Ketika semua orang berhenti mengabjad di huruf Z, tidak demikian dengan karakter di dalam buku ini. Karena justru setelah huruf Z lah mengabjad dimulai!Diawali dengan huruf YUZZ untuk mengeja Yuzz-a-ma-Tuzz, dilanjutkan dengan WUM untuk mengeja Wumbus, sejenis paus yang tinggal di atas bukit dan tidak pernah turun kecuali saat harus mengisi ulang air untuk disemprotkan di atas kepalanya.Setelah itu ada UM yang digunakan untuk mengeja Umbus, sejenis sapi dengan satu kepala dan satu ekor, namun badannya panjang, dan memiliki 98 hingga 99 puting susu sehingga untuk memerahnya memerlukan banyak ember. Lalu ada HUMPF. Untuk apa huruf itu? Ternyata digunakan untuk mengeja Humpf-Humpf-a-Dumpfer. Dan masih banyak lagi huruf-huruf unik yang diciptakan Dr. Seuss dengan imajinasi tingkat tingginya. Diiringi ilustrasi khas Dr. Seuss, buku ini akan membawa pembaca jauh melampaui huruf Z, dan melatih keahlian mengeja. Setiap huruf digambarkan dengan ilustrasi yang unik dan diberikan pengertian dari kata yang menggunakan huruf tersebut, seperti huruf ITCH untuk Itch-a-pods, sejenis hewan yang selalu berlarian kesana-kemari. Asli ini kocak banget penjelasannya, saya copas yaa:The ITCH is for Itch-a-pods, animals which race around back and forth, forth and back, through the air on a very high sidewalk between HERE and THERE. They're afraid to stay THERE. They're afraid to stay HERE. They think THERE is too far. They think HERE is too NEAR. And since HERE is too NEAR and out THERE is too FAR, they are too scared to roost where-so-ever they are.Di bagian akhir buku, Dr. Seuss menuliskan 19 huruf beserta cara membacanya dan kegunaannya dalam kata. Saya harus mengakui bahwa imajinasi Dr. Seuss memang tiada tandingannya. Kecuali mungkin Roald Dahl yaaa... Mereka adalah contoh penulis yang tidak membiarkan hal yang kasat mata menghambat dalam berkarya. Imajinasi mereka yang tinggi dan luar biasa berhasil menelurkan banyak karya hebat yang diakui semua kalangan.Terakhir, buku On Beyond Zebra ini sangat direkomendasikan bagi pembaca yang siap untuk bertualang ke dunia huruf setelah Z.
When I think on the reasons why the works of Dr. Seuss have retained their freshness and relevance in the world of literature for so long, one of the foremost explanations that I come back to time and again is the unique energy with which their writing is infused. Every line, every page, every book is filled with a rare kind of zany energy that one doesn't often find in picture books of today, let alone in ones from the middle of the twentieth century. Dr. Seuss never strayed from the foundational mindset that occasional pointless silliness really is okay, or the belief that big ideas could make their way into our thinking through hysterical laughter as well as tears. While most of On Beyond Zebra! is steeped in playfully absurd comedy, the underlying theme being addressed is that we live in a world where some of the greatest discoveries happen simply because someone is out looking to make them, someone who was never willing to accept the status quo ideas that the solar system is geocentric, or that atoms are the smallest units of matter, or perhaps, even, that the alphabet ends with "Z". Because of the best and the brightest among us who have looked beyond normally accepted beliefs to see that the truth may yet lie beyond the next horizon, our collective ideas about everything we can know have continued to expand, and so has our understanding about ourselves and the universe around us. If we as individuals will adopt an attitude of ceaseless questioning and progression in regard to the world we encounter every day, then we can be counted as one of "the best and the brightest", as well. On Beyond Zebra! is one of those unusual books that holds tremendous possible appeal for almost any group of readers imaginable; of course, Dr. Seuss was the king of producing such books, which is another major reason why his works are significant enough to be called timeless. I would rate On Beyond Zebra! somewhere in the one-and-a-half to two-star range.
What do You think about On Beyond Zebra! (1955)?
In a multiverse of interpretations, here is another one. Opens with two mutants: Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell, a kid with a comb-over, and the narrator, some weirdo who has a fascination for buttocks. On panel one, Weirdo touches his buttocks while some mangy mutt that snuck into the classroom looks on. In panel two we learn that Conrad is a know-it-all while Weirdo leans in for a good look at the zebra's buttocks. (view spoiler)[On panel three we observe that Weirdo is part owl and capable of impossible head turning contortions. Weirdo claims his alphabet starts where Conrad's ends. This conceit on Dr. Seuss's part doesn't fool anyone. Panel four shows some inappropriate buttocks touching as Weirdo tries to feed Conrad to the Yuzz-a-ma-Tuzz. Apparently Geisel also favors his own capitalization scheme.We are treated to a series of improbable monsters, nonexistent letters, and more touching. This book has a cumbersome rhyme scheme and a difficult point of view. I noticed a parallel between this and the Cat in the Hat: one named character, and one unnamed.Did the Humpf-Humpf-a-Dumper inspire E.T. the Extra-terrestrial? As usual, I am left with more questions than answers, when I have gone Beyond Z. (hide spoiler)]
—Jay
On Beyond Zebra by Dr. Seuss is a book I somehow missed in my own childhood. I have memories of reading through stacks and stacks of Seuss books but somehow this one wasn't among them. I first heard of it through my son who read it at his school library. He has been raving about it since he read it and I finally found a copy at our local library so I could read it.On Beyond Zebra is a playful book that takes a look at our alphabet and proposes twenty-one extra letters with explanations of how they are needed. Although it might have been a typesetting nightmare for 1955, I would have liked to see Seuss's words spelled with the new letters. If I were still a child, I can see myself writing coded messages in Seuss's alphabet.For Sean I can see why this book speaks to him more than almost any other Seuss book. He has just spent a year learning not only how to read in English but how to read and speak Chinese using the bopomofo and traditional characters. So from his point of view, that's two extra alphabets.
—Sarah Sammis
Dr. Seuss will always be a classic and always a first choice for parents. His books range from better than most to amazing. Although this may not be his best work, its definitely stands up to other books we got at the library. What I like about On Beyond Zebra! is the heat of what Seuss does: he creates new words and new creatures. My son and I laughed at the names and descriptions of these taxidermy nightmares anxiously flipping to the next page to find out what will be next. Creating a new alphabet is quite the challenge, and he did a nice job making us laugh generations after this book was written.
—Danno
