DR. SEUSS'S EVERY VOICE COUNTS!

A pocket-sized exhortation to speak out, illustrated with figures extracted from Dr. Seuss classics.

The anonymously composed text is cast in prose rather than Seussian doggerel, which is the best that can be said about it. Having first earnestly proclaimed the value of an individual voice—“You are unique. Your voice is UNIQUE”—the writer conversely suggests that “when you join your voice with others, BIG things can happen.” Following further hortatory prompts (“Be a TEACHER. / Be a LEADER”), the notion that oh, yes, you should also use your ears to listen to others drops in at the end as an afterthought: “So open your mouth—AND your ears! Because EVERY VOICE COUNTS!” The Cat in the Hat, the Lorax, the Fox in Socks, and other furry or feathered fantastical figures from unidentified titles parade past, all chosen to reflect the theme of each line. They are apparently unaltered except for some characters whose skin has been darkened, perhaps to introduce a note of diversity that was vanishingly rare in the originals (except, of course, for the racist images, which are absent here).

Recycled art in a bit of trite ephemera perfect for the “impulse buy” shelf.