I had trouble getting to Solla Sollew - Dr. Seuss > Reviews > "I was once happy, and carefree, and young..."

Author's product rating:   

Would you listen to it again?	Yes
Story	Outstanding
Characters	Good
Listenability	Once you start it, you won't be able to switch it off!

Advantages:	Clever use of words, memorable, amusing, great pictures, thought - provoking message underlying
Disadvantages:	None

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Dr Seuss is well-known as a children's author for many reasons. Perhaps primarily for his clever rhyme and rhythm, and ingenious use of language, creating new (but almost believable) words. Or perhaps for the way he has written so many 'easy-read' books which are nevertheless funny. Or perhaps people remember him because of the delightful cartoons which are an important part of his books. I expect his best known work is 'The Cat in the Hat', a delightful tale of a badly-behaved cat who creates havoc in the home of two worried children.

To me, however, Dr Seuss's work is worth reading most of all because in so many of his books there is an underlying low-key but important message, presented with humour and caricature, that nonetheless helps children absorb useful truths. This isn't really the case in 'The Cat in the Hat' - the message there strikes me as rather unhelpful, for all the book is enjoyable (It doesn't matter what you do while Mum's out, so long as it's all tidy when she gets back? Hmmm.)

But take, say, the book of 'The Sneetches and other stories'. In that, we meet the racist Sneetches who eventually learn that no race is superior to any other. Then there's the boy who's afraid for no apparent reason, until he learns to overcome his fear. There's also the two Zax who are so stubborn they will not give way to each other - oh, and the mother who called all twenty-three sons 'Dave'. Not that the last is likely to be a problem in most households!

Probably my favourite of all Dr Seuss's books is, 'I had trouble getting to Solla Sollew'. This book is told in the first person, featuring a typically Seuss character who begins by telling us that, when he was young (in the Valley of Vung) he was happy and carefree, and had no problems at all. Then, one day, when he was walking along minding his own business, watching the daisies, he stubbed his toe on a huge rock. This caused him to fly through the air, landing on his back-side, spraining a bone. (Only in Seuss books can characters sprain bones, as far as I know!)

'Well,' we are told, 'I never had ever had troubles before, and I said to myself, "I don't want any more! If I watch out for rocks with my eyes straight ahead, I'll keep out of trouble forever!" I said. Sadly this wise advice didn't work, as he was quickly surrounded by further troubles, and learned that they can arrive from all directions.

While he is still totally surrounded by various problems, a chap rumbles up in a wildly impossible vehicle (a one-wheeler wubble pulled by a camel) and tells our hero that he too has troubles, so he's decided to set off for 'the city of Solla Sollew, on the banks of the beautiful River Wa-Hoo, where they never have troubles - at least, very few!'

So off they set together. Unfortunately,the camel becomes ill, and when at last they reach a suitable doctor, the wubble-chap sends his new friend on, telling him it's easy to find Solla Sollew by bus. Alas, the bus-stop has a small notice attached, announcing that the driver has punctured all his tyres, meaning that the bus can no longer run.

And so this optimistic character continues on his own, and a whole series of adventures overtake him. Describing them wouldn't begin to do justice to them. Problem after problem occurs, but all the time his eyes are fixed on his destination, the wonderful city of Solla Sollew, where they never have troubles (at least, very few).

Eventually he sees the gleaming city in the distance. His troubles are over, or so he thinks. Unfortunately, he didn't listen to the small print, so to speak. It's true that Solla Sollew has very few troubles - in fact, it currently only has one tiny little one. But it's a problem which means that nobody can get in, or out.

So what can he do? As if on cue, someone else appears, announcing that he is off to yet another faraway city, but this one has the advantage that it has 'no troubles at all'. Should our friend go? Clearly this is tempting... and I won't spoil the ending by saying what happens!

I first remember this book when my younger sister was given it. She was about three, I was about ten. I read it aloud to her, and we laughed together at the humour. The following night, she wanted me to read it again, so I did. It appealed to both of us, at different levels. I appreciated the conclusion - which, in effect, tells us that we can't keep on running away from problems; in the end we have to turn around and face up to them. This is the message of the book, and one which to some extent has stuck with me for my whole life; a useful message since I'm the kind of person who naturally buries my head into the sand and hopes that things will get better.

For about a year I read this book aloud at least two or three times per week. It's an excellent book to read to a child, as well as being relatively easy for a slightly older child to read to him(or her)self. Within a few months we both knew it off by heart - and over 30 years later can still remember most of it! I read it in turn to my own sons when they were little, and they read and enjoyed it themselves too. The rhythm and absurd rhymes make this book highly memorable, great fun - and yet thought-provoking too. I recommend it to anyone with small children or granchildren.

Although 'I had trouble getting to Solla Sollew' was out of print for a while, I was delighted to discover that it was re-published in 1990 in soft-back format. It's available from Amazon.co.uk or most other bookshops at around £4.99. Older hard-back versions can still sometimes be found at libraries or (if you're lucky) car boot sales.