Other Authors, Books and Characters to be Explored: Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Shel Silverstein’s Where the Sidewalk Ends, Mel Blanc’s Marvin Martian

Arc or State of the Future: It seems that Children’s Literature of the Future is a co-mingling of evolutionary and alternative states. Specifically, in regard to Seuss’ work the outcome has yet to be determined as seen in Oh, the THINKS You Can Think! which can be classified as evolutionary. Or Seuss also projects an idea of forking paths by hinting that other worlds are going on, thus the future could be different realities for different peoples. This idea is well-illustrated in The Lorax which ironically is also a text emphasizing conservation by saving the "truffula tree." Apocalypse does not present itself in this genre, or if it does it is extremely understated.

Dimension of the Future: Dr. Seuss’ work maintains a sense of deep future. However, we do receive impressions of near future in his Cat in the Hat series. The Cat in the Hat as a character is a present-day character, but he also introduces strange futuristic beings such as Thing One and Thing Two. They could be classified as representing children, but they seem rather far out. Furthermore, in The Grinch Who Stole Christmas we find another sense of near future although it is an alternate one. The Whos of Whoville are like us in many ways (especially in regard to Christmas traditions) but where are they? Not to mention, what is a "Grinch?" Is he merely a strange interpretation of Dickens’ Scrooge or is he something real but living in another dimension?

Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory also stays within the near future tradition. The Chocolate Factory itself is a physically real place in present-day England, but it is full of fantastic futuristic ideas such as the Everlasting Gobstopper, Gum that is actually a meal, and of course the mysterious and enchanting creatures, the Oompa-Loompas.

Film Clip: A short clip from How the Grinch Stole Christmas showing an alternative world called Whoville inhabited by Whos.

Questions: Do you remember any early impressions of the future from a book in your childhood? Were they scary, silly, fantastic, exciting? Should this genre be expounded more in this fast-paced society? If so, how should we approach it? Should we stay within the "fantastic" realm or should we be more honest and somehow approach apocalypse in children’s literature?

Dahl, Roald. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. New York: Random House Inc., 1964.

"Dahl, Roald." Contemporary Authors. Ed. Pamela S. Dear. vol. 62. New York: Gale Research Inc., 1993.

"Dahl, Roald." Encarta Encyclopedia. CD-ROM. Microsoft. 1998.

"Geisel, Theodor Seuss." Contemporary Authors. Ed. Pamela S. Dear. vol. 32.

New York: Gale Research Inc., 1993.

"Geisel, Theodor Seuss." Encarta Encyclopedia. CD-ROM. Microsoft. 1998.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas. By Dr. Seuss. Dir. Chuck Jones. Perf. Boris Karloff. Videocassette. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc., 1966.

Pine, Susan. "Shel Silverstein." Encarta Encyclopedia. CD-ROM. Microsoft. 1998.

Seuss, Dr. Oh, the THINKS You Can Think! New York; Random House Inc., 1975.

Seuss, Dr. The Cat in the Hat. New York: Random House Inc., 1957.

Seuss, Dr. The Lorax. New York: Random House Inc., 1971.

"Silverstein, Shel." Contemporary Authors. Ed. Pamela S. Dear. vol. 47. New York: Gale Research Inc., 1993.

Silverstein, Shel. Where the Sidewalk Ends. New York: Harper & Row, 1974.