If ever a book managed to encapsulate in a simple and powerful way how our greed overrides our humanity and leads to environmental annihilation, it is ‘The Lorax’ by Dr Seuss.

The Lorax is a reminder of how a literary moment can illuminate an issue and set us on the path to change. Children’s books allow us to bypass the mind and go straight to the heart.

Children’s books can have a powerful impact on people of all ages and the UK Guardian would like to know which stories have made an impression on you? Whatever your story, they would love to hear how it has affected you and why. We support this literary environmental project. Read More

Jo Confino for the Guardian Professional Network (22 February 2012):

Children’s books can have a powerful impact on people of all ages and we’d like to know which stories have made an impression on you? Were you moved by the hardship endured by the rabbits as humans bulldozed through their homes in Richard Adams’ ‘Watership Down’? Or did Lynne Cherry’s ecological fairy tale ‘The Dragon and the Unicorn’ motivate you to work towards finding a more harmonious relationship between nature and humanity?

Whatever your story, we would love to hear how it has affected you and why. Send a short explanation in an email to jenny.purt@guardian.co.uk and we will publish the best and most interesting ones.

If ever a book managed to encapsulate in a simple and powerful way how our greed overrides our humanity and leads to environmental annihilation, it is ‘The Lorax’ by Dr Seuss.

Universal Pictures will in two weeks release its blockbuster animated film version of the 41-year-old childrens’ book in which Dr Seuss tells in his uniquely lyrical way the tale of the destruction of the Truffula Trees.

Later on in this blogpost I describe how Universal has trampled all over the book’s original vision, but let’s for the moment remain in an age of innocence.

The Lorax is a reminder of how a literary moment can illuminate an issue and set us on the path to change.

Children’s books often have a powerful impact, regardless of age, because they allow us to bypass the mind and go straight to the heart.

For those who haven’t had the pleasure of reading The Lorax, it is about the Once-ler, an entrepreneur, who discovers that the tufts of Truffula trees can be made into bizarre garments called Thneeds. As he wryly observes: “You never can tell what some people will buy.”

In his insane obsession for profits and growth, the Once-ler and his cronies, end up not only destroying the trees, but also the entire ecosystem that is supported by them.

The Lorax, a woodland creature who speaks up for the environment, tries to reason with the Once-ler, but like the real world, growth and profits must come first: “I went on biggering … selling more thneeds,” says the Once-ler. “And I biggered my money, which everyone needs.”

There is a moment in the book that I have experienced in no other; when the reader experiences a deathly silence as the axe comes down for the last time:

“And at that very moment, we heard a loud whack! From outside in the fields came a sickening smack of an axe on a tree. Then we heard a tree fall. The very last Truffula Tree of them all!

“No more trees, No more Thneeds. No more work to be done.”

The real beauty of the book, however, is that it shows the power of redemption and that it’s never too late to do the right thing.

The Once-ler, recognising his dastardly deed, retreats from the world where he is engulfed by grief. It takes the visit of an innocent young child for him to trust that it is never too late to make amends.

As he says: “UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

In the Once-ler’s possession is the one remaining Truffula seed, which he throws down to the boy: “You’re in charge of the last of the Truffula seeds. And Truffula Trees are what everyone needs.

“Plant a new Truffula. Treat it with care. Give it clean water. And feed it fresh air. Grow a forest. Protect it from axes that hack. Then the Lorax and all of his friends may come back.”

Having watched the film trailer, I came away depressed that much of the simple magic of the story has been lost.

For example, the child’s symbolic fear-laden journey alone through a dark and decimated landscape to visit the Once-ler is belittled by a script that makes the motivation of the 12-year-old the desire to “win the affection of the girl of his dreams,” who happens to be pretty and blonde. Would Dr Seuss have approved of this stereotyping? I think not.

But perhaps the deepest wound is how Universal is misusing the Lorax story through its 70 sponsorship deals, in order to bigger its money, which it clearly needs.

Perhaps we should be grateful for small mercies, for at least the studio had the sense to be a little more careful then Hollywood’s normal fast-food and plastic toy tie-ups.

“Our partners needed to legitimately be in the environmental space,” said Universal’s president of partnerships and licensing, Stephanie Sperber. “The brands and messages had to ring true to the Lorax story.”

The joys to come. Hilton’s DoubleTree hotel chain is offering the prize of a trip for four to eco-tourism mecca Costa Rica while technology giant HP is doing its bit to save the world: “When you print like the Lorax by choosing HP printing products – designed with the environment in mind – you’ll take a step towards making our planet a cleaner and greener place.”

Mazda’s new “Seuss-ified” crossover SUV will be seen on TV ads travelling through the Truffula valley with animals appearing at every curve.

Universal has itself created games, activities and educational tie-ins to promote forest conservation, but how deep does its commitment go and how long will its last?

At its root, what Universal has done is to industrialise and commercialise a story that seeks to warn against industrialisation and a throwaway cultur

Dr Seuss’s book has stood the test of time. Universal’s games and activities will not. In the same way that the Once-ler’s cronies moved on to pastures anew once the wind started smelling “slow and sour when it blows,” I expect HP and Hilton will soon find another way of promoting their goods and services to bigger the profits for their shareholders.

I cannot help but conclude that Universal and its sponsors have tainted the innocence of a simple tale, beautifully told.

None of this, of course, is done on purpose. As the Once-ler says: “I meant no harm. I most truly did not. But I had to grow bigger. So bigger I got.”

The film is released on March 2nd, the birthday of Dr Seuss. This year, it will be a day of commiseration rather than of celebration.

Source: www.guardian.co.uk