These hunters find amusement from Horton the elephant perched on a tree, and bring Horton, tree, egg and all, across the ocean and sell Horton, the elephant perched on a tree, to a circus.Īfter fifty one weeks of remaining faithful to the egg, Mayzie bird flies by the circus and recognizes Horton. Horton shows resilience as he cares for the egg through storms, a freezing winter, teasing from his peers, and even standing up to hunters to protect the egg. Seuss uses humor to show the loving care of Horton, as Horton figures out how to safely sit on the egg. Horton promises to be faithful to the Mayzie bird’s egg, and begins his unknowingly to him, nearly year-long babysitting job, as Mayzie decides that vacation is just too good to return.

She longs for a vacation, and calls on Horton walking by to take care of her egg while she takes a well-deserved break. Written in 1940, Horton Hatches the Egg begins with a Mayzie bird who is exhausted and wants a break from sitting on her egg in her nest. He uses Horton’s catch phrase “I meant what I said and I said what I meant, an elephant’s faithful, one hundred percent” and even changes the phrase slightly throughout the story to emphasize the plot, such as “with Horton unhappy, one hundred percent,” and “but oh, I am seasick, one hundred per cent!” These changes help the story continue to move along while also giving emphasis to Horton’s emotions throughout the story. Additionally, Seuss’s use of repetition helps to emphasize key parts of the story as well as contribute to the pattern of reading. Seuss’s sing-songy rhymes keep the rhythm of the book flowing and makes it an enjoyable read. The story is heartwarming, as Horton teaches readers the importance of keeping one’s words, persistence, hard work, and dedication.ĭr. A book with a reoccurring character in Seuss’s work, Horton the elephant, Horton Hatches the Egg, follows the lovable and caring elephant Horton though his experience of sitting on an egg he promised to keep warm. Seuss for today’s Traditional Thursday, but I decided to discuss a book that was not part of my family’s bookshelf growing up. So, I felt it was fitting to pick a book written by Dr. One of my favorite authors as a child, and still, one of my favorite Children’s books authors is Dr.

Horton hatches a egg