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And why was it there?
And why was it lifted and taken somewhere…?

Back in 1971, Dr. Seuss brought us the Lorax, a small orange creature who speaks for the trees (“for the trees have no tongues”). The Lorax goes up against the greedy Once-ler, who cuts down all the Truffula  trees in his rush to make a product he believes that everyone must have – Thneeds ("It's a shirt. It's a sock. It's a glove. It's a hat."). As a result of the damage to the environment that his production brings, the Lorax and the other inhabitants of the community (Swomee-Swans, Brown Bar-ba- loots, and Humming-Fishes) must leave.

The story is told by the remorseful Once-ler to a young boy curious as to why the world is the way it is. At the end, the Once-ler reveals that he has saved one last Truffula seed and gives it to the boy so that he can create a new forest.

Today, March 2, The Lorax serves as the centerpiece of the National Education Association’s 15^th Read Across America campaign.* I am so pleased that The Lorax is the highlight of the day. On a personal level, it is one of my favorite Seuss books. And on an educational level, in addition to promoting the literacy skills the day intends to celebrate, it can also help students develop some of the other skills they will need to be successful in the global community – a favorite theme of politicians and educators alike these days.

In talking about the skills that students today will need in the future, we talk quite a bit about creativity and digital literacy. But we rarely talk specifically about environmental literacy. Yet the Partnership for 21^st Century Skills, a national organization that advocates for 21^st century readiness for every student and whose members include both education organizations and businesses (Apple, Verizon and Cisco among them), considers environmental literacy key to success in the changing world. In its skills framework: That all students be able to “demonstrate knowledge and understanding of society’s impact on the natural world (e.g., population growth, population development, resource consumption rate, etc.).” The Lorax can certainly be used to help students develop that understanding.

This book can also be used to empower students, helping them recognize that their actions can make a difference. It can inspire them to become active participants in their community and the world at large. To quote:

Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.

While some read that line as a bit depressing, I think it offers hope. One person's actions can change the world. And that is certainly a lesson I believe we must share with our students if we want them to succeed in the global community.

*Held on Dr. Seuss’ birthday, Read Across America celebrates reading and literacy and encourages more adults to spend time reading with their children. Almost 50% of children ages three to five do not get read to on a daily basis – a sad statistic when we consider that research shows children who are read to at home have a higher success rate in school and frequently develop stronger reading skills.

Dr. Seuss is not only an educational innovator in terms of environmental literacy. Do you know the story of how The Cat in the Hat came to be?