Horton Hears a Who! by Dr. Suess

Honestly, who doesn't love Dr. Suess. It's almost UN-American not too. I chose Dr. Suess for my illustrator series because I feel that not enough people recognize his fantastic pen and ink stile of artwork. I mean talk about having your own style, this guy is almost instantly recognizable by his images alone! Most people don't know that Dr. Suess actually did work as a political artist, and it defenitely shows through his writing and artwork. Horton Hears a Who! on the other hand seems to be based in asian philosophy rather than trying to make a particular statement. For those who have yet to read this instant classic, it tells the tale of an Elephant named Horton that finds a speck that contains a whole city of whos. No one in the rest of the jungle believes Horton and thinks he's crazy. I think this is a pretty advanced concept to teach children, but somehow Dr. Suess pulls threw. Finally Dr. Seuss' pen and ink illustrations are full of life and excitement. His use of hatching and cross-hatching gives the drawings a sense of depth. I also liked this book because it shows that Dr. Seuss can draw real animals as well as completely fictional ones.