Viva la revolución! Seuss's rebellion may be a little more playful and fun than, say, Che Guevara or the "clenched fist," but it's a rebellion all the same. If I Ran the Zoo, like many of Seuss's works, is a rebellion against the drudgery and all-around meh of the real.
Have you ever had someone tell you you couldn't do something or that something you thought up could never happen in the "real" world? Probably that snooty kid who lived up the street? Then make If I Ran the Zoo your rally cry against such rules and order, and lead the creative charge. Best part: The rebellion is not so much guns and swords as it is pen and paper and thought, which, if nothing else, is far, far cheaper.
Questions and Answers
Q: But aren't zoos the way they should be? Why change them?
A: Zoos might be fine the way they are, but if we don't imagine ways to make them better, they won't ever improve. And everything can improve with a little hard work and imagination.
Q: But McGrew only imagined his zoo. It wasn't real, so why did it matter?
A: McGrew may not have changed reality, but he certainly changed it in his imagination. I'm willing to bet the imaginings changed McGrew if not the world itself.
Q: Does this mean I can rebel against doing the dishes?
A: In your imagination, sure thing. In the real world, not so much.