This was the first book to inflame my imagination. Thanks, Doc. And now my own fantasies are Ebooks at http://www.wildchildpublishing.com.

I loved it and the typical Seuss fantastic imagination that the little hole could lead to the ocean. I read this because I recently heard about the whole racist Seuss thing that I apparently missed. I saw the depiction of the Eskimo in this. It didn’t seem negative to me. I lived in Alaska as a child and my sister was born there. It is COLD. So, everyone bundles up and you have to protect yourself so you don’t get frostbite. My mother wore a fur parka. So she looked like that. Aleutians wear them. I find it hard to believe they would be insulted because you drew them with the furry coats. Are we afraid our kids will grow up to think Eskimos wear parkas? It’s insulting to think they wear parks? It’s shameful to wear a parka? Regardless, the story is cute.

I decided to check out all of the books being removed from production due to "racism", as a personal challenge. When I read this book, I really didn't understand what could be considered racist about it, because I didn't know that the word "Eskimo" was taboo. I was more offended by the fact that the man called the little boy a "fool", because that's unkind, although I was glad the boy stuck up for himself. That teaches good self-confidence, which I didn't have as a child, so it was something I could appreciate. But, I delved into why this book is considered racist, and found that the term "Eskimo" is considered offensive, because of a confusion over its origin, resulting in people thinking for many years that it meant "Excommunicated", or "Heathen". I had always assumed that it came from the French "Eskimaeux" (Please excuse me if I spelled that wrong, I don't know how to spell French words very well), and that is what was confirmed for me in my search. This word means only "Someone who makes snowshoes", if I am understanding correctly. At any rate, the word is considered offensive, as are pictures portraying Inuit peoples dressed in furs, although I don't understand why that should be so. So, the pictures of "Eskimo fish" with what appears to be fur around their faces are the objection to this story, I guess.
I don't think that this will stop me from reading this book to my children, because these things were not considered offensive to Inuit peoples at this time, and I am confident that Dr. Suess meant no harm in using them. However, I may have to explain to my children that this is one of those outdated words that you probably shouldn't use too often, for fear of being taken out of context.

Wonderful rhyming and so many odd fish which means great fun Goodling them to see what ones are real. Cat fish, whatever next! Nice illustrations too, lots going on in the background. Ended up reading this book twice as it was such good fun.

Imagination. Hope. Wonder. A revelation that we live in a world limited only by our perspective. This book inspires me to this day.

Not the best.

I liked some of it, especially the fish that our author makes up. I do not like the promotion of whaling in any form, but this book is about fishing, so -- I mean, c'mon, if I can accept the premise I suppose I can accept the whaling part, too.

I don't like the moral of this book.

It is about being patient and seeing the variety of possibilities in life, but it gives off a false shine to me. In some cases, seeing the probabilities and variety of life is a good thing, and sometimes we must wait; this part of the the moral is not terrible. What makes it more pernicious, however, is in that we see this applied to McElligot's Pool, and, as extrapolation, impossibilities. The protagonist does not catch a fish at the end of the story, nor does it seem like he will ever be able to catch that fish; his optimism and imagination are useful in so far as they disguise reality before him, forcing him to lose opportunities in life, and, perhaps, even to fish in other locales. In The Lorax, we are meant to take away the moral that we should save the environment, but here all we see is that we can imagine the environment into something else, as an example of the logic above described. It is about a hopeful attitude, not something necessarily bad, but something which is not good if paired with an inability to see reality. Sure, we might say that his attitude is cute, nice, inspirational, or has an intrinsic quality which we all love or relate to. We all want the world to be good, we all want our wildest wishes to come true, etc., etc., so he has that quality of hopefulness about him which might be admired, if also we know that it will die in adulthood. I think the book could've done better to more effectively explore the theme, thus. Tantalizingly, Seuss brings up imagination and hope, and by never giving the boy a fish, we are left with the question as to choose between cynicality or optimism. We do not know he doesn't catch a fish, right? I wonder -- and hope -- he did, even if I do not think it likely.

Mcelligot’s pool by Dr. Seuss is an underrated children’s book. Not many people know of it. The book was originally published in 1904 but was renewed in 1947 and again in 1974 by Dr. Suess Enterprise. The book starts out with a black and white page. A small boy is fishing in a small pool called McElligot’s pool. A gentleman comes along and tells the child that he must a fool because he could never catch a fish in that pool. The child then goes on to describe that there could be an underground brook that ran all the way to the ocean and brought the fish back from the sea. He expresses numerous possibilities thew his imagination. I have this book in my classroom and even my older students enjoy it. I like to read it to my kindergartners about the middle of the school year when they start to learn about rhyming.
The structure of this book is simple but does have a point to it. Even though the things don’t actually happen the way the boy explains them puts order to the story. As the boy starts to use his imagination the author changes the use of his medium from black and white to bright vibrant colors. The author uses cartoon drawing “Picture book artists who use the cartoon form often used bold lions that are simple and energetic.” ( Hintz 201) The use of bright vibrant colors and bolded lines helps add depth to the young boy’s description of what could be. it also helps to support the theme of this book. The book supports the idea that only our imagination is our limitation. He describes an endless possibility of what could be. As always in Dr. Suesse’s books, his charters depict a picture of uniques and promote individualism.
This book is great for any type of reader. It teaches about individualism and being unique. It would be great for all ages. Especially elementary students. It would be a good lesson on creativity and remind children of limitless possibilities. It would help to show that even if an adult says one thing there could be a different situation for older kids 8 to 12 years. Younger children would benefit from rhyming patterns in the book. The use of bright colors and funny characters would also help to keep their attention on the book.
If you are looking for a fun easy book to read McElligots Pool is a wonderful choice for all ages!
Sources
Hintz, Carrie, and Eric L. Tribunella. Reading Children's Literature: A Critical Introduction. Broadview Press, 2019.

Nothing controversial in this book at all. People are ridiculous

Dentro de todo lo que he leído sobre la controversia del Dr. Seuss, siento que lo ofensivo que se podría encontrar en este libro es el uso de la palabra Eskimo pero cuando leía palabras que terminaban en “ger” me imaginaba lo peor por el historial de este señor.
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Dentro de lo que cabe, me pareció un libro bastante interesante del Dr. Seuss, dónde se empezarán a ver sus dibujos particulares de criaturas ficticias pero aún así, faltaba como esa magia de colores que tienen algunos de sus libros futuros. Todas maneras siento que fue muy bonito el mensaje de no rendirse ante el desafío de pescar por la crítica de alguien que ya básicamente se ha rendido.
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De este libro, me leí esta edición digitalizada en 34 páginas.

I try to read Dr. Seuss every year. Well, I needed this one for a couple of challenges this year, and I guess I got to it in the nick of time, as it has now been pulled from stores.

McElligot's Pool, like most Dr. Seuss books, delivers a life lesson through a delightful little story. This one is about the power of imagination and optimism. The boy in the story won't be dissuaded from fishing in a barren pool, because he has the ability to envision the possible wonders that await him if he sticks with it.

Fascinating Marco's imagination is because he was able to imagine all those kind of places, fishes and sea creatures while waiting for a fish to take his bait in that tiny pool.

Plain and simple, the moral lesson is just about patience. But despite the simplicity of the lesson that it wants to convey, the entirety of the story is exceptionally good.

I had never heard of this book until they stopped publishing it for apparent racist imagery. I was naturally curious. What could Dr. Seuss have written over 70 years that our panties are in a bunch in 2021? Well the word Eskimo is used. Not that bad when you consider some of the stuff written in adult books. I understand that is offensive by today’s standards but I don’t think that is so bad to stop publishing the book. The book was published in 1947 and things were different then. It could be used to teach kids about how our language has changed.
I thought it was a nice story, not my favorite Seuss. I don’t think that there is anything wrong with this book. I would read to my kids or to a classroom of kids. It’s just a fun story. But if the word Eskimo bothers you then don’t read it.