Lucid Dreams and Life Lessons- A Perfect Bedtime Recipe
Written: Jun 10 '02 (Updated Jun 10 '02)
Product Rating:
Pros: Classic Dr. Seuss illustrations, Loveable hero, Rhythmical lyrics that entrance & sedate
Cons: none
The Bottom Line: Teaches kids what “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence” means in the most Seussian way possible. Warning: clichés on board.
irbykb's Full Review: Dr. Seuss - I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Soll...
This highly entertaining parable parallels real life by showing the importance of making the best out of any given situation, and the repercussions of running away from one's problems.
I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew is one of my favorite Dr. Seuss books of all time. It’s not as well known as other Seuss books, but by no means is it less important.
Do you know anyone who always seems to be fed up with life? They have a problem with someone at work, so they want a new job. They have an argument with a spouse or lover, and now they just aren’t sure it was ‘meant to be’. “It’s always something”, “When it rains it pours” and the ever popular “Why me?” are the kinds of things you hear this person say.
This is exactly the person who needs to read I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew. This book teaches that the grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence; that when things are not going so great to buck up and roll with it, instead of running away in search of a better life.
Maybe you can’t teach an old dog new tricks (not for lack of trying!), but more than likely you can prevent the young ‘uns from taking the sort of attitude I’m singling out here. The best way to do that is to set a good example: little pitchers do have big ears, after all.
Another thing you can do is read I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew with them, so they can see for themselves what happens when you try to run away from your problems instead of confronting them.
What Happens in the Book?
Our story begins with a cute little furry fellow. His name is never revealed, but he is our hero nonetheless, albeit an unassuming one. What we do know is that he’s from the Valley of Vung, and things are just not going his way. Everywhere he turns is trouble: tripping over rocks, getting stung by giant insects, and general bedlam around every corner.
There he is, caught between a rock and a hard place, when along comes a chap in a one-wheeler wubble. This chap, who I always attribute a hoity-toity British accent when reading to my son, has just the thing to fix up our hero and get him out of that troublesome spot. The chap beckons him to journey to Solla Sollew, “where they never have troubles, at least very few.”
Our hero jumps into the wubble like white on rice, and they’re off. Unfortunately for our hero, his troubles are only just beginning. The chap’s camel falls ill, and he cons our hero into pulling both himself and the camel to find the camel physician.
Then our hero is off on a journey of his own to find
“...the City of Solla Sollew
On the banks of the beautiful River Wah-Hoo,
Where they never have troubles! At least, very few.”
While trying to make it there, he visits some of the most exotic, beautiful, fantastic places and lives some very exciting, dangerous and marvelous experiences. In order to find out what exactly these are, you will have to read the book, but bascially our hero wanders and treks in and out of stops along his journey to Solla-Sollew. The transition from place to place is very dream-like and fluid. He encounters lots of strange people and creatures, and some truly amazing landscapes. All the while, the dramatic, poetic lyrics provide the perfect soundtrack. Seuss: There Is No Substitute.
For our lonesome hero, the journey itself is not the raison d’etre, rather it is the finding his own personal Xanadu, this Solla Sollew, that keeps him on track.
Does our hero ever make it to the elusive City of Solla Sollew? Of course. But when he gets there, he is unable to enter the city because the door is locked and the key hole is occupied by a Key-Slapping Slippard, which one cannot kill because it is very bad luck to kill any Slippard, of course!?!
Naturally, our beloved hero is crushed. All of his valiant efforts were in vain. ‘Every silver lining has a dark cloud’, he must be thinking.
The doorman of Solla Sollew, who is also locked out of the city, invites him to come along
“...to the city of Boola Boo Ball
On the banks of the beautiful River Woo-Wall,
Where they never have troubles! No troubles at all!”
The city of Boola Boo Ball? No troubles at all? That sounds quite tempting to our hero, for a moment. And I quote our fearless hero's immortal words:
“So I started to go.
But I didn’t.
Instead…
I did some quick thinking
Inside of my head.
Then I started back home
To the Valley of Vung.
I know I’ll have troubles.
I’ll, maybe, get stung.
I’ll always have troubles.
I’ll, maybe, get bit
By the Green-Headed Quail
On the place where I sit.
But I’ve bought a big bat.
I’m all ready, you see.
Now my troubles are going
To have troubles with me!”
Now if that’s not empowering, my epinions ID isn’t irbykb!
Why not give the children (or adults) in your life the tools to empower themselves, to get off the shelf, to chase that dark cloud away from their heads for good. Before you know it, they’ll be telling you: “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!”
My copy of I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew is part of a Dr. Seuss anthology I’ve had since I was a child that is now a family heirloom.
Luckily, you can get it in paperback or hardback at your friendly neighborhood or online bookstore for between $6.00 (half.com) and $14.95 (amazon.com) in various degrees of condition, from used to collectible.
Publisher: Random House, 1974
ISBN: 0394800923
I really hope you will at least give this book a read, and maybe even add it to your collection, because maybe someday your kids will have kids and they will want to read them this book. Or if you don’t have kids, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it just as much. 8-)
Illus. in full color. "The hero of this hilarious tale discovers that in attempting to avoid trouble one often encounters even greater difficulties. S...More at HotBookSale
Illus. in full color. The hero of this hilarious tale discovers that in attempting to avoid trouble one often encounters even greater difficulties. Se...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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