Rating: 
Summary: Another side of the talented Ted Geisel
Review: To mention Dr. Seuss conjours up the images of the Cat in the Hat, the Sneeches and the Grinch. However, before the great Dr. became a staple of children's libraries everywhere, Ted Geisel was an artist - a cartoonist. Just as "The Secret Art of Dr. Seuss" shows the formation and talent of the whimsical artist, this book shows the formation of the political artist that was also Dr. Seuss. From a beginning of doing editorial cartoons at Dartmouth, Geisel moved on to dabble in his first few children's books. But with the advent of World War II, he found himself drawing cartoons for PM Magazine and others.These cartoons, so strange because of their overt politics, show Geisel's ability to merge the whimsical and the serious. To pointedly make his statement, but to also find humor in doing so. No enemy is as scary when reduced to the punchline of a cartoon. What is strange to see, and this book shows so well, is the growth of a style that we would all come to know and love. How often after the war do creatures such as the stylized (non-interventionist) ostrich appear as the prototypical walking bird that inhabits the Seuss landscape? His cartoons though often targeted domestic problems as well as the axis leaders - the politics are broad sweeping. A portfolio of these cartoons would be enough to enjoy for the arts sake, but Richard Minear takes the time to put the artwork in place, both in terms of where Geisel was in his life as where the country was in its strife. In this, the book goes beyond just a celebration of heretofore uncollected Seuss drawings, but as a glimps into the political homefront of World War II. A worthy addition to any Seuss-ophile's library, or anyone who wants to explore the political times of the late 30's and early 40's.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting read for Seuss fans and WWII buffs
Review: Unknown to many people, Dr. Seuss actually made anti-fascist political cartoons for a newspaper during 1941-1942. People who've grown up on the "Cat in the Hat" will be surprised to see the same man lampooning Hitler, Mussolini, Imperial Japan, and American isolationists in his own whimsical way. For Seuss fans and those interested in WWII, this book should rate a look. The only problem with the book is the way it is arranged. It is very irritating to have to constanly leaf back and forth between cartoons and the explanations that go along with them.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting read for Seuss fans and WWII buffs
Review: Unknown to many people, Dr. Seuss actually made anti-fascist political cartoons for a newspaper during 1941-1942. People who've grown up on the "Cat in the Hat" will be surprised to see the same man lampooning Hitler, Mussolini, Imperial Japan, and American isolationists in his own whimsical way. For Seuss fans and those interested in WWII, this book should rate a look. The only problem with the book is the way it is arranged. It is very irritating to have to constanly leaf back and forth between cartoons and the explanations that go along with them.
Rating: 
Summary: Little-known, timely, and an enjoyable book with later hints
Review: Until stumbling across this book, I would have had no idea that Dr. Seuss had once been an editorial cartoonist. Upon opening the book, the familiar illustrative style and in many cases, the whimsical, lyrical poetic style found in his children's books jump out. It is only as you examine deeper that you can really settle in and appreciate what the book compiled together. In these cartoons Seuss mocks Hitler, Mussolini, Tojo, and stereotypes present in the American culture of the 1940s. He has cartoons on domestic subjects, foreign policy acts and blunders, and the Second World War in general. Here you see Yertle the Turtle before we knew it was him, and other characters that we met in later books. My history students, of course, were initially thrilled to see more of Dr. Seuss' work, having grown up appreciating all that he did. But then, as we discussed what message and or/event was being referenced in individual cartoons, they grew appreciative and even more interested. I really like using this book.
Rating:
Summary: Little-known, timely, and an enjoyable book with later hints
Review: Until stumbling across this book, I would have had no idea that Dr. Seuss had once been an editorial cartoonist. Upon opening the book, the familiar illustrative style and in many cases, the whimsical, lyrical poetic style found in his children's books jump out. It is only as you examine deeper that you can really settle in and appreciate what the book compiled together. In these cartoons Seuss mocks Hitler, Mussolini, Tojo, and stereotypes present in the American culture of the 1940s. He has cartoons on domestic subjects, foreign policy acts and blunders, and the Second World War in general. Here you see Yertle the Turtle before we knew it was him, and other characters that we met in later books. My history students, of course, were initially thrilled to see more of Dr. Seuss' work, having grown up appreciating all that he did. But then, as we discussed what message and or/event was being referenced in individual cartoons, they grew appreciative and even more interested. I really like using this book.
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