Grown-ups will always tell you that growing up stinks. Bills, jobs, ugh, taxes, their list of complaints is endless. But we're here to tell you that growing up doesn't stink; it can just feel very confining. See, when you grow up, summers are shorter, possibilities are limited, and the world just seems like a smaller place. In contrast, youth makes everything look broad, expansive, and fun. And we mean everything—construction work really isn't as fun as Tonka makes you believe it is.
Enter one Dr. Seuss. If I Ran the Zoo grants youth in a way no anti-wrinkle cream could ever duplicate. The book shows kids how to make the most out of their youthful perception of the world. For the older readers among us, it opens the confinement of adulthood and reminds us just how much bigger the world really is. That's two for the price of one.
Questions and Answers
Q: Where does McGrew get his ideas?
A: He uses his youthful imagination. The same way you get all your crazy—um, great ideas.
Q: How can I work at a zoo?
A: For starters, we can read a lot of books on animals while you're still young. We'll work our way up from there.
Q: Do you think the zookeeper would like McGrew's zoo?
A: I bet that when the zookeeper was younger he imagined a zoo much like McGrew's. That's why he became a zookeeper himself.
Q: Do you think I could discover a new animal?
A: Well, you're young, and I've heard there are still millions of species still out there awaiting discovery. So, yeah, I do.