Which Dr. Seuss book was written as an allegory for US occupation of Japan after WWII?
Green Eggs and Ham
The Cat in the Hat
The Lorax
Horton Hears a Who!
Fact: Dr. Seuss, whose real name was Theodor Geisel, used Horton Hears a Who! (1954) as more than just a whimsical children’s tale. After serving as a political cartoonist and propagandist during World War II, Geisel visited Japan in the postwar years and was profoundly affected by what he saw, particularly the suffering of Japanese civilians. Horton Hears a Who!—with its central theme “a person’s a person, no matter how small”—was written as an allegory for the American occupation of Japan and the need to treat the defeated nation with dignity and compassion.
Correct Answer: Horton Hears a Who!