I Had Trouble in getting to Solla Sollew
By Dr. Seuss
13 min. without interruption (definitely abridgeable)
24-28 min. with discussion prompts.
OLDER KIDS – like, sixth and up
**Available in Snell**
SO, This is controversial. The protagonist spends the book trying to run away from his "troubles" – weird insect things that bite and sting – to a mythical place called Solla Sollew. After many humorous hurdles, the protagonist realizes that troubles exist everywhere. He can't outrun "trouble" (the insect things), so he decides to face it head on...
…with a bat.
The wikipedia entry is surprisingly encompassing – truly breaks down the plot. But the long and short of it is that there is no one place where troubles do not exist – and if you spend all your time trying to find a place like that – you won’t get to truly live.
Of course, the resolution isn’t exactly peaceful. However, I still think this can work for older groups – because the use of the bat is symbolic, just like the insects biting him are symbolic.
The book seeks to teach readers to arm yourself with a willingness to advocate for yourself. The last line is pretty reflective - "Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me."
…But I mean I get it, it’s a bat.
13 min. without interruption (definitely abridgeable)
24-28 min. with discussion prompts.
OLDER KIDS – like, sixth and up
**Available in Snell**
SO, This is controversial. The protagonist spends the book trying to run away from his "troubles" – weird insect things that bite and sting – to a mythical place called Solla Sollew. After many humorous hurdles, the protagonist realizes that troubles exist everywhere. He can't outrun "trouble" (the insect things), so he decides to face it head on...
…with a bat.
The wikipedia entry is surprisingly encompassing – truly breaks down the plot. But the long and short of it is that there is no one place where troubles do not exist – and if you spend all your time trying to find a place like that – you won’t get to truly live.
Of course, the resolution isn’t exactly peaceful. However, I still think this can work for older groups – because the use of the bat is symbolic, just like the insects biting him are symbolic.
The book seeks to teach readers to arm yourself with a willingness to advocate for yourself. The last line is pretty reflective - "Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me."
…But I mean I get it, it’s a bat.
Scroll Down for Description and Debriefing Guide.