GREEN EGGS AND HAM That Sam-I-am! That Sam-I-am! I do not like that Sam-I-am! Do you like green eggs and ham? I do not like them, Sam-I-am. I do not like green eggs and ham. Would you like them here or there? I would not like them here or there. I would not like them anywhere. I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them, Sam-I-am. Would you like them on a house? Would you like them with a mouse? I do not like them in a house. I do not like them with a mouse. I do not like them here or there. I do not like them anywhere. I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them, Sam-I-am. Would you eat them in a box? Would you eat them with a fox? Not in a box. Not with a fox. Not in a house. Not with a mouse. I would not eat them here or there. I would not eat them anywhere. I would not eat green eggs and ham. I do not like them, Sam-I-am. Would you? Could you? In a car? Eat them! Eat them! Here they are. I would not, could not, in a car. You may like them. You may see. You may like them in a tree! I would not, could not, in a tree. Not in a car! You let me be. I do not like them in a box. I do not like them with a fox. I do not like them in a house. I do not like them with a mouse. I do not like them here or there. I do not like them anywhere. I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them, Sam-I-am. A train! A train! A train! A train! Could you, would you, on a train? Not on a train! Not in a tree! Not in a car! Sam! Let me be! I would not, could not, in a box. I could not, would not, with a fox. I will not eat them with a mouse. I will not eat them in a house. I will not eat them here or there. I will not eat them anywhere. I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them, Sam-I-am. Say! In the dark? Here in the dark! Would you, could you, in the dark? I would not, could not, in the dark. Would you, could you, in the train? I would not, could not, in the rain. Not in the dark. Not on a train. Not in a car. Not in a tree. I do not like them, Sam, you see. Not in a house. Not in a box. Not with a mouse. Not with a fox. I will not eat them here or there. I do not like them anywhere! You do not like green eggs and ham? I do not like them, Sam-I-am. Could you, would you, with a goat? I would not, could not, with a goat! Would you, could you, on a boat? I could not, would not, on a boat. I will not, will not, with a goat. I will not eat them in the rain. I will not eat them on a train. Not in the dark! Not in a tree! Not in a car! You let me be! I do not like them in a box. I do not like them with a fox. I will not eat them in a house. I do not like them with a mouse. I do not like them here or there. I do not like them ANYWHERE! I do not like green eggs and ham! I do not like them, Sam-I-am. You do not like them. So you say. Try them! Try them! And you may. Try them and you may, I say. Sam! If you will let me be, I will try them. You will see. Say! I like green eggs and ham! I do! I like them, Sam-I-am! And I would eat them in a boat. And I would eat them with a goat? And I will eat them in the rain. And in the dark. And on a train. And in a car. And in a tree. They are so good, so good, you see! So I will eat them in a box. And I will eat them with a fox. And I will eat them in a house. And I will eat them with a mouse. And I will eat them here and there. Say! I will eat them ANYWHERE! I do so like green eggs and ham! Thank you! Thank you, Sam-I-am! AND TO THINK THAT I SAW IT ON MULBERRY STREET When I leave home to walk to school, Dad always says to me, ?Marco, keep your eyelids up and see what you can see. But when I tell him where I?ve been and what I think I?ve seen. He looks at me and sternly says, ?Your eyesight?s much too keen. Stop telling such outlandish tales. Stop turning minnows into whales.? Now, what can I say when I get home today? All the long way to school and all the way back, I?ve looked and I've looked and I?ve kept careful track, but all that I?ve noticed, except my own feet, was a horse and a wagon On Mulberry Street. That?s nothing to tell of, that won?t do, of course? Just a broken-down wagon that?s drawn by a horse. That can?t be my story. That?s only a start. I?ll say that a ZEBRA was pulling that cart! And that is a story that no one can beat, when I say that I saw it on Mulberry Street. Yes, the zebra is fine, but I think it?s a shame, such a marvelous beast with a cart that?s so tame. The story would really be better to hear if the driver I saw were a charioteer. A gold and blue chariot?s something to meet, rumbling like thunder down Mulberry Street! No, it won?t do at all? A zebra?s too small. A reindeer is better; He?s fast and he?s fleet, and he?d look mighty smart on old Mulberry Street. Hold on a minute! There?s something wrong! A reindeer hates the way it feels to pull a thing that runs on wheels. He?d be much happier, instead, if he could pull a fancy sled. Hamm? A reindeer and sleigh? Say, anyone could think of that, Jack or Fred or Joe or Nat, Say, even Jane could think of that. But it isn't too late to make one little change. A sleigh and an ELEPHANT! There?s something strange! I?ll pick one with plenty of power and size, a blue one with plenty of fun in his eyes. And then, just to give him a little more tone, have a Rajah, with rubies, perched high on a throne. Say! That makes a story that no one can beat, when I say that I saw it on mulberry Street. But now I don?t know? It still doesn?t seem right. An elephant pulling a thing that?s so light would whip it around in the air like a kite. But he?d look simply grand with a great big brass band! A band that?s so good should have someone to hear it, but it?s going fast that it?s hard to keep near it. I?ll put on a trailer! I know they won?t mind if a man sits and listens while hitched on behind. But now it is fair? Is it fair what I've done? I'll bet those wagons weigh more than a ton. That?s really to heavy a load for one beast; I?ll give some helpers. He needs two, at least. But now what worries me is this? Mulberry Street turns into Bliss, unless there?s something I can fix up, there?ll be an awful traffic mix-up! It takes Police to do the trick, to guide them through where traffics thick, it takes Police to do the trick. They'll never crash now. They?ll race at top speed with Sergeant Mulvaney, himself, in the lead. The Mayor is there and he thinks it is grand, and he raises his hat as they dash by the stand. The Mayor is there and the Aldermen too, all waving big banners of red, white and blue. And that is a story that NO ONE can beat when I say that I saw it on Mulberry Street! With a roar of its motor an airplane appears and dumps out confetti while everyone cheers. And that makes a story that?s really not bad! But it still could be better. Suppose that I add??? A Chinese man who eats with sticks? A big Magician doing tricks? A ten-foot beard that needs a comb? No time for more, I?m almost home. I swung ?round the corner and dashed through the gate, I ran up the steps and I felt simply GREAT! FOR I HAD A STORY THAT NO ONE COULD BEAT! AND TO THINK THAT I SAW IT ON MULBERRY STREET! But Dad said quite calmly, ?Just draw up your stool and tell me the sights on the way home from school.? There was so much to tell, I JUST COULDN?T BEGIN! Dad looked at me sharply and pulled at his chin. He frowned at me sternly from there in his seat, ?Was there nothing to look at? no people to greet? Did nothing excite you or make your heart beat?? ?Nothing,? I said, growing red as a beet, ?But a plain horse and wagon on mulberry Street.? THE CAT IN THE HAT The sun did not shine. It was too wet to play. So we sat in the house All that cold, cold, wet day. I sat there with Sally. We sat there, we two. And I said, 'How I wish We had something to do!' Too wet to go out And too cold to play ball. So we sat in the house. We did nothing at all. So all we could do was to Sit! Sit! Sit! Sit! And we did not like it. Not one little bit. And then Something went BUMP! How that bump made us jump! We looked! Then we saw him step in on the mat! We looked! And we saw him! The Cat in the Hat! And he said to us, 'Why do you sit there like that?' 'I know it is wet And the sun is not sunny. But we can have Lots of good fun that is funny!' 'I know some good games we could play,' Said the cat. 'I know some new tricks,' Said the Cat in the Hat. 'A lot of good tricks. I will show them to you. Your mother Will not mind at all if I do.' Then Sally and I Did not know what to say. Our mother was out of the house For the day. But our fish said, 'No! No! Make that cat go away! Tell that Cat in the Hat You do NOT want to play. He should not be here. He should not be about. He should not be here When your mother is out!' 'Now! Now! Have no fear. Have no fear!' said the cat. 'My tricks are not bad,' Said the Cat in the Hat. 'Why, we can have Lots of good fun, if you wish, With a game that I call UP-UP-UP with a fish!' 'Put me down!' said the fish. 'This is no fun at all! Put me down!' said the fish. 'I do NOT wish to fall!' 'Have no fear!' said the cat. 'I will not let you fall. I will hold you up high As I stand on a ball. With a book on one hand! And a cup on my hat! But that is not ALL I can do!' Said the cat ... 'Look at me! Look at me now!' said the cat. 'With a cup and a cake On the top of my hat! I can hold up TWO books! I can hold up the fish! And a little toy ship! And some milk on a dish! And look! I can hop up and down on the ball! But that is not all! Oh, no. That is not all ... 'Look at me! Look at me! Look at me NOW! It is fun to have fun But you have to know how. I can hold up the cup And the milk and the cake! I can hold up these books! And the fish on a rake! I can hold the toy ship And a little toy man! And look! With my tail I can hold a red fan! I can fan with the fan As I hop on the ball! But that is not all. Oh, no. That is not all....' That is what the cat said ... Then he fell on his head! He came down with a bump From up there on the ball. And Sally and I, We saw ALL the things fall! And our fish came down, too. He fell into a pot! He said, 'Do I like this? Oh, no! I do not. This is not a good game,' Said our fish as he lit. 'No, I do not like it, Not one little bit!' 'Now look what you did!' Said the fish to the cat. 'Now look at this house! Look at this! Look at that! You sank our toy ship, Sank it deep in the cake. You shook up our house And you bent our new rake. You SHOULD NOT be here When our mother is not. You get out of this house!' Said the fish in the pot. 'But I like to be here. Oh, I like it a lot!' Said the Cat in the Hat To the fish in the pot, ?I will NOT go away. I do NOT wish to go! And so,? said the Cat in the Hat, 'So so so ... I will show you Another good game that I know!' And then he ran out. And, then, fast as a fox, The Cat in the Hat Came back in with a box. A big red wood box. It was shut with a hook. 'Now look at this trick,' Said the cat. 'Take a look!' Then he got up on top With a tip of his hat. 'I call this game FUN-IN-A-BOX,' Said the cat. 'In this box are two things I will show to you now. You will like these two things,' Said the cat with a bow. 'I will pick up the hook. You will see something new. Two things. And I call them Thing One and Thing Two. These Things will not bite you. They want to have fun.' Then, out of the box Came Thing Two and Thing One! And they ran to us fast. They said, 'How do you do? Would you like to shake hands With Thing One and Thing Two?' And Sally and I Did not know what to do. So we had to shake hands With Thing One and Thing Two. We shook their two hands. But our fish said, 'No! No! Those Things should not be In this house! Make them go! 'They should not be here When your mother is not! Put them out! Put them out!' Said the fish in the pot. 'Have no fear, little fish,' Said the Cat in the Hat. 'These Things are good Things.' And he gave them a pat. 'They are tame. Oh, so tame! They have come here to play. They will give you some fun On this wet, wet, wet day.' 'Now, here is a game that they like,' Said the cat. 'They like to fly kites,' Said the Cat in the Hat. 'No! Not in the house!' Said the fish in the pot. 'They should not fly kites In a house! They should not. Oh, the things they will bump! Oh, the things they will hit! Oh, I do not like it! Not one little bit!' Then Sally and I Saw them run down the hall. We saw those two Things Bump their kites on the wall! Bump! Thump! Thump! Bump! Down the wall in the hall. Thing Two and Thing One! They ran up! They ran down! On the string of one kite We saw Mother's new gown! Her gown with the dots That are pink, white and red. Then we saw one kite bump On the head of her bed! Then those Things ran about With big bumps, jumps and kicks And with hops and big thumps And all kinds of bad tricks. And I said, 'I do NOT like the way that they play! If Mother could see this, Oh, what would she say!' Then our fish said, 'LOOK! LOOK!' And our fish shook with fear. 'Your mother is on her way home! Do you hear? Oh, what will she do to us? What will she say? Oh, she will not like it To find us this way!' 'So, DO something! Fast!' said the fish. 'Do you hear! I saw her. Your mother! Your mother is near! So, as fast as you can, Think of something to do! You will have to get rid of Thing One and Thing Two!' So, as fast as I could, I went after my net. And I said, 'With my net I can get them I bet. I bet, with my net, I can get those Things yet!' Then I let down my net. It came down with a PLOP! And I had them! At last! Those two Things had to stop. Then I said to the cat, 'Now you do as I say. You pack up those Things And you take them away!' 'Oh dear!' said the cat. 'You did not like our game ... Oh dear. What a shame! What a shame! What a shame!' Then he shut up the Things In the box with the hook. And the cat went away With a sad kind of look. 'That is good,' said the fish. 'He has gone away. Yes. But your mother will come. She will find this big mess! And this mess is so big And so deep and so tall, We can not pick it up. There is no way at all!' And THEN! Who was back in the house? Why, the cat! 'Have no fear of this mess, ' Said the Cat in the Hat. 'I always pick up all my playthings And so ... I will show you another Good trick that I know!' Then we saw him pick up All the things that were down. He picked up the cake, And the rake, and the gown, And the milk, and the strings, And the books, and the dish, And the fan, and the cup, And the ship, and the fish. And he put them away. Then he said, 'That is that.' And then he was gone With a tip of his hat. Then our mother came in And she said to us two, 'Did you have any fun? Tell me. What did you do?' And Sally and I did not know What to say. Should we tell her The things that went on there that day? Should we tell her about it? Now, what SHOULD we do? Well... What would YOU do If your mother asked YOU? HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS! Every Who Down in Who-ville Liked Christmas a lot... But the Grinch, Who lived just north of Who-ville, Did NOT! The Grinch hated Christmas! The whole Christmas season! Now, please don't ask why. No one quite knows the reason. It could be his head wasn't screwed on just right. It could be, perhaps, that his shoes were too tight. But I think that the most likely reason of all May have been that his heart was two sizes too small. But, Whatever the reason, His heart or his shoes, He stood there on Christmas Eve, hating the Whos, Staring down from his cave with a sour, Grinchy frown At the warm lighted windows below in their town. For he knew every Who down in Who-ville beneath Was busy now, hanging a mistletoe wreath. 'And they're hanging their stockings!' he snarled with a sneer. 'Tomorrow is Christmas! It's practically here!' Then he growled, with his Grinch fingers nervously drumming, 'I MUST find some way to stop Christmas from coming!' For, Tomorrow, he knew... ...All the who girls and boys Would wake bright and early. They'd rush for their toys! And then! Oh, the noise! Oh, the Noise! Noise! Noise! Noise! That's one thing he hated! The NOISE! NOISE! NOISE! NOISE! Then the Whos, young and old, would sit down to a feast. And they'd feast! And they'd Feast! And they'd FEAST! FEAST! FEAST! FEAST! They would feast on Who-pudding, and rare Who-roast-beast Which was something the Grinch couldn't stand in the least! And THEN They'd do something He liked least of all! Every Who down in Who-ville, the tall and the small, Would stand close together, with Christmas bells ringing. They'd stand hand-in-hand. And the Whos would start singing! They'd sing! And they'd sing! AND they'd SING! SING! SING! SING! and the more the Grinch thought of this Who-Christmas-Sing, 'Why, for fifty-three years I've put up with it now! 'I MUST stop this Christmas from coming! ...But HOW?' Then he got an idea! An awful idea! THE GRINCH GOT A WONDERFUL, AWFUL IDEA! 'I know just what to do' The Grinch laughed in his throat. And he made a quick Santy Claus hat and a coat. And he chuckled, and clucked, 'What a great Grinchy trick! 'With this coat and this hat, I look just like Saint Nick!' All I need is a reindeer...' The Grinch looked around. But, since reindeer are scarce, there was none to be found. Did that stop the old Grinch...? No! The Grinch simply said, 'If I can't find a reindeer; I'll make one instead!' So he called his dog, Max. Then he took some red thread And he tied a big horn on top of his head. THEN He loaded some bags And some old empty sacks On a ramshackle sleigh And he hitched up old Max. Then the Grinch said, 'Giddap!' And the sleigh started down Towards the homes where the Whos Lay a-snooze in their town. All their windows were dark. Quiet snow filled the air. All the Whos were all dreaming sweet dreams without care When he came to the first little house on the square. 'This is stop number one,' the old Grinchy Claus hissed And he climbed to the roof, empty bags in his fist. Then he slid down the chimney. A rather tight pinch. But, if Santa could do it, then so could the Grinch. He got stuck only once, for a moment or two. Then he stuck his head out of the fireplace flue Where the little Who stockings all hung in a row. 'These stockings,' he grinned, 'are the first things to go!' Then he slithered and slunk, while a smile most unpleasant, Around the whole room, and he took every present! Pop guns! And bicycles! Roller skates! Drums! Checkerboards! Tricycles! Popcorn! and plums! And he stuffed them in bags. The Grinch, very nimbly, Stuffed all the bags, one by one, up the chimbley! Then he slunk to the icebox. He took the Whos' feast! He took the Who-pudding! He took the roast beast! He cleaned out that icebox as quick as a flash. Why, that Grinch even took their last can of Who-hash! Then he stuffed all of the food up the chimney with glee. 'And NOW!' grinned the Grinch, 'I will stuff up the tree!' And the Grinch grabbed the tree, and he started to shove When he heard a small sound like the coo of a dove. He turned around fast, and he saw a small Who! Little Cindy-Lou Who, who was not more than two. The Grinch had been caught by this tiny Who daughter Who'd got out of bed for a cup of cold water. She stared at the Grinch and said, 'Santy Claus, why, 'Why are you taking our Christmas tree? WHY?' But, you know, that old Grinch was so smart and so slick He thought up a lie, and he thought it up quick! 'Why, my sweet little tot,' the fake Santy Claus lied, 'There's a light on this tree that won't light on one side. 'So I'm taking it home to my workshop, my dear. 'I'll fix it up there. Then I'll bring it back here' And his fib fooled the child. Then he patted her head And he got her a drink and he sent her to bed. And when Cindy-Lou Who went to bed with her cup, HE went to the chimney and stuffed the tree up! Then the last thing he took Was the log for their fire! Then he went up the chimney, himself, the old liar. On their walls he left nothing but hooks and some wire. And the one speck of food That he left in the house Was a crumb that was even too small for a mouse. THEN He did the same thing To the other Whos' house Leaving crumbs Much too small For the other Whos' mouses! It was quarter past dawn... All the Whos, still a-bed, All the Whos, still a-snooze When he packed up his sled, Packed it up with their presents! The ribbons! The wrappings! The tags! And the tinsel! The trimmings! The trappings! Three thousand feet up! Up the side of Mt. Crumpit, He rode with his load to the tiptop to dump it! 'Pooh-Pooh to the Whos!' he was grinch-ish-ly humming. 'They're finding out now that no Christmas is coming! 'They're just waking up! I know just what they'll do! 'Their mouths will hang open a minute or two 'Then the Whos down in Who-ville will all cry BOO-HOO! 'That's a noise,' grinned the Grinch, 'That I simply MUST hear!' So he paused. And the Grinch put his hand to his ear. And he did hear a sound rising over the snow. It started in low. Then it started to grow... But the sound wasn't sad! Why, this sound sounded merry! It couldn't be so! But it WAS merry! VERY! He stared down at Who-ville! The Grinch popped his eyes! Then he shook! What he saw was a shocking surprise! Every Who down in Who-ville, the tall and the small, Was singing! Without any presents at all! He HADN'T stopped Christmas from coming! IT CAME! Somehow or other, it came just the same! And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow, Stood puzzling and puzzling: 'How could it be so? 'It came without ribbons! It came without tags! 'It came without packages, boxes or bags!' And he puzzled three hours, till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! 'Maybe Christmas,' he thought, 'doesn't come from a store. 'Maybe Christmas... perhaps... means a little bit more! And what happened then...? Well... in Who-ville they say That the Grinch's small heart Grew three sizes that day! And the minute his heart didn't feel quite so tight, He whizzed with his load through the bright morning light And he brought back the toys! And the food for the feast! And he... ...HE HIMSELF...! The Grinch carved the roast beast! GREEN EGGS AND HAM That Sam-I-am! That Sam-I-am! I do not like that Sam-I-am! Do you like green eggs and ham? I do not like them, Sam-I-am. I do not like green eggs and ham. Would you like them here or there? I would not like them here or there. I would not like them anywhere. I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them, Sam-I-am. Would you like them on a house? Would you like them with a mouse? I do not like them in a house. I do not like them with a mouse. I do not like them here or there. I do not like them anywhere. I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them, Sam-I-am. Would you eat them in a box? Would you eat them with a fox? Not in a box. Not with a fox. Not in a house. Not with a mouse. I would not eat them here or there. I would not eat them anywhere. I would not eat green eggs and ham. I do not like them, Sam-I-am. Would you? Could you? In a car? Eat them! Eat them! Here they are. I would not, could not, in a car. You may like them. You may see. You may like them in a tree! I would not, could not, in a tree. Not in a car! You let me be. I do not like them in a box. I do not like them with a fox. I do not like them in a house. I do not like them with a mouse. I do not like them here or there. I do not like them anywhere. I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them, Sam-I-am. A train! A train! A train! A train! Could you, would you, on a train? Not on a train! Not in a tree! Not in a car! Sam! Let me be! I would not, could not, in a box. I could not, would not, with a fox. I will not eat them with a mouse. I will not eat them in a house. I will not eat them here or there. I will not eat them anywhere. I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them, Sam-I-am. Say! In the dark? Here in the dark! Would you, could you, in the dark? I would not, could not, in the dark. Would you, could you, in the train? I would not, could not, in the rain. Not in the dark. Not on a train. Not in a car. Not in a tree. I do not like them, Sam, you see. Not in a house. Not in a box. Not with a mouse. Not with a fox. I will not eat them here or there. I do not like them anywhere! You do not like green eggs and ham? I do not like them, Sam-I-am. Could you, would you, with a goat? I would not, could not, with a goat! Would you, could you, on a boat? I could not, would not, on a boat. I will not, will not, with a goat. I will not eat them in the rain. I will not eat them on a train. Not in the dark! Not in a tree! Not in a car! You let me be! I do not like them in a box. I do not like them with a fox. I will not eat them in a house. I do not like them with a mouse. I do not like them here or there. I do not like them ANYWHERE! I do not like green eggs and ham! I do not like them, Sam-I-am. You do not like them. So you say. Try them! Try them! And you may. Try them and you may, I say. Sam! If you will let me be, I will try them. You will see. Say! I like green eggs and ham! I do! I like them, Sam-I-am! And I would eat them in a boat. And I would eat them with a goat? And I will eat them in the rain. And in the dark. And on a train. And in a car. And in a tree. They are so good, so good, you see! So I will eat them in a box. And I will eat them with a fox. And I will eat them in a house. And I will eat them with a mouse. And I will eat them here and there. Say! I will eat them ANYWHERE! I do so like green eggs and ham! Thank you! Thank you, Sam-I-am! THE LORAX At the far end of town where the Grickle-grass grows and the wind smells slow-and-sour when it blows and no birds ever sing excepting old crows ... is the Street of the Lifted Lorax. And deep in the Grickle-grass, some people say, if you look deep enough you can still see, today, where the Lorax once stood just as long as it could before somebody lifted the Lorax away. What was the Lorax? And why was it there? And why was it lifted and taken somewhere from the far end of town where the Grickle-grass grows? The old Once-ler still lives here. Ask him. He knows. You won't see the Once-ler Don't knock at his door. He stays in his Lerkim on top of his store. He lurks in his Lerkim, cold under the roof, where he makes his own clothes out of miff-muffered moof. And on special dank midnights in August, he peeks out of the shutters and sometimes he speaks and tells how the Lorax was lifted away. He'll tell you, perhaps ... if you're willing to pay. On the end of a rope he lets down a tin pail and you have to toss in fifteen cents and a nail and the shell of a great-great-great-grandfather snail. Then he pulls up the pail, makes a most careful count to see if you've paid him the proper amount. Then he hides what you paid him away in his Snuvv, his secret strange hole in his gruvvulous glove. Then he grunts, 'I will call you by Whisper-ma-Phone, for the secrets I tell are for your ears alone.' SLUPP! Down slupps the Whisper-ma-Phone to your ear and the old Once-ler's whispers are not very clear, since they have to come down through a snergelly hose, and he sounds as if he had smallish bees up his nose. 'Now I'll tell you,' he says, with his teeth sounding gray, 'how the Lorax got lifted and taken away ... It all started way back ... such a long, long time back ... Way back in the days when the grass was still green and the pond was still wet and the clouds were still clean, and the song of the Swomee-Swans rang out in space ... one morning, I came to this glorious place. And I first saw the trees! The Truffula Trees! The bright-colored tufts of the Truffula Trees! Mile after mile in the fresh morning breeze. And, under the trees, I saw Brown Bar-ba-loots frisking about in their Bar-ba-loot suits as they played in the shade and ate Truffula Fruits. From the rippulous pond came the comfortable sound of the Humming-Fish humming while splashing around. But those trees! Those trees! Those Truffula Trees! All my life I'd been searching for trees such as these. The touch of their tufts was much softer than silk. And they had the sweet smell of fresh butterfly milk. I felt a great leaping of joy in my heart. I knew just what I'd do! I unloaded my cart. In no time at all, I had built a small shop. Then I chopped down a Truffula Tree with one chop. And with great skillful skill and with great speedy speed, I took the soft tuft. And I knitted a Thneed! The instant I'd finished, I heard a ga-Zump! I looked. I saw something pop out of the stump of the tree I'd chopped down. It was sort of a man. Describe him? ... That's hard. I don't know if I can. He was shortish. And oldish. And brownish. And mossy. And he spoke with a voice that was sharpish and bossy. 'Mister!' he said with a sawdusty sneeze, 'I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees. I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues. And I'm asking you, sir, at the top of my lungs' - he was very upset as he shouted and puffed - 'what's that THING you've made out of my Truffula tuft?' 'Look, Lorax,' I said. 'There's no cause for alarm. I chopped just one tree. I am doing no harm. I'm being quite useful. This thing is a Thneed. A Thneed's a Fine-Something-That-All-People-Need! It's a shirt. It's a sock. It's a glove. It's a hat. But it has other uses. Yes, far beyond that. You can use it for carpets. For pillows! For sheets! Or curtains! Or covers for bicycle seats!' the Lorax said, 'Sir! You are crazy with greed. There is no one on earth who would buy that fool Thneed!' But the very next minute I proved he was wrong. For, just at that minute, a chap came along, and he thought that the Thneed I had knitted was great. He happily bought it for three ninety-eight. I laughed at the Lorax, 'You poor stupid guy! You never can tell what some people will buy.' 'I repeat,' cried the Lorax, 'I speak for the trees!' 'I'm busy,' I told him. 'Shut up, if you please.' I rushed 'cross the room, and in no time at all, built a radio-phone. I put in a quick call. I called all my brothers and uncles and aunts and I said, 'Listen here! Here's a wonderful chance for the whole Once-ler Family to get mighty rich! Get over here fast! Take the road to North Nitch. Turn left at Weehawken. Sharp right at South Stitch. And, in no time at all, in the factory I built, the whole Once-ler Family was working full tilt. We were all knitting Thneeds just as busy as bees, to the sound of the chopping of Truffula Trees. Then ... Oh! Baby! Oh! How my business did grow! Now, chopping one tree at a time was too slow. So I quickly invented my Super-Axe-Hacker which whacked off four Truffula Trees at one smacker. we were making Thneeds four times as fast as before! And that Lorax? ... He didn't show up any more. But the next week he knocked on my new office door. He snapped, 'I'm the Lorax who speaks for the trees which you seem to be chopping as fast as you please. But I'm also in charge of the Brown Bar-ba-loots who played in the shade in their Bar-ba-loot suits and happily lived, eating Truffula Fruits. 'NOW ... thanks to your hacking my trees to the ground, there's not enough Truffula Fruit to go 'round. And my poor Bar-ba-loots are all getting the crummies because they have gas, and no food, in their tummies! 'They loved living here. But I can't let them stay. They'll have to find food. And I hope that they may. Good luck, boys,' he cried. And he sent them away. I, the Once-ler, felt sad as I watched them all go. BUT ... business is business! And business must grow regardless of crummies in tummies, you know. I meant no harm. I most truly did not. But I had to grow bigger. So bigger I got. I biggered my factory. I biggered my roads. I biggered my wagons. I biggered the loads of the Thneeds I shipped out. I was shipping them forth to the South! To the East! To the West! To the North! I went right on biggering ... selling more Thneeds. And I biggered my money, which everyone needs. Then again he came back! I was fixing some pipes when that old-nuisance Lorax came back with more gripes. 'I am the Lorax,' he coughed and he whiffed. He sneezed and he snuffled. He snarggled. He sniffed. 'Once-ler!' he cried with a cruffulous croak. 'Once-ler!' You're making such smogulous smoke! My poor Swomee-Swans ... why, they can't sing a note! No one can sing who has smog in his throat. 'And so,' said the Lorax, '- please pardon my cough - they cannot live here. So I'm sending them off. 'Where will they go? ... I don't hopefully know. They may have to fly for a month ... or a year ... To escape from the smog you've smogged-up around here. 'What's more,' snapped the Lorax. (His dander was up.) 'Let me say a few words about Gluppity-Glupp. Your machinery chugs on, day and night without stop making Gluppity-Glupp. Also Schloppity-Schlopp. And what do you do with this leftover goo? ... I'll show you. You dirty old Once-ler man, you! 'You're glumping the pond where the Humming-Fish hummed! No more can they hum, for their gills are all gummed. So I'm sending them off. Oh, their future is dreary. They'll walk on their fins and get woefully weary in search of some water that isn't so smeary.' And then I got mad. I got terribly mad. I yelled at the Lorax, 'Now listen here, Dad!' All you do is yap-yap and say, 'Bad! Bad! Bad! Bad!' Well, I have my rights, sir, and I'm telling you I intend to go on doing just what I do! And, for your information, you Lorax, I'm figgering on biggering and BIGGERING and BIGGERING and BIGGERING, turning MORE Truffula Trees into Thneeds which everyone, EVERYONE, EVERYONE needs!' 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 the tree fall. The very last Truffula Tree of them all! No more trees. No more Thneeds. No more work to be done. So, in no time, my uncles and aunts, every one, all waved me good-bye. They jumped into my cars and drove away under the smoke-smuggered stars. Now all that was left 'neath the bad-smelling sky was my big empty factory ... the Lorax ... and I. The Lorax said nothing. Just gave me a glance ... just gave me a very sad, sad backward glance ... as he lifted himself by the seat of his pants. And I'll never forget the grim look on his face when he heisted himself and took leave of this place, through a hole in the smog, without leaving a trace. And all that the Lorax left here in this mess was a small pile of rocks, with the one word ... 'UNLESS.' Whatever that meant, well, Ijust couldn't guess. That was long, long ago. But each day since that day I've sat here and worried and worried away. Through the years, while my buildings have fallen apart, I've worried about it with all of my heart. 'But now,' says the Once-ler, 'Now that you're here, the word of the Lorax seems perfectly clear. UNLESS someone like you cares a whole aweful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not. 'SO ... Catch!' calls the Once-ler. He lets something fall. 'It's a Truffula Seed. It's the last one of all! 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 his friends may come back.'