Rating: 
Summary: The great Doctor as political commentator!
Review: Anyone who has read Dr. Seuss (and, honestly, who hasn't?) knows that his books include a great deal of political and/or social commentary disguised as children's stories. What many people don't know is that Dr. Suess started as an advertising copy writer and, early in World War II, worked as an editorial cartoonist.
This is a collection of some of his best editorial cartoons from that period, together with a detail commentary that helps to place them in their historical context. These cartoons show that Dr. Seuss was bitterly opposed to isolationism, and was clearly way ahead of his time with respect to civil rights. Ironically, however, he demonstrates a distinct bias against the Japanese that almost feels racist.
This is a facinating glimpse into a largely overlooked chapter of a celebrated artist's career, and should be required reading for anyone who wants a better understanding of Dr. Seuss, the man.
Rating: 
Summary: Oh the Drawings He Drew
Review: Dr. Seuss Goes to War is a fascinating look at the political cartoons of Theodor Geisel, (Dr. Seuss). Seuss was hired to draw political cartoons for the New York newspaper PM in 1941 and remained through 1943. Seuss had already published his first children's book, To Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street in 1937 but his other children's works were not created until after WWII. Two hundred of those roughly four hundred cartoons have found their way into Dr. Seuss Goes to War. Because these cartoons were drawn on a daily basis and reflected contemporary events they provide the reader with a fascinating window through which one can view life in America and the World during the war years. The book begins with a brief introduction by Art Spiegelman, the Pulitzer Prize winning author/illustrator of Maus. Spiegelman notes the eerie resemblance between the figures and animals drawn by Seuss and his later creations such as the Cat in the Hat, Myrtle the Turtle, and Horton. The cartoons themselves are divided into sections by topic, (the Home Front, Hitler & Nazi Germany, the Rest of the Word, etc.). Each section contains a very well written and thoughtful preface by historian Richard Minear. These explanatory sections are quite helpful in putting the cartoons into the context of the day and providing critical information about some of the then well known figures of the day (Father Coughlin, Pierre Laval and others) that may be unfamiliar to contemporary readers. Minear's commentary is particularly useful because it contains links between the information he provides by reference to the specific page number of a cartoon. The reader's enjoyment and understanding of the cartoon is enhancement by this treatment. As to the cartoons themselves, it is impossible to do justice to their power, wit, and whimsy. Seuss, and his newspaper PM, were strongly opposed to the isolationist movement in the U.S. in the months before America's entry into the war. As such Seuss pulled no punches when it came to directing his wrath at Charles Lindbergh and other isolationists. He mocked Hitler, Mussolini, Tojo, and Stalin (until the German attack on the USSR) and the Vichy French government. Seuss' treatment of the Vichy regime, most notably Pierre Laval, was positively brutal. Minear also includes a number of Seuss' cartoons attacking anti-Semitism and other racist, segregationist policies on the home front. In this area Seuss was well ahead of his time. Minear counterbalances this aspect of Seuss' world view by including Seuss cartoons lampooning Tojo, the Japanese military, and the Japanese people. Minear is quick to point out his disappointment at what he calls Seuss's ugly stereotyping of Japanese-Americans that he thought went beyond the bounds of acceptable commentary, even in the 1940s. Minear's disappointment is heightened by Seuss' otherwise enlightened approach to the treatment of Jewish and African Americans in the 1930s and 1940s.
On a purely emotional level, anyone who has ever read Dr. Seuss will enjoy looking at his political cartoons. The cartoons are both funny and thought provoking. The essence of Seuss's style of caricatures is fully in place and it is quite easy to see the physical similarity between the animals and people drawn by Seuss here and in his later children's works. This is a book that can be enjoyed by anyone who has ever read Dr. Seuss as a child. It will also be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in political cartoons or would like to explore how America viewed the world (through Seuss' eyes) between 1941 and 1943.
Rating:
Summary: Oh the Drawings He Drew
Review: Dr. Seuss Goes to War is a fascinating look at the political cartoons of Theodor Geisel, (Dr. Seuss). Seuss was hired to draw political cartoons for the New York newspaper PM in 1941 and remained through 1943. Seuss had already published his first children's book, To Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street in 1937 but his other children's works were not created until after WWII. Two hundred of those roughly four hundred cartoons have found their way into Dr. Seuss Goes to War. Because these cartoons were drawn on a daily basis and reflected contemporary events they provide the reader with a fascinating window through which one can view life in America and the World during the war years. The book begins with a brief introduction by Art Spiegelman, the Pulitzer Prize winning author/illustrator of Maus. Spiegelman notes the eerie resemblance between the figures and animals drawn by Seuss and his later creations such as the Cat in the Hat, Myrtle the Turtle, and Horton. The cartoons themselves are divided into sections by topic, (the Home Front, Hitler & Nazi Germany, the Rest of the Word, etc.). Each section contains a very well written and thoughtful preface by historian Richard Minear. These explanatory sections are quite helpful in putting the cartoons into the context of the day and providing critical information about some of the then well known figures of the day (Father Coughlin, Pierre Laval and others) that may be unfamiliar to contemporary readers. Minear's commentary is particularly useful because it contains links between the information he provides by reference to the specific page number of a cartoon. The reader's enjoyment and understanding of the cartoon is enhancement by this treatment. As to the cartoons themselves, it is impossible to do justice to their power, wit, and whimsy. Seuss, and his newspaper PM, were strongly opposed to the isolationist movement in the U.S. in the months before America's entry into the war. As such Seuss pulled no punches when it came to directing his wrath at Charles Lindbergh and other isolationists. He mocked Hitler, Mussolini, Tojo, and Stalin (until the German attack on the USSR) and the Vichy French government. Seuss' treatment of the Vichy regime, most notably Pierre Laval, was positively brutal. Minear also includes a number of Seuss' cartoons attacking anti-Semitism and other racist, segregationist policies on the home front. In this area Seuss was well ahead of his time. Minear counterbalances this aspect of Seuss' world view by including Seuss cartoons lampooning Tojo, the Japanese military, and the Japanese people. Minear is quick to point out his disappointment at what he calls Seuss's ugly stereotyping of Japanese-Americans that he thought went beyond the bounds of acceptable commentary, even in the 1940s. Minear's disappointment is heightened by Seuss' otherwise enlightened approach to the treatment of Jewish and African Americans in the 1930s and 1940s.
On a purely emotional level, anyone who has ever read Dr. Seuss will enjoy looking at his political cartoons. The cartoons are both funny and thought provoking. The essence of Seuss's style of caricatures is fully in place and it is quite easy to see the physical similarity between the animals and people drawn by Seuss here and in his later children's works. This is a book that can be enjoyed by anyone who has ever read Dr. Seuss as a child. It will also be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in political cartoons or would like to explore how America viewed the world (through Seuss' eyes) between 1941 and 1943.
Rating:
Summary: Many of the cartoons revolve around imminent Axis threat
Review: Dr. Seuss Goes To War: The World War II Editorial Cartoons Of Theodor Seuss Geisel is a remarkable, memorable, and highly recommended collection of the barbed and sharp-witted editorial cartoons drawn by Theodor Seuss Geisel, who is perhaps best known as Dr. Seuss, the author of such popular favorite children's books as "Horton Hears a Who" and "The Cat in the Hat". The cartoons presented here date back to the dark years of World War II, when the Axis powers threatened to consume the world; many of the cartoons revolve around the imminent threat to America and the need to become involved before it was too late. The cartoons cease in late 1942 to early 1943 as Geisel himself went to war to protect his country. He survived the fighting but after the war was over he never returned to editorial cartoon work, but achieved an enduring literary legacy through creating children's classics with underlying meaningful themes.
Rating:
Summary: See Yertle the Turtle in His Earliest Form!
Review: I was quite surprised when I discovered this book of over 200 (out of 400 he drew) political cartoons by Dr. Seuss (who became a Doctor only by honorary degree years later, even though he called himself Dr. Seuss at this time). I did not realize that he had been a major producer of propaganda in favor of intervention in World War II and later in favor of winning the war. What is even more surprising is to look at the cartoons and see familiar-looking fish, cats and turtles who show up in all of the most beloved children's stories by Dr. Seuss. Clearly, World War II was essential training for the pro-community, pro-progressiveness stories that three generations have now grown up with. Dr. Seuss was so enraged by Italian pro-fascist propaganda that he sought a role in political cartooning with P.M., a New Deal liberal daily newspaper in New York. The newspaper did not carry advertising, and cost much more than other papers. As a result, it had a daily circulation of only 150,000. After two years, he volunteered for the service at age 38 and took a job in the Army signal corps creating propaganda movies (some of which won him Oscars). Most of these cartoons would be ones that anyone would be proud to have drawn, for both their humor and the targeting of those who favored dictatorships and complacency about fascism. On the other hand, Dr. Seuss did a few that are certainly racist (although generally he was antiracist, opposing the ill treatment of blacks and Jews). The focus of his racism were Japanese (lots of slanted-eyes drawings of evil plotting) and Japanese-Americans (one cartoon shows Japanese-Americans picking up explosives after Pearl Harbor). The book is also interesting for capturing the debates of those years in a fresh and visual way. I wish my studies of World War II in high school had included looking at some of these cartoons and discussing them. Because almost all of us know Dr. Seuss's later work so well, this book has a special usefulness to us in understanding U.S. politics of the time. A lot of the cartoons are hard to understand unless you have an encyclopedic knowledge of World War II. As a result, I suggest that you read the accompanying essays by Richard Minear that fill in the gaps. There is also a chronology to relate the dates to the events. The cartoons themselves are arranged by subject matter, all the better to tie together with essays. Some may find this ordering (rather than one strict beginning to end grouping) a little confusing. However, compared to most cartoon books, this one is very well documented. I suspect that people from the Greatest Generation would enjoy receiving this book as a gift. Overcome your stalled thinking about the politics of today being the way things are by seeing how much our views have changed since World War II! Maybe, just maybe, we have some misconceptions today that we are not aware of like Dr. Seuss did about Japanese-Americans (who were later rounded up into concentration camps). Perhaps our misconceptions relate to ignoring the travails of the poorest 3 billion people on the planet. Think about it. I was also struck that peacetime uses of Dr. Seuss's talent created much greater work than did wartime efforts. Perhaps that is true for all of humanity. That's another argument in favor of peace.
Rating: 
Summary: Kind of disappointing . . .
Review: I'm one of those who grew up in the `50s with the Dr. Seuss books, and I still enjoy them. But I was somewhat disappointed with this collection of his editorial cartoons from 1941-42. Partly, that's because his creativity seems to have stumbled in doing them -- especially if you compare his work to, say, Herblock's wartime cartoons. And partly, it's because the book itself could have been much more informative. The lengthy notes on each drawing mostly just describe what you're already looking at; there's very little analysis. Aside from that, I'm puzzled at the comments of all the critics (and the other reviewers here) on Dr. Seuss's aparent "racism" in depicting the Japanese. This was wartime, folks! Of *course* there was anti-Japanese racism in the United States! Portraying the enemy in extremely uncomplimentary terms was part of the war effort. Remember the Warner Brothers theatrical cartoons? Remember the official U.S. government visual interpretations of the Japanese? Granted, it was stronger in the case of our Asian enemies because (1) there were relatively many fewer Japanese-Americans in 1942 than there were Americans of German and Italian descent, and (2) Asians simply stand out more prominently in a predominantly European country. Well, hindsight is a wonderful thing. And while it may be politically incorrect for me to point this out, it certainly doesn't make *me* racist to make the observation.
Rating:
Summary: Dr. Seuss Goes to War
Review: In Dr. Seuss Goes to War, Richard Minear depicts the cartoonist�s editorial cartoons for New York�s PM newspaper. Minear defines PM as a "left-wing daily newspaper" that ran from 1940-48. Theodore Seuss Geisel landed a job as editorial cartoonist from 1941-2 after which he never drew another editorial cartoon again. Minear shows how Dr. Seuss conveyed his political beliefs into cartoon format. Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Petain, Laval, and Lindbergh, were often among the personages depicted in some negative political light.
Minear does not wax sentimental towards what Dr. Seuss eventually became in that he uses anti-Japanese-American cartoons as well as those that modern American Seuss fans can be proud of. Anti-Japanese-Americanism is the only apparent negative racial flaw in the Seuss arsenal. African-Americans and Jewish-Americans were not subjugated to similar negativism�s. Fans of Cat in the Hat or Green Eggs and Ham or the many other Seuss works will delight in seeing historical figures drawn similarly to later Seuss creations. This is an important book that shows a little known aspect of Geisel�s life, one previously limited to biographical sketches.
Rating:
Summary: SKETCH THIS ONE A WINNER! EVEN WITHOUT THE GREEN EGGS ...
Review: Theodor Geisel gone political? That's right. The man responsible for "Green Eggs and Ham" and "The Cat in the Hat" and "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" has a serious side: He repeatedly vilified Hitler and the Nazi threat in a series of political cartoons he penned in the '40s for the popular, liberal New York newspaper "PM." Author and historian Richard Minear has amassed nearly 200 of these imaginative illustrations in this important book --- illustrations that urge Americans to fight Hitler, buy U.S. bonds, help control inflation and support the war effort. The enemies are clear: Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, Japan. Seuss' work is sharply critical of anti--Semitism and anti-Black racism, yet the images are shockingly and undeniably racist in their portrayal of Japanese Americans. (Remember the time frame --- 1941-1942 --- and American opinion at the time.) Sketch this one a winner.
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Summary: This book has an odd charm!
Review: This book caught my fancy since it is so odd! We all know and love Dr. Seuss, and his Grinch story has become part of our secular Christmas cannon, which has secured his immortality. But I never knew that he drew political cartoons! This book covers about three years during World War II where Theodore Geisel (note his German surname) drew political cartoons. The cartoons have several distinct characteristics: First, they are quite patriotic, and in light the holocaust and of our current conflagration, we know that he did the right thing. Another thing is that they are very pro-war-remember the German surname. He knew that we were in the right in fighting this just war. Lastly, he was quite a sever critic of the isolationists, especially Charles Lindbergh (note *his* German surname). The art has the familiar whimsy that characterizes his other more famous books. His US eagle looks more like an ostrich. What I found fascinating is that you see some drawings and images that appear in his children's books. For example, on page 182, you see an elephant that is a perfectly drawn Horton, from "Horton Hears a Who," and "Horton Hatches an Egg." Another design is on page 244, where he drew a stack of turtles in a victory "V" shape, which looks suspiciously like "Yertle the Turtle." The best drawings in this book are of Hitler. In some magical way, Dr. Seuss has captures the sick hubris that was our little Adolph. He draws him with his eyes closed, in a cocky indifference to the world around him. He has that ragged little toothbrush moustache. But I think the position of the head, the stuck-up nose, coupled with lifted eyebrows coveys the back essence of the man. This design belongs in a holocaust museum, since it is more than a cartoon, more than a caricature, but is more like a drawing of Hitler's smug soul. This book is not for your children, but more for a die-hard Seuss fan, a pop-culture historian, or a weirdo eccentric eclectic like myself. I guess you could say this the gift for someone with everything. The sheer shock value of this book is worth the price of printing! There commentary on the cartoons, explaining the issues and the targets of Seuss's wicked quill. We focus on the battles and generals of WWII, but there were also battles and generals on the home front that were as decisive as Pearl Harbor and Midway. Seuss was one of these genius generals who fought the battle of the mind and heart of every American.
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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.
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