Horton surmises that a small person lives on the speck and places it on a clover, vowing to protect it. The book tells the story of Horton the Elephant, who, while splashing in a pool, hears a small speck of dust talking to him.

He dedicated the book to a Japanese friend. Geisel strived to relay the message that the Japanese should be valued equally, especially in a stressful post-war era. His comparison of the Whos and the Japanese was a way for him to express his willingness for companionship. Geisel, who had harbored strong anti-Japan sentiments before and during World War II, changed his views dramatically after the war and used this book as an allegory for the American post-war occupation of the country. The book's main theme, 'a person's a person no matter how small', was Geisel's reaction to his visit to Japan, where the importance of the individual was an exciting new concept.

The Whos would later reappear in How the Grinch Stole Christmas!. It is his second book to feature Horton the Elephant with the first being Horton Hatches the Egg. Geisel began work on Horton Hears a Who! in the fall of 1953. The book has been adapted as a 1970 television special and a 2008 animated film, and much of its plot was incorporated into the Broadway musical production Seussical. Horton Hears a Who! has been well-received in libraries, schools, and homes across the world. Seuss conveys to his audience. Horton endures harassment to care for and ensure the safety of the Whos, who represent the insignificant. 'A person's a person, no matter how small' is the most popular line from Horton Hears a Who! and also serves as the major moral theme that Dr. These animals attempt to steal and burn the speck of dust, so Horton goes to great lengths to save Whoville from being incinerated. This book tells the story of Horton the Elephant and his adventures saving Whoville, a tiny planet located on a small speck of dust, from the evil animals who mock him. It was published in 1954 by Random House. Horton Hears a Who! is a children's book written and illustrated by Theodor Seuss Geisel under the pen name Dr. Horton Hatches the Egg (plot and characters)

Horton hears a who