Stephen Chapman`s petulant column ”How come Horton hears nothing but left-wing Who`s?” is as devoid of humor as it is lacking in appreciation of the true values of children`s literature. With great alarm he calls our attention to the socialist, anti-authoritarian messages of books like ”The Cat in the Hat.”
I have read ”The Cat in the Hat” perhaps 50 times to a group of preschoolers over the last two years. The book`s concluding question-essentially ”what would you tell your mother if the Cat in the Hat came to play with you?”-has the wonderful effect of suggesting to the kids that they have their own world of fantasy which they can share or not share as they decide; thus, the children begin to discover their own autonomy, creativity, and personal integrity. To read this question, as Chapman does, as a challenge to parental authority is both absurd and deeply ignorant of what children`s education is all about.
If Chapman really wants to train a legion of young Reaganites, I could suggest some books for him. The ”Curious George” series does a nice job of showing how much happier a monkey can be in an American zoo cage than out in the barbaric jungle, and of teaching the terrible dangers of too much curiosity-just what I suppose Chapman would want to teach liberal reporters like Dan Rather. ”Where the Wild Things Are” gives basic instruction in how to force down rebellions in distant lands; after reading this, any toddler would be a contra supporter.
