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Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories Anniversary Edition |  | Author: Charles D. Cohen
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Category: Book
List Price: $24.99
Buy New: $15.44
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Seller: allnewbooks
Rating:  reviews
Sales Rank: 107329
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 50 Anv
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Pages: 128
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 10.8 x 8.2 x 0.7
ISBN: 0375838503
EAN: 9780375838507
ASIN: 0375838503
Publication Date: September 23, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Inside this very special anniversary edition of Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories, you’ll find the complete, original text and illustrations by Dr. Seuss, along with 32 pages of commentary and archival images written and compiled by Charles D. Cohen, the world’s foremost Seuss scholar and collector. Also included for the first time together are two rarely seen Seuss stories: “The Ruckus” about a bird who likes to hear himself talk but has nothing to say, and “The Kindly Snather,” a cautionary tale that points to the perils of greed and sloth. With detailed—even fascinating—footnotes, this is a must-have volume for Seuss fans of all ages.
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| Customer Reviews:
One of Seuss' Best - a review of "Yertle the Turtle" August 25, 2009
Pam Tee
Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories is amongst Seuss' best works. The stories are poignant. They are all great Read-a-Louds, and they have great rhymes.
The first of the three stories is Yertle the Turtle. It's about a king turtle that decides that his pond is not kingdom enough. He orders his subjects -- other turtles -- to stack themselves so that he can see further; his assumption being that he is the king of all he surveys.
It's actually very amusing to see how many ways there are to interpret this story. A quick trip over to Amazon.com will show you that people view Yertle as everything from simple bossy-boots, to a stand in for Hitler or Stalin. And far be it for me to argue that they aren't correct. And, in fact, this is the power of this story. That it can be understood from different perspectives, so that children can 'grow into' various interpretations.
Personally, my first thought was that Yertle was like the British Aristocracy, while the lowly turtle Mac (at the bottom of the stack) was the American Colonies.
The second story is "Gertrude McFuzz". Gertrude is a bird that is suffering from jealousy. She sees La-La Lee Lou and wants a grand tale like her. In the end though, she comes to appreciate what she has.
The final story continues with the theme of humility and is entitled, "The Big Brag".
The Accelerated Reading designation for this book is 3.3 which means that your average 3rd Grader in the 3rd month of school should be able to read this book themselves without getting too frustrated by words they don't know. [The book can be read to any age, of course.]
The "official" Interest Level is given as Preschool thru 2nd Grade. I, personally, disagree and think this makes no sense given the reading designation, and would suggest Preschool on thru fourth grade.
Meant for practice reading, Seuss tried to include useful messages when he could. The ones in this books are particularly useful and deal with consideration, jealousy, and bragging.
Highly recommended.
Pam T~
mom and reviewer for BooksForKids-Reviews
" If leadership like this seems familiar there is text to life connection" March 16, 2009
a gentle sound (USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Basically I had an epiphany this Dr. Seuss week. Teachers celebrate this author yearly in the "union" for his contribution to literacy for a really good reason. My own epiphany on Seuss came as I watched and read his books all again and realized my using his work for 25 years was just good sound gut recognition.
And I'll start with Yertle.
Yertle is the answer to the last eight years. In fact he's my answer to just about anyone I saw put on the three piece and start getting into the leadership mode, especially those without more reason than a drive to be "on top."
So here's the story .....spoilers... so stop reading right now if you never read it before.....my 1st graders just loved hearing making me read it their demanded three times. It was really my daughter Sylvia's favorite.
(She's at Cal Tech now majoring in neural science and English. She wants to help the world. By understanding the mechanisms of the brain. She read this at three. To me. As I dozed. But now I'm awake and listening, you should too.)
Seuss wrote a story about a turtle that is a King of a small pond in the middle of nowhere.
Just like a grander view of the universe takes you to recognition of your speck-i-ness, Yertle decides that "he needs more than this," so through clever and delightful rhyming he gets his fellow turtles to stack themselves. Orders it actually. He gets an "idea." So now he has a higher throne, a better "view" and more to claim. Of course he thinks it's their duty to do this for him, so then he demands and commands it continue upward. And dutifully they do it. As he rises in the pond, he proclaims dominion over all that he sees. It's amazing just that. The notion is so like what we know both from child's play and nation state. It just keeps getting more outrageous. UNTIL a small turtle with an aching back doesn't defy him so much as tell him he hurts. His back hurts. And it's not fun to give up your freedom to Yertle's idea. Hum.
Yertle is furious, Shut Up...he shouts back at Mack.
It's the clearest indication Yertle is really on a all for me binge, not unlike these modern times in demand for bonuses and riches, it's just so darn hilariously blind, without a drop of fellow turtlely concern.
And dutifully they just keep stepping up to stack themselves into a mountain for his highness to sit upon. The idiom he is packing in all of this is fantastic. Part of my epiphany was just in how witty.....until...until the day...Mack burps.
Now that's surely a spoiler. I'm sorry. It all comes down. And Yertle is a mud master just fallen from command. Felled by that drop too much when it all just reached the tipping point where not one demand more could be taken. And not an act of defiance fells him, it's really just an act of normal human digestion. It's a great addition to a tale turtle mania.
I see this speaking to our world now, as the rich pile on just one inequity after another with this put upon bunch of fellow earth dwellers allowing this to the point of utter absurdity. It's gotten to the point where it can't take a hiccup. It's ready for something falling.
You know, you don't hate Yertle. You don't get that vibe. My daughter always sort of shakes her head like "poor tutrle-sap" it could be any of us I suppose. It is any of us in a sense, the price of just going along never asking a question.
We have a tech czar at our school I'm going to give a copy. Major Yertle.
It happens. Fall in mud, back to being a turtle that learned something worth knowing. Half this country ought to consider delux editions..
Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories February 18, 2009
Stampinmom (Fairfax, MN)
I am 50 years old just like "Yertle!" Loved this 50th anniversary edition complete with all kinds of great information on Dr. Seuss and the history behind Yertle (Hitler and other turtles in his stories) and many of his other great stories and how they came to be. My Dad loved reading Yertle to me as a kid, I loved reading it to my kids, and now my students enjoy hearing it! Thanks for printing this anniversary edition!
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