Book Report: Horton Hatches The Egg

By Akela Talamasca on April 28th, 2009

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Everyone loves Dr. Seuss, and with good reason: his books are fun reads for all ages, with their inventive rhymes, quirky art style, and life-affirming embedded messages. One of the most beloved of his works is Horton Hatches The Egg. Again, it’s worth repeating that while I hadn’t read this in decades, the opportunity to read it aloud to my son brought a few interesting challenges to the fore that I hadn’t remembered from my previous experience with the title.

First of all, the lazy bird Maysie cozens poor helpful Horton to sit on her egg in her place, while she flies off for vacation with the intention never to return. Child abandonment, right there within the first five minutes of the story. I made sure I stopped and explained to my son that we would never, ever do that to him.

Next, Horton undergoes some fairly harrowing treatment from both nature and his friends as he sits on the egg. He gets rained and snowed on, icicles hanging from his feet — and on top of that, all his “friends” laugh at him! So we see that even in the wild, there are expectations of proper behavior, and to buck them is to invite ridicule.

The next part I had to gloss over somewhat. A trio of hunters arrive to kidnap Horton and take him away to be sold to a zoo. Oh, the minefield surrounding this section! First, I resolutely refuse to even talk about guns with my son. Sure, sooner or later he’ll learn what they are, but I want to preserve his innocence for as long as I’m able. No toy guns for him, either. So it might have been a little confusing for him not to know what it was the hunters were pointing at Horton, but the main point of the piece is that Horton stands his ground heroically and refuses to budge, even in the face of … opposition.

And let’s not even go into what it means to be sold as property.

Finally, the moment of truth arrives as Horton is being confronted by Maysie, who just happens to be in the neighborhood to see him as the main attraction at the local circus. The egg hatches, and out flies a hybrid elephant-bird, putting to rest once and for all time the argument between nature and nurture. This point I don’t quibble with, preferring the wonderful message that “the person who raises you is your real family” over any discussion of actual genetics.

And there you have it, more hidden pitfalls in your childhood classics. Please understand that I don’t write these to cast aspersion on any of these books, which I continue to love and enjoy myself. They were merely written during different times, and we just need to watch for elements that might not jibe with our modern outlook and parental philosophies. Happy reading!