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Marco
McElligot's Pool
Who knows what fantastic fish might swim in McElligot's Pool!
In this colorful picture book, a boy named Marco goes fishing in a small pond called McElligot's Pool. As he sits waiting for a bite, a farmer tells him "You'll never catch fish in McElligot's Pool!" Marco, however, refuses to be discouraged, and thus, the story unfolds.
McElligot's Pool is a Seuss classic from the distant era before even The Cat In The Hat. It's a single poetic variation on the theme of adult skepticism that's no match for childhood faith and daydreaming. Despite the unpromising nature of McElligot's Pool, the boy is all optimism: what if the pool is deeper than anyone thinks? What if it connects to an underground stream that flows under the town to the sea? Might not all sorts of fish then swim up the stream and be caught here? "I might catch an eel... (Well, I might. It depends.) A long twisting eel with a lot of strange bends. And, oddly enough, with a head at both ends!" The moral of the story is straightforward: "If I wait long enough, if I'm patient and cool,/ Who knows what I'll catch in McElligot's pool?"
In this colorful picture book, a boy named Marco goes fishing in a small pond called McElligot's Pool. As he sits waiting for a bite, a farmer tells him "You'll never catch fish in McElligot's Pool!" Marco, however, refuses to be discouraged, and thus, the story unfolds.
McElligot's Pool is a Seuss classic from the distant era before even The Cat In The Hat. It's a single poetic variation on the theme of adult skepticism that's no match for childhood faith and daydreaming. Despite the unpromising nature of McElligot's Pool, the boy is all optimism: what if the pool is deeper than anyone thinks? What if it connects to an underground stream that flows under the town to the sea? Might not all sorts of fish then swim up the stream and be caught here? "I might catch an eel... (Well, I might. It depends.) A long twisting eel with a lot of strange bends. And, oddly enough, with a head at both ends!" The moral of the story is straightforward: "If I wait long enough, if I'm patient and cool,/ Who knows what I'll catch in McElligot's pool?"
64 pages, Hardcover
First published September 12, 1947
About the author
Dr. Seuss
848 books17.7k followersTheodor Seuss Geisel was born 2 March 1904 in Springfield, Massachusetts. He graduated Dartmouth College in 1925, and proceeded on to Oxford University with the intent of acquiring a doctorate in literature. At Oxford he met Helen Palmer, who he wed in 1927. He returned from Europe in 1927, and began working for a magazine called Judge, the leading humor magazine in America at the time, submitting both cartoons and humorous articles for them. Additionally, he was submitting cartoons to Life, Vanity Fair and Liberty. In some of his works, he'd made reference to an insecticide called Flit. These references gained notice, and led to a contract to draw comic ads for Flit. This association lasted 17 years, gained him national exposure, and coined the catchphrase "Quick, Henry, the Flit!"
In 1936 on the way to a vacation in Europe, listening to the rhythm of the ship's engines, he came up with And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, which was then promptly rejected by the first 43 publishers he showed it to. Eventually in 1937 a friend published the book for him, and it went on to at least moderate success.
During World War II, Geisel joined the army and was sent to Hollywood. Captain Geisel would write for Frank Capra's Signal Corps Unit (for which he won the Legion of Merit) and do documentaries (he won Oscar's for Hitler Lives and Design for Death). He also created a cartoon called Gerald McBoing-Boing which also won him an Oscar.
In May of 1954, Life published a report concerning illiteracy among school children. The report said, among other things, that children were having trouble to read because their books were boring. This inspired Geisel's publisher, and prompted him to send Geisel a list of 400 words he felt were important, asked him to cut the list to 250 words (the publishers idea of how many words at one time a first grader could absorb), and write a book. Nine months later, Geisel, using 220 of the words given to him published The Cat in the Hat , which went on to instant success.
In 1960 Bennett Cerf bet Geisel $50 that he couldn't write an entire book using only fifty words. The result was Green Eggs and Ham . Cerf never paid the $50 from the bet.
Helen Palmer Geisel died in 1967. Theodor Geisel married Audrey Stone Diamond in 1968. Theodor Seuss Geisel died 24 September 1991.
Also worked under the pen name: Theo Le Sieg
In 1936 on the way to a vacation in Europe, listening to the rhythm of the ship's engines, he came up with And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, which was then promptly rejected by the first 43 publishers he showed it to. Eventually in 1937 a friend published the book for him, and it went on to at least moderate success.
During World War II, Geisel joined the army and was sent to Hollywood. Captain Geisel would write for Frank Capra's Signal Corps Unit (for which he won the Legion of Merit) and do documentaries (he won Oscar's for Hitler Lives and Design for Death). He also created a cartoon called Gerald McBoing-Boing which also won him an Oscar.
In May of 1954, Life published a report concerning illiteracy among school children. The report said, among other things, that children were having trouble to read because their books were boring. This inspired Geisel's publisher, and prompted him to send Geisel a list of 400 words he felt were important, asked him to cut the list to 250 words (the publishers idea of how many words at one time a first grader could absorb), and write a book. Nine months later, Geisel, using 220 of the words given to him published The Cat in the Hat , which went on to instant success.
In 1960 Bennett Cerf bet Geisel $50 that he couldn't write an entire book using only fifty words. The result was Green Eggs and Ham . Cerf never paid the $50 from the bet.
Helen Palmer Geisel died in 1967. Theodor Geisel married Audrey Stone Diamond in 1968. Theodor Seuss Geisel died 24 September 1991.
Also worked under the pen name: Theo Le Sieg
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April 3, 2017
Superb reading!
A POOL OF READING
’Cause you never can tell.
What goes on down below.
This pool might be bigger.
Than you or I know!
A wonderful tale, the only one that Dr. Seuss colored using watercolor technique (used by Dr. Seuss only here and in another tale, Happy Birthday to You!), that since it’s about the possibilities of catching all kind of wacko fishes in a little pond...
...I think it was just perfect.
In my humble opinion, of this kind of “Dream Bigger” trilogy (my point of view, not that they’d ever enlisted as such by anybody else): And to Think that I saw i ton Mulberry Street, McElligot’s Pool (this one), and If I ran the Zoo,...
...I believe that it’s this very tale which better exemplifies the concept, presenting the right choice of coloring style, a mindblowing and funny shoal of wacko fishes, and a charming ending with endless possibilities.
Also, it’s relevant to mention that thanks to this very tale, the world has too The Berenstain Bears since its creators, Stan and Jan Berenstain got the idea of creating their own series of children’s tales when their kid asked them to buy him this book, that at that moment, they didn’t have a clue who was Dr. Seuss… and years later HE edited it their first book.
A POOL OF READING
’Cause you never can tell.
What goes on down below.
This pool might be bigger.
Than you or I know!
A wonderful tale, the only one that Dr. Seuss colored using watercolor technique (used by Dr. Seuss only here and in another tale, Happy Birthday to You!), that since it’s about the possibilities of catching all kind of wacko fishes in a little pond...
...I think it was just perfect.
In my humble opinion, of this kind of “Dream Bigger” trilogy (my point of view, not that they’d ever enlisted as such by anybody else): And to Think that I saw i ton Mulberry Street, McElligot’s Pool (this one), and If I ran the Zoo,...
...I believe that it’s this very tale which better exemplifies the concept, presenting the right choice of coloring style, a mindblowing and funny shoal of wacko fishes, and a charming ending with endless possibilities.
Also, it’s relevant to mention that thanks to this very tale, the world has too The Berenstain Bears since its creators, Stan and Jan Berenstain got the idea of creating their own series of children’s tales when their kid asked them to buy him this book, that at that moment, they didn’t have a clue who was Dr. Seuss… and years later HE edited it their first book.
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March 20, 2018
Fascinating Marco's imagination is because he was able to imagine all those kind of places, fishes and sea creatures while waiting for a fish to take his bait in that tiny pool.
Plain and simple, the moral lesson is just about patience. But despite the simplicity of the lesson that it wants to convey, the entirety of the story is exceptionally good.
Plain and simple, the moral lesson is just about patience. But despite the simplicity of the lesson that it wants to convey, the entirety of the story is exceptionally good.
March 20, 2021
That imaginative young boy from Dr. Seuss' very first picture-book,
And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street
, published in 1937, returns in this second adventure, full of all of the make-believe and whimsy that one would expect. Advised that he is unlikely to catch anything in the eponymous McElligot's Pool, which serves as a sort of trash dump for the farmers thereabouts, Marco demurs, certain that there is a possibility, at the very least, of catching some interesting fish. What follows is a wondrous catalogue of all of the unlikely fish that might be swimming up the theoretical underground spring connecting the pool to the sea. From dogfish with floppy ears (chasing catfish, of course), to fish with checkerboard bellies; from sunburnt tropical fish to anorak-wearing arctic fish (more on this anon); from two-headed eels to roughneck lobsters - the possibilities are as limitless as one's own imagination, leading Marco to conclude that he is no fool at all, for fishing in McElligot's Pool...
A delightful pean to the power of the imagination, McElligot's Pool was first published in 1947, ten years after Marco's previous adventure, and seven years after Seuss' (then) most recent picture-book, Horton Hatches the Egg . Between 'McElligot' and 'Horton' lie seven years of war (World War II) and its immediate aftermath. Seuss, who was active as a cartoonist during this period - his adult war work has been criticized as racist propaganda, and was something that he himself apparently regretted, in later years - did not publish any children's books between 1940 and 1947. Although it was never a personal favorite in my childhood home, I do recall that we owned a copy of this book, when I was a girl, and that I read and enjoyed it many times. I picked it up for this reread as part of a recently undertaken Dr. Seuss retrospective, launched as an act of personal protest against the recent decision from Dr. Seuss Enterprises to suppress six of the author's titles, because they contain outdated and potentially offensive elements. Those titles include this one, McElligot's Pool, as well as And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street , If I Ran the Zoo , Scrambled Eggs Super! , On Beyond Zebra! and The Cat's Quizzer .
McElligot's Pool was chosen as a Caldecott Honor Book in 1948, and it is not difficult to see why, given its entertaining text and magical artwork, which work so well together. Dr. Seuss continued to develop and improve his wordplay in the book, which, like its immediate predecessor ( Horton Hatches the Egg ), displayed a rhythmically rhyming text not seen in his first three children's books. His artwork also continued to evolve here, utilizing far more color than in previous titles, where the black-and-white drawings were often relieved by a single color accent ( The King's Stilts ), or a limited range of color accents ( And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street ). Here the illustrations alternate between black-and-white spreads, and full-color ones utilizing a wide variety of shades, to marvelous effect. The sheer inventiveness of Marco's catalogue of wondrous fish is delightful, and the accompanying artwork beautiful. In short: a wonderful picture-book! What then has caused Dr. Seuss Enterprises to stop publishing it, despite its undeniably good qualities, its status as a classic of American childhood, and the fact that it has been a perennial bestseller?
The trouble lies chiefly with the aforementioned "arctic fish," which are described in the text as "Eskimo Fish," and which are seen swimming past a stereotypical "Eskimo," complete with igloo and furry anorak. The fish too are depicted in this style, with a furry collar around their faces, suggesting anoraks of their own. The two-page spread depicting this scene directly follows another, depicting tropical fish swimming past a stereotypical tropical islander, shown taking a siesta underneath a palm tree. I haven't seen much commentary on the latter image, although it's entirely possible I've missed it. In any case, there is no doubt that the word "Eskimo" is now considered outdated, and even offensive to some, and that terms like Inuit and Yupik are preferred. At the time of original publication, obviously, this was not the case, and "Eskimo" was considered by most to be a neutral word, used to describe a human demographic group, in much the same way that "Negro" once was. We don't use the latter word today, save in a historical sense - referring to the Negro League, for instance - and I had always assumed that "Eskimo" was the same. I own a collection of folklore from Inupiaq storyteller Lela Kiana Oman, for instance, that was originally published in 1959, and is entitled Eskimo Legends . It would simply never occur to me that it should be banned and suppressed, as a result. To be fair, it would never occur to me that any book should be banned or suppressed, regardless of the circumstances. Far more recently, in 1990, Ka-Ha-Si and The Loon: An Eskimo Legend was published. While I didn't care for the book myself - one of my main critiques, as it happens, was the use of the term "Eskimo," which I found unacceptably vague in a folktale retelling, as it leaves the reader in the dark when it comes to the cultural origin of the story - I certainly wasn't calling for it to be pulled from library shelves. Are we supposed to just discard every book that contains outdated vocabulary, or words that were considered unexceptional in their own day, but offensive in ours? How far should we take it?
So much for the word "Eskimo." But what about the image? Here, I can understand some readers' discomfort, as the artwork certainly does feel very much like a caricature. Then again, it doesn't seem any more like a caricature to me than the figure of the somnolescent tropical islander, or the hayseed farmer who initially warns Marco, at the beginning of the book. Dr. Seuss is an artist whose work relies upon caricature, of all kinds, and I don't perceive any more malice behind this particular example, than behind any others of his that I have seen. That is, of course, a matter of personal experience and perception, and I am alive to the fact that the "Eskimo" image exists as part of a larger trend of stereotypical depiction, rather than in isolation, as a single example. As I mentioned in my review of And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street , it is not my place to tell other readers what they should or should not find offensive and/or hurtful in the books they encounter, just as it is not their place to tell me. I have no argument with those who, seeing this single two-page spread, decide they would rather avoid the book altogether, and choose not to share it with the children in their lives. The world is wide, and there are many books in it. Readers looking for children's books with a culturally authentic depiction of Inuit peoples, by the by, can do no better than turn to Inhabit Media, an Inuit-owned publisher based in Nunavut, Canada, whose children's catalogue is almost universally excellent. But I digress. It is possible to acknowledge that there are some outdated and potentially insensitive elements in McElligot's Pool, but to still believe, either that the book still has something to offer, or that it should, as a matter of principle, be left up to the individual whether to read it. I happen to believe both of these things, and I find the decision to suppress it deeply disturbing and offensive.
I have seen a number of false arguments put forward around this issue, both in the commentariat and by private citizens on the internet. The first is that these books have no artistic and/or literary merit, and would be small loss if they disappeared. This is demonstrably false, both in the case of And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street , which I reviewed a few days ago, and here, with McElligot's Pool. These are marvelous books of high quality, books which have enchanted and entertained generations of readers, becoming a part of our culture and our heritage in the process. Which brings me to the second false claim: to whit, that these books are not particularly popular, do not sell well, and will not be missed. Here again, I must disagree. I have worked in the book business for thirty years now, and have never known a time when Seuss books - including these six titles - didn't sell steadily. There is a consistent demand for them, and the reaction of the public to the news of this recent decision by Dr. Seuss Enterprises - at least fifteen Seuss titles have shot onto Amazon's bestseller list in the past week, and library requests have skyrocketed (42 outstanding hold requests for McElligot's Pool at the NYPL, as I write this) - demonstrates that the bulk of the citizenry is either uncomfortable with, or deeply opposed to this development. In the end, people want to decide for themselves what to read, and what they should think about it. Finally, I have seen the ludicrous argument that this is no book banning, and that there is nothing censorious going on here, with the decision to cease publication of these six books. I'll repeat something I wrote in my review of And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street to answer this disingenuous claim:
This book may not have been censored by any government entity, nor outright banned by any institution, but the final effect of this decision to self-censor will be the same as if it had. Publication will stop, the book will become scarce, libraries will begin removing copies from their shelves - this has already begun at some libraries - and the books will become less and less accessible, even to those who want to read them. It strikes me that the harm caused by this - authors' estates and publishers pulling their own books, libraries cooperating to purge objectionable material - will be far greater than anything these Seuss books could inflict. Truly, a sad moment for the children's literature world, and for the world of letters in general.
A delightful pean to the power of the imagination, McElligot's Pool was first published in 1947, ten years after Marco's previous adventure, and seven years after Seuss' (then) most recent picture-book, Horton Hatches the Egg . Between 'McElligot' and 'Horton' lie seven years of war (World War II) and its immediate aftermath. Seuss, who was active as a cartoonist during this period - his adult war work has been criticized as racist propaganda, and was something that he himself apparently regretted, in later years - did not publish any children's books between 1940 and 1947. Although it was never a personal favorite in my childhood home, I do recall that we owned a copy of this book, when I was a girl, and that I read and enjoyed it many times. I picked it up for this reread as part of a recently undertaken Dr. Seuss retrospective, launched as an act of personal protest against the recent decision from Dr. Seuss Enterprises to suppress six of the author's titles, because they contain outdated and potentially offensive elements. Those titles include this one, McElligot's Pool, as well as And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street , If I Ran the Zoo , Scrambled Eggs Super! , On Beyond Zebra! and The Cat's Quizzer .
McElligot's Pool was chosen as a Caldecott Honor Book in 1948, and it is not difficult to see why, given its entertaining text and magical artwork, which work so well together. Dr. Seuss continued to develop and improve his wordplay in the book, which, like its immediate predecessor ( Horton Hatches the Egg ), displayed a rhythmically rhyming text not seen in his first three children's books. His artwork also continued to evolve here, utilizing far more color than in previous titles, where the black-and-white drawings were often relieved by a single color accent ( The King's Stilts ), or a limited range of color accents ( And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street ). Here the illustrations alternate between black-and-white spreads, and full-color ones utilizing a wide variety of shades, to marvelous effect. The sheer inventiveness of Marco's catalogue of wondrous fish is delightful, and the accompanying artwork beautiful. In short: a wonderful picture-book! What then has caused Dr. Seuss Enterprises to stop publishing it, despite its undeniably good qualities, its status as a classic of American childhood, and the fact that it has been a perennial bestseller?
The trouble lies chiefly with the aforementioned "arctic fish," which are described in the text as "Eskimo Fish," and which are seen swimming past a stereotypical "Eskimo," complete with igloo and furry anorak. The fish too are depicted in this style, with a furry collar around their faces, suggesting anoraks of their own. The two-page spread depicting this scene directly follows another, depicting tropical fish swimming past a stereotypical tropical islander, shown taking a siesta underneath a palm tree. I haven't seen much commentary on the latter image, although it's entirely possible I've missed it. In any case, there is no doubt that the word "Eskimo" is now considered outdated, and even offensive to some, and that terms like Inuit and Yupik are preferred. At the time of original publication, obviously, this was not the case, and "Eskimo" was considered by most to be a neutral word, used to describe a human demographic group, in much the same way that "Negro" once was. We don't use the latter word today, save in a historical sense - referring to the Negro League, for instance - and I had always assumed that "Eskimo" was the same. I own a collection of folklore from Inupiaq storyteller Lela Kiana Oman, for instance, that was originally published in 1959, and is entitled Eskimo Legends . It would simply never occur to me that it should be banned and suppressed, as a result. To be fair, it would never occur to me that any book should be banned or suppressed, regardless of the circumstances. Far more recently, in 1990, Ka-Ha-Si and The Loon: An Eskimo Legend was published. While I didn't care for the book myself - one of my main critiques, as it happens, was the use of the term "Eskimo," which I found unacceptably vague in a folktale retelling, as it leaves the reader in the dark when it comes to the cultural origin of the story - I certainly wasn't calling for it to be pulled from library shelves. Are we supposed to just discard every book that contains outdated vocabulary, or words that were considered unexceptional in their own day, but offensive in ours? How far should we take it?
So much for the word "Eskimo." But what about the image? Here, I can understand some readers' discomfort, as the artwork certainly does feel very much like a caricature. Then again, it doesn't seem any more like a caricature to me than the figure of the somnolescent tropical islander, or the hayseed farmer who initially warns Marco, at the beginning of the book. Dr. Seuss is an artist whose work relies upon caricature, of all kinds, and I don't perceive any more malice behind this particular example, than behind any others of his that I have seen. That is, of course, a matter of personal experience and perception, and I am alive to the fact that the "Eskimo" image exists as part of a larger trend of stereotypical depiction, rather than in isolation, as a single example. As I mentioned in my review of And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street , it is not my place to tell other readers what they should or should not find offensive and/or hurtful in the books they encounter, just as it is not their place to tell me. I have no argument with those who, seeing this single two-page spread, decide they would rather avoid the book altogether, and choose not to share it with the children in their lives. The world is wide, and there are many books in it. Readers looking for children's books with a culturally authentic depiction of Inuit peoples, by the by, can do no better than turn to Inhabit Media, an Inuit-owned publisher based in Nunavut, Canada, whose children's catalogue is almost universally excellent. But I digress. It is possible to acknowledge that there are some outdated and potentially insensitive elements in McElligot's Pool, but to still believe, either that the book still has something to offer, or that it should, as a matter of principle, be left up to the individual whether to read it. I happen to believe both of these things, and I find the decision to suppress it deeply disturbing and offensive.
I have seen a number of false arguments put forward around this issue, both in the commentariat and by private citizens on the internet. The first is that these books have no artistic and/or literary merit, and would be small loss if they disappeared. This is demonstrably false, both in the case of And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street , which I reviewed a few days ago, and here, with McElligot's Pool. These are marvelous books of high quality, books which have enchanted and entertained generations of readers, becoming a part of our culture and our heritage in the process. Which brings me to the second false claim: to whit, that these books are not particularly popular, do not sell well, and will not be missed. Here again, I must disagree. I have worked in the book business for thirty years now, and have never known a time when Seuss books - including these six titles - didn't sell steadily. There is a consistent demand for them, and the reaction of the public to the news of this recent decision by Dr. Seuss Enterprises - at least fifteen Seuss titles have shot onto Amazon's bestseller list in the past week, and library requests have skyrocketed (42 outstanding hold requests for McElligot's Pool at the NYPL, as I write this) - demonstrates that the bulk of the citizenry is either uncomfortable with, or deeply opposed to this development. In the end, people want to decide for themselves what to read, and what they should think about it. Finally, I have seen the ludicrous argument that this is no book banning, and that there is nothing censorious going on here, with the decision to cease publication of these six books. I'll repeat something I wrote in my review of And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street to answer this disingenuous claim:
This book may not have been censored by any government entity, nor outright banned by any institution, but the final effect of this decision to self-censor will be the same as if it had. Publication will stop, the book will become scarce, libraries will begin removing copies from their shelves - this has already begun at some libraries - and the books will become less and less accessible, even to those who want to read them. It strikes me that the harm caused by this - authors' estates and publishers pulling their own books, libraries cooperating to purge objectionable material - will be far greater than anything these Seuss books could inflict. Truly, a sad moment for the children's literature world, and for the world of letters in general.
August 29, 2015
A painted triumph of imagination and positive thinking.
August 19, 2016
This story comes after
And to Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street
and revolves around the amazingly imaginative Marco.
In 1950, McElligot's Pool won the Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Reader's Choice Award, and in 1948, it won the Caldecott Honor.
My Take
I had barely started before I knew the graphics would be such a very Seuss-ian delight, *grin*
The odd thing, though, is that the color graphics alternate with the gray-and-white ones, and I don't understand why. I did love the one with the "flexible" strut holding up a whale of an outcropping of land on which sits the town, LOL.
It does make for an interesting contrast between the wise, all-knowing farmer who warns Marco he'll never catch a fish in this solitary pool, and the imaginative enthusiasm Marco shows. It also provides Seuss with the opportunity to provide a geological lesson as well as one on the denizens of the sea. And lots of opportunities for Mom and the kids to exercise their own imaginations. Lord knows, Seuss was amazingly creative with the kinds of fish Marco thinks might be catchable.
Brilliantly done with its own reality.
The Story
Young Marco may find a fish here in McElligot's Pool despite what any old farmer might say.
The Characters
Marco is a young boy with an imagination and a farmer.
Oh, yeah, and lots and lots and lots of fish.
The Cover and Title
The background for the cover is an elliptical swirl of blues and grays as an orange and green fish greedily eyes a worm on a hook that's attached to a bobber floating in the water. The title and author's name is in a soft fuchsia with the title outlined in black.
The title could possibly be a portal to the sea, oh, yes, who knows how far McElligot's Pool may flee.
In 1950, McElligot's Pool won the Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Reader's Choice Award, and in 1948, it won the Caldecott Honor.
My Take
I had barely started before I knew the graphics would be such a very Seuss-ian delight, *grin*
The odd thing, though, is that the color graphics alternate with the gray-and-white ones, and I don't understand why. I did love the one with the "flexible" strut holding up a whale of an outcropping of land on which sits the town, LOL.
It does make for an interesting contrast between the wise, all-knowing farmer who warns Marco he'll never catch a fish in this solitary pool, and the imaginative enthusiasm Marco shows. It also provides Seuss with the opportunity to provide a geological lesson as well as one on the denizens of the sea. And lots of opportunities for Mom and the kids to exercise their own imaginations. Lord knows, Seuss was amazingly creative with the kinds of fish Marco thinks might be catchable.
Brilliantly done with its own reality.
The Story
Young Marco may find a fish here in McElligot's Pool despite what any old farmer might say.
The Characters
Marco is a young boy with an imagination and a farmer.
Oh, yeah, and lots and lots and lots of fish.
The Cover and Title
The background for the cover is an elliptical swirl of blues and grays as an orange and green fish greedily eyes a worm on a hook that's attached to a bobber floating in the water. The title and author's name is in a soft fuchsia with the title outlined in black.
The title could possibly be a portal to the sea, oh, yes, who knows how far McElligot's Pool may flee.
November 1, 2023
About the text.
So often in literary worlds and movieland, we see the use of story frames that provide abrupt and effective break odds into new artful realities. While story frames are effective, what if we were to use or enjoy the subjunctive to speak of possibilities as possibilities rather than alternative realities.
Here in McElligot's Pool, we find a farmer who says that the young fisherman will not catch fish in a small pool of water. In return, the young man speaks of possibilities. In this young person's imagination, the pool might yield many types of fish. Only when he follows his own imagination--we along with him--we discover a world of possibilities, a world teeming with possibilities. What a delightful book for children and those who read with them.
About the Illustrations.
I am reading the children books of Dr Seuss in order of publication. I have read most, if not all of them. Here is the first of the series that uses full color pictures. Not every page is filled with color. There are pages where I want more color. Yet the color used is delightful, composed of watercolors rather than the previously used art sticks. The watercolor allows for details and graduations not so easily allowed by art sticks used from a limited palette.
Overall recommended for all lovers of Dr Seuss and for all those who delight in language style.
So often in literary worlds and movieland, we see the use of story frames that provide abrupt and effective break odds into new artful realities. While story frames are effective, what if we were to use or enjoy the subjunctive to speak of possibilities as possibilities rather than alternative realities.
Here in McElligot's Pool, we find a farmer who says that the young fisherman will not catch fish in a small pool of water. In return, the young man speaks of possibilities. In this young person's imagination, the pool might yield many types of fish. Only when he follows his own imagination--we along with him--we discover a world of possibilities, a world teeming with possibilities. What a delightful book for children and those who read with them.
About the Illustrations.
I am reading the children books of Dr Seuss in order of publication. I have read most, if not all of them. Here is the first of the series that uses full color pictures. Not every page is filled with color. There are pages where I want more color. Yet the color used is delightful, composed of watercolors rather than the previously used art sticks. The watercolor allows for details and graduations not so easily allowed by art sticks used from a limited palette.
Overall recommended for all lovers of Dr Seuss and for all those who delight in language style.
April 23, 2021
Recently because of some media spotlight on Dr. Seuss and his works. I decided to reread the 6 books in question and two others. But alas only had 5 of the 6 on hand. This is the first of the reviews.
Dr. Seuss is famous for his many children’s books. Books that spark the imagination. Surprise, and amaze. There is a large collection of old animated shorts based on them. And these has been several movies both animated and life action. He also wrote two books that though written and illustrated in a similar style and format are considered adult books they are The Seven Lady Godivas and The Butter Battle Book. Butter Battle is a commentary on war and is often found in the children’s sections in bookstores and libraries. Godivas I believe is long out of print, I believe the last printing was in 1988. And I am only aware of it because it is the favorite book of a friend.
I do not know a child who has not engaged with these books on some level. My youngest and my wife have a few of them memorized. And recite them to each other before bed, as much as read. My children loved the old, animated shorts, and like most of the movies. I was less fond of the live action movies but appreciate most of the animated ones. But back to this book.
In this story a young man is fishing in a small pond, young Marco has his rod and his bait. He is sitting and he waits. But a farmer comes by and states that the body of water is much to small, and just used to dump garbage. And that Marco is wasting his time. But Marco supposes that the pond connects to an underground stream. And wonders if that stream connects to a river, and out to the oceans. And because of that he imagines all kinds of fish, and creatures he might catch if he has patience.
Seuss goes crazy with fish galore!
Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More and reviews of other books by Dr. Seuss.
Dr. Seuss is famous for his many children’s books. Books that spark the imagination. Surprise, and amaze. There is a large collection of old animated shorts based on them. And these has been several movies both animated and life action. He also wrote two books that though written and illustrated in a similar style and format are considered adult books they are The Seven Lady Godivas and The Butter Battle Book. Butter Battle is a commentary on war and is often found in the children’s sections in bookstores and libraries. Godivas I believe is long out of print, I believe the last printing was in 1988. And I am only aware of it because it is the favorite book of a friend.
I do not know a child who has not engaged with these books on some level. My youngest and my wife have a few of them memorized. And recite them to each other before bed, as much as read. My children loved the old, animated shorts, and like most of the movies. I was less fond of the live action movies but appreciate most of the animated ones. But back to this book.
In this story a young man is fishing in a small pond, young Marco has his rod and his bait. He is sitting and he waits. But a farmer comes by and states that the body of water is much to small, and just used to dump garbage. And that Marco is wasting his time. But Marco supposes that the pond connects to an underground stream. And wonders if that stream connects to a river, and out to the oceans. And because of that he imagines all kinds of fish, and creatures he might catch if he has patience.
Seuss goes crazy with fish galore!
Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More and reviews of other books by Dr. Seuss.
March 2, 2021
This was my favorite Dr. Seuss book as a kid. I loved all the things the fishing boy might possibly catch in McElligot's Pool. The imagination is great - also the hope of possibility. When I finished reading it to my mentee, he said, "But it doesn't say if he catches anything!" I told him that was great, because the reader gets to decide the outcome of the book. Until reading Seuss's books more recently as an adult, I'd no idea the hidden depth in what seemed to be meaningless, fun-sounding, inventive rhymes when I was a child.
March 26, 2015
A cute book about a young boy who is fishing in McElligot's Pool. A man comes and tells him, he won't be catching anything in the pool and the young boy tells him what he could be catching and where all that water comes from. Who knows, the child might be right?
January 4, 2016
One of the earlier Seuss books that I've somehow never heard of before, this was a fun read with MicroMort. No "message" just ever more fantastic fish a boy imagines he can catch in a tiny pond, which is exactly the kind of magical thinking I remember having as a boy. Fun.
October 21, 2010
Imagination. Hope. Wonder. A revelation that we live in a world limited only by our perspective. This book inspires me to this day.
March 22, 2012
Loved it, and it cracked the kids up! Madeline chose it from the school library, and we really enjoyed it - I'd not read it before.
March 21, 2015
Rae said this is her favorite Dr. Seuss so far!
March 8, 2021
Arguably Seuss’ most beautiful book with its vibrant watercolors and large number of imaginative fish in a small pool that leads to the sea. A (100%/Outstanding)
December 16, 2019
It's fun reading some of these oldies. McElligot's Pool is even older than my parents! It's one of the first Dr. Seuss books I've seen that uses full-colour illustrations along with black-and-white ones.
This book is first and foremost a celebration of imagination. When Marco is told that he won't catch any fish in McElligot's Pool, he spins a wild tale about how the pool might be connected to a river or even the ocean, and from there he muses about all the various fish he might catch: everything from fish with checkerboard bellies to two-headed eels.
While it was interesting to see what Marco would come up with next, I found the book just a little too long for my taste. It's also slightly dated with the stereotypical depiction of Inuit, going so far as to use the term "Eskimo". But it was 1947, and it's unfair to judge books from the past against our current standards. (Look at it as a mini history lesson instead.)
This isn't my favourite Dr. Seuss title. It's okay, but the length is a little tiresome. (Picture books from this era seem to be about twice the length of our current standard of around 32 pages. Parents: you've been warned.)
This book is first and foremost a celebration of imagination. When Marco is told that he won't catch any fish in McElligot's Pool, he spins a wild tale about how the pool might be connected to a river or even the ocean, and from there he muses about all the various fish he might catch: everything from fish with checkerboard bellies to two-headed eels.
While it was interesting to see what Marco would come up with next, I found the book just a little too long for my taste. It's also slightly dated with the stereotypical depiction of Inuit, going so far as to use the term "Eskimo". But it was 1947, and it's unfair to judge books from the past against our current standards. (Look at it as a mini history lesson instead.)
This isn't my favourite Dr. Seuss title. It's okay, but the length is a little tiresome. (Picture books from this era seem to be about twice the length of our current standard of around 32 pages. Parents: you've been warned.)
March 4, 2021
I read this many years ago when I was probably in grade school and always thought it was one of Dr. Seuss’ best. I heard on the news today that this is one of his books that will no longer be published because of some racist overtones.
So I went to YouTube and listened to a reading of the story along with the pictures. I still think it’s a cute story about a little boy who thinks he can catch fish in a shallow pool. But the pool may be connected to an underground stream going to the ocean. And some of the fish might be “Eskimo” fish that are shown drawn with fur collars and coming from an igloo. This is really the only stereotype I saw in the book but is that worth banning it? Am I missing something??
So I went to YouTube and listened to a reading of the story along with the pictures. I still think it’s a cute story about a little boy who thinks he can catch fish in a shallow pool. But the pool may be connected to an underground stream going to the ocean. And some of the fish might be “Eskimo” fish that are shown drawn with fur collars and coming from an igloo. This is really the only stereotype I saw in the book but is that worth banning it? Am I missing something??
June 7, 2010
“McElligot’s Pool” is one of Dr. Seuss’ earlier books and it is about how a young boy explains to an old man how he imagines that there will be millions of fish of different shapes and colors in McElligot’s Pool. “McElligot’s Pool” may be a bit behind for today’s kids, but it is truly a creative book that started up Dr. Seuss’ popular line of rhyming books.
Dr. Seuss’ illustrations are truly creative as the fishes are shown in many different colors and shapes, especially when the boy starts describing about the cat fishes in the water and the images of the cat fish are truly hilarious as the cat fish have cat heads and fish bodies and also the image of the fish with the checkerboard belly is also hilarious as the fish literally has a checkerboard belly. Also, the images in the book are structured where two pages of the book have colored images while the next two pages are in black and white which was similar to some of the “Madeline” books. Dr. Seuss’ story is extremely creative and full of optimism as the boy believes that fish will come to McElligot’s Pool no matter what the old man said which will give many children a good impression that anything is possible if you believe in it. Also, the way that the boy describes each fish in McElligot’s Pool in a creative way such as mentioning a cat fish, a stout fish, and a fish that rides on skis and many children will love the wacky mentioning of each fish.
Some smaller children might think that this book is a bit too old-fashioned since it was one of Dr. Seuss’ earlier books and the images are a bit outdated since some of the images are in black and white and the images are not brightly colored like Dr. Seuss’ later books are. Also, this book is a bit lengthier than Dr. Seuss’s later books and many small children might lose interest in a book that is too long for their liking.
“McElligot’s Pool” is a very creative book about the power of using your imagination and anything would be possible. I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since there is nothing inappropriate about this book, but smaller children might be a little bored with this book since it is a bit too outdated but it all depends on your child if he or she likes outdated books.
Dr. Seuss’ illustrations are truly creative as the fishes are shown in many different colors and shapes, especially when the boy starts describing about the cat fishes in the water and the images of the cat fish are truly hilarious as the cat fish have cat heads and fish bodies and also the image of the fish with the checkerboard belly is also hilarious as the fish literally has a checkerboard belly. Also, the images in the book are structured where two pages of the book have colored images while the next two pages are in black and white which was similar to some of the “Madeline” books. Dr. Seuss’ story is extremely creative and full of optimism as the boy believes that fish will come to McElligot’s Pool no matter what the old man said which will give many children a good impression that anything is possible if you believe in it. Also, the way that the boy describes each fish in McElligot’s Pool in a creative way such as mentioning a cat fish, a stout fish, and a fish that rides on skis and many children will love the wacky mentioning of each fish.
Some smaller children might think that this book is a bit too old-fashioned since it was one of Dr. Seuss’ earlier books and the images are a bit outdated since some of the images are in black and white and the images are not brightly colored like Dr. Seuss’ later books are. Also, this book is a bit lengthier than Dr. Seuss’s later books and many small children might lose interest in a book that is too long for their liking.
“McElligot’s Pool” is a very creative book about the power of using your imagination and anything would be possible. I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since there is nothing inappropriate about this book, but smaller children might be a little bored with this book since it is a bit too outdated but it all depends on your child if he or she likes outdated books.
January 12, 2016
Wonderful rhyming and so many odd fish which means great fun Goodling them to see what ones are real. Cat fish, whatever next! Nice illustrations too, lots going on in the background. Ended up reading this book twice as it was such good fun.
February 6, 2009
Great imaginative book.
December 24, 2015
AppleBlossom read this one aloud to us all. This is a Memoria Press Second grade literature choice.
March 15, 2014
**** Caldecott Honor (1948) ****
Beautiful colored pencil drawing show the early creative genius in the early years. His style is unique and evident.
Beautiful colored pencil drawing show the early creative genius in the early years. His style is unique and evident.
December 7, 2016
He is and will always be one of my favorite authors.
May 4, 2021
Just read this book in order to see why the publishers felt it was so important to remove it from circulation. Pretty innocuous depiction of an Eskimo. Whatever. Not his best book anyway.
March 2, 2021
I try to read Dr. Seuss every year. Well, I needed this one for a couple of challenges this year, and I guess I got to it in the nick of time, as it has now been pulled from stores.
McElligot's Pool, like most Dr. Seuss books, delivers a life lesson through a delightful little story. This one is about the power of imagination and optimism. The boy in the story won't be dissuaded from fishing in a barren pool, because he has the ability to envision the possible wonders that await him if he sticks with it.
McElligot's Pool, like most Dr. Seuss books, delivers a life lesson through a delightful little story. This one is about the power of imagination and optimism. The boy in the story won't be dissuaded from fishing in a barren pool, because he has the ability to envision the possible wonders that await him if he sticks with it.
March 20, 2021
Read it and make the Dr. Seuss Enterprise scratch their heads. A shame they are turning this into a political thing.
August 11, 2021
Nothing controversial in this book at all. People are ridiculous
December 15, 2021
I am so grateful that I own this treasure. It will always be one of my favorites. I had to read it again just to see if I could find anything controversial about it; knowing that I wouldn’t.
April 20, 2016
If you would like to see more of Marco then you should definitely check out Dr. Seuss's first children books which is And to Think I Saw it on Mulberry Street
I honestly believe this book is precursor to One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish and could possibly be Dr. Seuss's experimental book. What I mean by experimental is by the time Dr. Seuss becomes a sensation, he already discover his talent and the different formats of writing a children's book, the illustrations, and the colors. In this book the illustrations vary differently in each page.
One moment it is black and white, the next is water-color drawings, another is the usual Dr. Seuss drawings. I did not have a problem with it especially since this is one of earlier works but I can definitely see how others may not enjoy it especially the constant shift to black and white.
In this story we get to meet Marco from Dr. Seuss's first book and he is at McElligot's pool. He goes there one day to simply catch a fish and the farmer tells him that he will never catch a fish. He tells him that that is the location where people dump cans and bottles but no fish. Marco realizes while that may be true it is still possible to catch fish, all you have to do is be patient. When that idea comes in, his imagination goes wild like in the first book and goes into details of the different type of fishes that may come up to the surface of McElligot's pool.
If you see the marvelous illustrations I see great examples of different fishes that appear in his other works like I saw a larger version of the goldfish that he uses in the Cat in the Hat. I really enjoyed this book especially the rhymes and I felt like Dr. Seuss didn't have any pressures about this book and just wrote it for fun and to be free with creativity.
I honestly believe this book is precursor to One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish and could possibly be Dr. Seuss's experimental book. What I mean by experimental is by the time Dr. Seuss becomes a sensation, he already discover his talent and the different formats of writing a children's book, the illustrations, and the colors. In this book the illustrations vary differently in each page.
One moment it is black and white, the next is water-color drawings, another is the usual Dr. Seuss drawings. I did not have a problem with it especially since this is one of earlier works but I can definitely see how others may not enjoy it especially the constant shift to black and white.
In this story we get to meet Marco from Dr. Seuss's first book and he is at McElligot's pool. He goes there one day to simply catch a fish and the farmer tells him that he will never catch a fish. He tells him that that is the location where people dump cans and bottles but no fish. Marco realizes while that may be true it is still possible to catch fish, all you have to do is be patient. When that idea comes in, his imagination goes wild like in the first book and goes into details of the different type of fishes that may come up to the surface of McElligot's pool.
If you see the marvelous illustrations I see great examples of different fishes that appear in his other works like I saw a larger version of the goldfish that he uses in the Cat in the Hat. I really enjoyed this book especially the rhymes and I felt like Dr. Seuss didn't have any pressures about this book and just wrote it for fun and to be free with creativity.
May 14, 2016
This was one of the most influential books of my life. I read it in the first grade; possibly on my very first visit to the school's library. It was a very small library but it seemed like a wonderland to me.
This was the first book to explode my mind about the big wide world beyond my backyard and how things are interconnected. From the little pond to the stream to the river to the ocean. To this day I believe that if all children had read this, they would understand how things are related, and there might be greater understanding of the big picture outside ourselves, and greater empathy for others.
So long ago I read this and the images from the book remain vivid in my memory. Seuss's flights of fancy are keys that open up young minds. This is an all-time favorite.
(KevinR@Ky, amended 2016)
This was the first book to explode my mind about the big wide world beyond my backyard and how things are interconnected. From the little pond to the stream to the river to the ocean. To this day I believe that if all children had read this, they would understand how things are related, and there might be greater understanding of the big picture outside ourselves, and greater empathy for others.
So long ago I read this and the images from the book remain vivid in my memory. Seuss's flights of fancy are keys that open up young minds. This is an all-time favorite.
(KevinR@Ky, amended 2016)
October 5, 2017
I think this Seuss book is one of the easiest ones for me to connect with because all of the nonsense words and ideas come from a boy’s imagination as he sits by the pool trying to convince an adult that fishing there isn’t foolish. Other Seuss books seem to take place within fantasy worlds where things like sneetches and wockets just roam free and should be taken for granted. But in this book, it’s a child who comes up with the strange ideas, which really speaks to the power and importance of imagination. I also like its similarities to stories like The Carrot Seed, where naysaying adults are proven wrong by the beliefs and perseverance of a child.
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