Picture Book: The Sneetches and Other
Stories
Author & Illustrator: Dr. Seuss
Summary: The
Star-Belly Sneetches brag about their stars and look down upon the Plain–Belly Sneetches,
excluding them from games, parties, and feasts. Then Sylvester McMonkey McBean
shows up with a contraption to put stars on the bellies of the Plain-Belly
Sneetches for a low price of course. All pay the price and enter the machine. The
Star-Bellied Sneetches react with concern that they may not know who has the
natural star-bellies. Just in time McBean convinces them that “Belly stars are
no longer in style,” and offers, for a price of course, to remove their stars. This
pattern repeats until none of the Sneetches are quite sure how they started and
all their money is spent. McBean departs with a laugh, “They never will learn.”
However, the Sneetches do learn. They decide that “Sneetches are Sneetches. And
no kind of Sneetch is the best.”
Hanna’s Comments: I didn’t dare try to summarize a Seuss book with clever rhyme
although I was tempted. Many folks the world over would agree that Seuss was a genius
of whimsical verse and manufactured words. Today is the birthday of the late Dr.
Seuss, born Theodor Geisel, one of my heroes, so I’ll be offering his books all week. This story has
much to offer children and adults in faith communities because it humorously offers
some of our most frustrating human qualities: our tendency toward acquiring status,
creating cliques, and jealousy. McBean, like so many humans, is ready to take
advantage of our faults. He gets rich off the Sneetches, but the Sneetches do
learn in the end. If only it was that easy for us humans.
Publisher & Date of Publication: Random House, 1961
Age & Grade Appropriateness: 5 and up, K and up
# of Pages:
25
Available in Spanish? Not at present
Formats other than Book: Tablet, There is a video of this story on
Youtube.com and in the video collection Green
Eggs and Ham and Other Stories (also includes The Zax and Too Many Daves).
Random House has created a website full of Dr. Seuss activities and
information. Here’s the link: www.seussville.com.
PBT Category:
Classic
PBT Topics this Book Connects with: aspirations/dreams, beauty, belonging,
change, competition, conformity, consumerism/consumption/riches,
coveting/envy/jealousy, differences, exclusion/inclusion, humanity, identity/names,
judgment/judges/judging, prejudice, pride, race relations/racism, religious
differences, segregation, social justice, suspicion
Scripture Connections: You shall not covet anything that is your
neighbor’s (Exodus 20:17); judge not, and you will not be judged (Luke 6:37);
do not judge by appearances (John 7:24); so where jealousy and selfish ambition
exist, there will be disorder (James 3:16)
Idea(s) for Application: Use this picture book or its video format in a program
for adults or children that tackles issues such as status, exclusivity, division,
or marginalization in response to our Holy Scriptures which direct us to
refrain from judging others.
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