Battle Book
Thidwick The Big-Hearted Moose
Gerald McBoing Boing
This is not a Dr. Seuss book. It is a book adaptation of a short
film that Dr. Seuss created. Gerald McCloy is a young boy who
learned to speak in sounds instead of words.
His difference in speech angers his father
and makes him the center of ridicule at
school. Even his teacher won’t let him stay
in class. What does the future hold for
Gerald McCloy?
Possible paper topic:
Speech impediments and other noticeable
differences in young people have often been
highly stigmatized historically. In your paper,
address one person, disorder or event in
history that manifest the discrimination that Gerald
experienced in this book. Examples may be a famous
sanatorium and the treatment those patience endured, Sylvia
Plath, Helen Keller, etc.
Your project
About Dr. Seuss
Home
Oh, The Thinks You Can Think
The Sneetches
Please Try To Remember The First of Octember
Yertle The Turtle
And To Think I Saw It on Mullberry Street
Gerald McBoing Boing
Bartholomew and The Oobleck
If I Ran The Circus
I Had Trouble In Getting to Solla Sollew
Would You Rather be a Bullfrog
The Lorax
Horton Hatches The Egg
Oh, The Places You’ll Go
The King’s Stilts The Butter Battle Book
Thidwick The Big-Hearted Moose
I Had Trouble Getting to Solla Sollew
This book is one of great adventure and great peril. The main
character goes on a journey to Solla Sollewn when someone
tells him there is never unhappiness there Along the way
encounters pinching and biting animals, difficult terrain, and
people who try to keep him from completing his journey.
Possible paper topic:
Throughout history, and in current times,
there are many cultures who have
experienced extreme oppression, to the
point that many people have fled the
country. Focus on one of these cultures,
and discuss what it means for a family
that
left the country to live in a different
location, and what it means for those who
chose to stay. Take a critical standpoint on
modern day immigration. Be sure to use
academic sources and this book to support your argument.
Your project
About Dr. Seuss
Home
Oh, The Thinks You Can Think
The Sneetches
Please Try To Remember The First of Octember
Yertle The Turtle
Bartholomew and The Oobleck
And To Think I Saw It on Mullberry Street
Gerald McBoing Boing
If I Ran The Circus
I Had Trouble In Getting to Solla Sollew
Would You Rather be a Bullfrog
The Lorax
Horton Hatches The Egg
Oh, The Places You’ll Go
The King’s Stilts The Butter Battle Book
Oh, The Places You’ll Go
Thidwick The Big-Hearted Moose
This book is full of possibilities and
encouragement. This is Seuss’ ode to the next
generation of youth, and is full of all of the things
youth has accomplished so far and can
accomplish in the future. It leaves readers with the
strong message, “Kid, you’ll move mountains!”
Possible paper topics:
Choose one influential historical figure (you can
choose someone in American history, or world
history). Do an in depth case study of the
struggles and triumphs of this person’s life. Then,
discuss the impact this person has had on our
world.
Consider this statement: the success of a child
relies heavily on support of an older mentor. Do
you agree? Research the effects an adult
supporter can have in a young persons life.
Your project
About Dr. Seuss
Home
Oh, The Thinks You Can Think
The Sneetches
Please Try To Remember The First of Octember
Yertle The Turtle
Bartholomew and The Oobleck
And To Think I Saw It on Mullberry Street
Gerald McBoing Boing
If I Ran The Circus
I Had Trouble In Getting to Solla Sollew
Would You Rather be a Bullfrog
The Lorax
Horton Hatches The Egg
Oh, The Places You’ll Go
The King’s Stilts The Butter Battle Book
Thidwick The Big-Hearted Moose
Yertle The Turtle
Yertle the turtle, king of the pond, is never happy with the
stones on which he sits. He feels they are not high enough to
be his thrown. Everything he sees is his kingdom, so to
expand
his kingdom and see more, Yertle
commands the other turtles of the pond to
stack on top of one another, so that he
can stand upon them. How high can the
pile get before his pupils become fed up?
Possible paper topics:
Dr. Seuss openly related Yertle in this
book to Adolph Hitler. Use this book to
write a research paper on the ways in
which Adolf Hitler rose to and fell from paper
during WWII.
Corporate America is often said to be a mean and brutal game. Write a
paper, using this book as support, studying one entrepreneur who
climbed the corporate ladder and what he or she did to get to the top.
Ex—Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, etc.
Your project
About Dr. Seuss
Home
Oh, The Thinks You Can Think
The Sneetches
Please Try To Remember The First of Octember
Yertle The Turtle
Bartholomew and The Oobleck
And To Think I Saw It on Mullberry Street
Gerald McBoing Boing
If I Ran The Circus
I Had Trouble In Getting to Solla Sollew
Would You Rather be a Bullfrog
The Lorax
Horton Hatches The Egg
Oh, The Places You’ll Go
The King’s Stilts The Butter Battle Book
Thidwick The Big-Hearted Moose
Bartholomew and The Oobleck
King Didd wants a change in the
weather. When it rains it’s always too
rainy, when it shines, it’s always too hot.
Nothing will please him until the royal
wizards offer up a new kind of weather:
oobleck. It’s not until it’s too late that the
king realizes his horrible mistake as the
oobleck begins to destroy the town.
Bartholomew is the one to save the day.
Possible paper topic:
This book is filled with catastrophe once
the oobleck arrives. Similar to the
devastation that was caused by hurricane
Katrina, the 2007 tsunami or crippling wild
fires. Choose one major natural disaster in
history and write your paper on the effects
it has had on culture, on history books,
and on people.
Your project
About Dr. Seuss
Home
Oh, The Thinks You Can Think
The Sneetches
Please Try To Remember The First of Octember
Yertle The Turtle
Bartholomew and The Oobleck
And To Think I Saw It on Mullberry Street
Gerald McBoing Boing
If I Ran The Circus
I Had Trouble In Getting to Solla Sollew
Would You Rather be a Bullfrog
The Lorax
Horton Hatches The Egg
Oh, The Places You’ll Go
The King’s Stilts The Butter Battle Book
Thidwick The Big-Hearted Moose
Would You Rather be a Bullfrog
This book is a charming, “bright eyed and early” book that
poses series of choices for young kids. “Would you rather be a
clarinet? A trombone? Or a drum?” Though there is not clear
plot to the story, the questions are cute, farfetched, and funny.
Possible paper topics:
It’s often been said that there are two
types of people in this world: those who
are jerks and those who are not. We often
here that prase: “There are two types of
people in this world,” and it’s always
accompanied by two opposites (ex- those
who ski and those who don’t. Those who
can take a joke, and those who can’t.) Do
you agree? Are there really only two
options when putting people into categories? Use Would You
Rather be a Bullfrog to write a paper on ultimatums (eg—you
are either this, or this). Do you think society is designed to
follow ultimatums? Do you think it’s human nature?
Your project
About Dr. Seuss
Home
Oh, The Thinks You Can Think
The Sneetches
Please Try To Remember The First of Octember
Yertle The Turtle
Bartholomew and The Oobleck
And To Think I Saw It on Mullberry Street
Gerald McBoing Boing
If I Ran The Circus
I Had Trouble In Getting to Solla Sollew
Would You Rather be a Bullfrog
The Lorax
Horton Hatches The Egg
Oh, The Places You’ll Go
The King’s Stilts The Butter Battle Book
Thidwick The Big-Hearted Moose
The Lorax
The lorax is the funniest of creatures: hairy and short and
stout. But he speaks for the trees. When the Once-ler comes
along and discovers the beautiful truffula trees, he begins to
chop them down and creates a lucrative industry knitting the
truffula tree fluff into a fancy contraction.
What will be the fate of the truffula trees
and the beautiful creatures that depend
on.
Possible paper topics:
Climate change has become one of the
hottest topics in popular news culture
today. Write a paper identifying one major
area in the world that has been affected by
deforestation or climate change.
Using The Lorax as an example, discuss one failed business model in
the 20th or 21 century in the United States. Why did the business fail?
Was it related to exhaustion of resources? What happened to the
business’ working class? What happened to its CEOs and higher-up
employees? One very prominent example is Enron.
Your project
About Dr. Seuss
Home
Oh, The Thinks You Can Think
The Sneetches
Please Try To Remember The First of Octember
Yertle The Turtle
Bartholomew and The Oobleck
And To Think I Saw It on Mullberry Street
Gerald McBoing Boing
If I Ran The Circus
I Had Trouble In Getting to Solla Sollew
Would You Rather be a Bullfrog
The Lorax
Horton Hatches The Egg
Oh, The Places You’ll Go
The King’s Stilts The Butter Battle Book
The King’s Stilts
Thidwick The Big-Hearted Moose
The King’s Stilts is one of the only books written by Dr. Seuss that was written in
prose, rather than verse (meaning it’s not written like a poem). King Betram rules a
kingdom that requires a delicate balance of power and commitment. In his free time,
the king likes to gallivants around on red stilts. One day, the stilts are stolen and the
king falls into a deep depression. What perils will the town meet after the king’s stilts
go missing?
Possible paper topics:
This books is written using a technique called causal
variable (because this happened, it caused this thing to
happened, which caused this thing to happen, etc).
Write a paper discussing a major world event using
causal variables. For instance, because three men went
on a mission trip to Uganda in 2003, the organization
Invisible Children created a video on YouTube, which
became viral, which caused the campaign to become a
huge topic of discussion which etc.… Be sure to take a
stance on the issue you choose.
Iran is notorious for being involved in war. One of the reasons for this is because of
the rich natural resources it has, and because of how accessible the country is due
to it’s landscape. Using The Kings Stilts to support your argument, discuss why you
feel Iran is so vulnerable.
Your project
About Dr. Seuss
Home
Oh, The Thinks You Can Think
The Sneetches
And To Think I Saw It on Mullberry Street
Please Try To Remember The First of Octember
Yertle The Turtle
Gerald McBoing Boing
Bartholomew and The Oobleck
If I Ran The Circus
I Had Trouble In Getting to Solla Sollew
Would You Rather be a Bullfrog
The Lorax
Horton Hatches The Egg
Oh, The Places You’ll Go
The King’s Stilts The Butter Battle Book
Thidwick The Big-Hearted Moose
The Butter Battle Book
The Butter Battle Book is about two warring cultures, the
Yooks and the Zooks. The warring is rooted in whether it’s
proper to eat your toast with the butter side of or the butter
side down. The land has become so divided between the
Yooks and the Zooks, that they have built an enormous
zigzagging wall between them. Eventually, a war breaks
out, and a race for the better defense wins.
Possible Paper Topics:
The Berlin wall is an historical landmark for
many people worldwide. Write a paper
discussing the conflict between East and
West Berlin, and what eventually happened
to lead to the fall of the Berlin Wall.
The nuclear arms race was a very scary and very prevalent
theme during the Cold War. Write a paper discussing what the
nuclear arms race was, and why it was such a frightening time.
Your project
About Dr. Seuss
Home
Oh, The Thinks You Can Think
The Sneetches
And To Think I Saw It on Mullberry Street
Please Try To Remember The First of Octember
Yertle The Turtle
Gerald McBoing Boing
Bartholomew and The Oobleck
If I Ran The Circus
I Had Trouble In Getting to Solla Sollew
Would You Rather be a Bullfrog
The Lorax
Horton Hatches The Egg
Oh, The Places You’ll Go
The King’s Stilts The Butter Battle Book
Thidwick The Big-Hearted Moose
Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose
Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose is a great tale about giving and giving
too much. Thidwick is a moose with gigantic antlers that lives in a heard
of 60 or more other moose. Even when food is scarce, Thidwick always
offers his share of food to others. He lets little creatures dwell in his
antlers, including a bug and 365 bees and a bobcat. When his
hospitality causes him to become completely
bogged down, Thidwick tries desperately to
escape the antlers that have become his prison.
Possible paper topics:
Write a paper discussing one culturally
renowned figure in history such as Gandhi,
Mother Teresa, or Martin Luther King, Jr. Do
some research on their philosophy on
generosity, and how they made an impact in
today’s culture.
There are a number of government programs that are under fire for
attracting “free-loaders.” One such program is welfare. Do you agree
with this statement? Write a paper discussing how welfare originated in
the United States, and what sort of impacts it has had on the United
States.
Your project
About Dr. Seuss
Home