Book Review: One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

Dr. Seuss has for generations been a folk hero to school librarians and educators of the young. He has delighted children with whimsical depictions of cats, hats, and spoiled eggs. However, there is one demographic that the good doctor, has ignored, marginalized, and just made to feel generally crummy. I’m talking about goldfish (who else?).

Traditional critiques of One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, are often political in nature. One brilliant reviewer has perhaps best summed up this traditional reading when he writes:

The tension is palpable when the young boy and girl bring home a large, walrus-like pet and wonder how their mother will feel about their deed; no preschooler co uld miss this reference to the Teapot Dome scandal. Similarly, their advice to get a pet Yink simply because of its fondness for pale red india writing product is a sardonic commentary on rampant consumerism. And the camel-like Wump shows his prophetic realization that our demand for oil would force us to deal with the Saudis on a regular basis.

This type of political analysis has its place. There is little doubt that it has found its way into the academy and entrenched itself right next to the best of postcolonial and poststructural thought. However, there is a class and a politics that Dr. Seuss’s text ignores. By limited himself to red fish, blue fish, and whatever a whup is supposed to be, Dr. Seuss pointedly ignores and thus in some way condones the oppression that goldfish suffer everyday.

But how could it be any other way? The book’s child protagonists, whom the narrator forces the world to conform to is purely anthrocentric. Dr. Seuss indoctrinates a child to view the world as their playground, but doesn’t acknowledge that other animals may want to use the monkey bars (perhaps monkeys?). Where are the goldfish that must endure countless hours of depravity as they are given away as prizes at carnivals? Where are the unfortunate fish souls who are swallowed alive by evil frat boys? Where are the goldfish that live their whole lives just to taste some of those sweet, delicious premium fish flake food? Dr. Seuss ignores them, disguises them, and silences them. Aesthetic considerations aside (the book does read well), I cannot endorse this book. It may seem like a delightful romp through meaningless rhymes, but its lack of social purpose is truly appalling. Rating for One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish: Two fins down.