This book was the first ever published by Dr. Seuss, and appeared in 1937.
Marco is a curious boy with a great imagination. Every day when he arrives home from school, he’s supposed to tell his father all the things he saw as he walked along. However, Dad doesn’t think too much of the way Marco likes to embellish a tale, and tells him to give the straight story.
Today Marco’s having a little bit of a quandary. All he’s seen is a horse and a wagon on Mulberry Street, but that’s so tame. He can’t possibly make such a dull report to his father. But if a zebra was pulling the cart, now, that really would be something to tell.
Or maybe not. Hmmm. What if it was a zebra pulling a chariot? Or a reindeer, pulling a chariot? That’s very exciting.
But, on second thought, you can’t have a reindeer without a sleigh. That’s it! He’ll say he saw a reindeer pulling a sleigh.
No, too common. And it’s not Christmas time. So, what if it were an elephant, carrying a Rajah, pulling a sleigh. Now that’s got some creativity to it.
But a big brass band would be even cooler. Okay, an elephant carrying a Rajah, pulling a cart with a big brass band on it. There we go.
Marco’s imagination is running ahead full tilt, even faster than the elephant and the cart! Before long, he’s envisioned a parade, with confetti, and the mayor himself in attendance, while an airplane swoops down from the sky to add a bit of panache to the whole affair. (The elephant is looking mighty pleased with the whole arrangement, too.) By the time Marco reaches his house, he’s got it all worked out in his head – but when his father asks him what he saw, he loses his nerve. He saw a horse and a wagon on Mulberry Street, and that’s all.
That’s kind of a shame, actually.
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