'The Lorax' is Published

The Lorax has sparked notable controversy.

In 1988, a small school district in California kept the book on a reading list for second graders, though some in the town claimed the book was unfair to the logging industry. Several timber industry groups sponsored the creation of a book called The Truax, offering a logging-friendly perspective to an anthropomorphic tree known as the Guardbark. Just as in The Lorax, the book consists of a disagreement between two people. The logging industry representative states that they have efficiency and re-seeding efforts. The Guardbark, a personification of the environmentalist movement much as the Once-ler is for big business, refuses to listen and lashes out. But in the end, he is convinced on the logger's arguments. (However, this story was also criticized for what were viewed as skewed arguments, particularly a "casual attitude toward endangered species" that answered the Guardbark's concern for them.

The tale of the Lorax was Seuss' environmental fable published in 1971. In it, he speaks out against the destruction of the environment through the Lorax, a sage figure who speaks for the trees, only to watch his habitat destroyed by an unsustainable business. After the plants are killed and the animals leave the barren wasteland behind, the polluting Once-ler realizes the terrible mistake he's made, and urges a young boy to plant the last-ever Truffula seed to restore the beauty of the land.