July 27, 2015
This early Dr. Seuss work, which was found after his death in 1991 and re-discovered in 2013, stars the brother and sister from One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish. An extensive, informative afterword from the publisher says that Seuss often recycled story elements, and this book may have led to One Fish. Here, the narrator and his sister, Kay, have a real-world problem. They're at a pet store, and their father says they can take home only one animal: "The cat?/ Or the dog?/ The kitten?/ The pup?/ Oh, boy!/ It is something/ to make a mind up." Their imaginations soon wander in typical Seussian directions: "If we had a big tent,/ then we would be able/ to take home a yent!" (A spread shows the siblings gazing fondly out of the window at a giant, tiger-striped creature crouched under a canopy of cloth and cables.) Seuss's drawings offer plenty of offbeat surrealism (four exasperated beasts bear banners that read Make Up Your Mind), but the book also takes a sympathetic view of childhood indecisionâwith an appropriately indecisive ending. Ages 3â7.
August 1, 2015
Almost 25 years after the death of the great Dr. Seuss, a new book hits the market. "We want a pet. / We want a pet. / What kind of pet / should we get?" So begins the narrator and his sister's visit to a pet store, where they find themselves torn among a bevy of cute, furry creatures including cats, dogs, rabbits, and fish, as well as some "new things." As presented in the lengthy publisher's note that follows the story, this newly unearthed picture book likely dates to the late 1950s or early '60s and has been reconstructed from finished art and multiple iterations of draft revisions. The result is a far more satisfying experience than such other posthumous Seuss publications as Horton and the Kwuggerbug and More Lost Stories (2014) and The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories (2011), which paired more or less finished stories with a few pieces of art. This new-old book presents a complete storyline with a pleasing balance of text and art featuring, on average, one quatrain per page. Unfortunately, it still has a fairly unfinished feel. It's hard to imagine that the notoriously finicky-admirably so-author would have been entirely happy with the occasionally lackluster and stumbling verse. Moreover, while the illustrations demonstrate an intensifying looniness, progressing from cats and dogs to Seuss' trademark, unidentifiable rubber-limbed, mop-topped creatures, the text does not keep pace. The "yent" or the "fast kind of thing / who would fly round my head / in a ring on a string" the brother considers feel like first steps toward zaniness rather than a finished artistic vision. The concluding note likewise suffers from a lack of unity, offering an earnest exhortation to eschew pet shops for shelter adoption, a survey of the dogs in Theodor Geisel's life, and the process art director Cathy Goldsmith followed in turning the newfound manuscript into a book. Of more lasting interest to scholars than children, this genial pet-shop visit provides a tantalizing glimpse into a master's artistic process. (Picture book. 3 & up)
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September 1, 2015
PreS-Gr 2-More than 20 years after Theodor Geisel's death, a newly unearthed Dr. Seuss book hits the shelves. Discovered in 2013 by Geisel's widow and his assistant, the completed manuscript and accompanying sketches were found in a box containing some of the legendary picture book creator's doodles and notes. Written sometime in the late 1950s or early 1960s, the tale very much reflects the culture of its time: two white siblings go to a pet store and struggle to answer the titular question. The children encounter a menagerie of real and fantastically Seussical animals. The pair bound exuberantly through each spread as they debate the merits of each creature. The rhyme scheme bounces along merrily for the most part, with the exception of a verse concerning a "yent" in a "tent," where the pattern shifts awkwardly, though it picks up steam again with the next page turn. While there is no visual adult presence in this book, readers learn that "Dad said we could have one./Dad said he would pay" and that Mother would not like a "thing on a string" that "would bump, bump into the wall!" A repeated spread depicts four potential pets holding up a banner that reads, "MAKE UP YOUR MIND." There's an ambiguous ending, and readers are left to wonder what pet the siblings finally bring home. Though the discovered manuscript included only black-and-white sketches, this finished work features the deep aqua, sunshine yellow, and vibrant red that were hallmarks of Seuss illustrations of the time period. Random House's Cathy Goldsmith, who was the designer and art director for many of Geisel's titles, worked to capture just the right palette; the good doctor would have been pleased. A note from the publisher reveals a bit of the anxiety associated with publishing a text written more than 50 years ago, "when it was common for people to simply buy dogs, cats, and other animals at pet stores. Today animal advocates encourage us to adopt...." Additional back matter includes anecdotes about a young Ted Geisel and his love of dogs, candid photos, and the story behind the discovery of this volume. VERDICT More nostalgia-inducing than groundbreaking, this picture book offers Seuss fans many familiar touchstones: jaunty rhymes, nonsense words, and the signature artwork beloved by generations of new and emerging readers.-Kiera Parrott, School Library Journal
Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
August 1, 2015
Preschool-G Out of a (probably magical) box stashed in his (probably gadget-filled) office comes this posthumous offering from the mighty Mr. Geisel. Sharp-eyed readers will note the brother and sister pet hunting here are the same duo seen in One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish (1960). This story is more plot-driven, with the kids eager to choose a pet, but they must do it by noon and only pick one. At first, the choice looks simple: a dog or a cat, right? But parrots are nice, and so are rabbits. And what about fish? When the children start thinking about a new kind of pet (one with stiltlike legs and a bush of red hair), it seems likely they will leave empty-handed. But the good doctor offers a perfect ending: the children exit with a cardboard box, only the pet's eyes visible. Readers can choose! The amusing, mostly rhyming text doesn't scan as well as Dr. Seuss' best, and the full-color art sometimes feels minimal, but there remain plenty of pleasing moments. An eight-page author's note discusses the story's origins and reminds kids that it's better to rescue a pet than get one at a shop. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: New books by beloved authors, dead or alive, get attention. For adults, the most fascinating aspect will be the author's note: how many decisions need to be made to get a 55-year-old manuscript ready for publication!(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)
November 30, 2015
Dr. Seuss’s fantastic and bemusing tales are perfect for spoken recitation, with their rhyming schemes and rhythmic cadences. In this collection, actor Pierce, best known for his role on the television show Frasier, charmingly narrates the classic One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish; Rainn Wilson, who played Dwight Schrute on the television show The Office, delivers an amusing rendition of the recently discovered and posthumously published What Pet Should I Get? Both skilled actors maintain the right rhythm and emphasis, while providing warm and excited voices for the characters.
An extensive, informative afterword from the publisher provides background information about both stories in the context of Seuss’s career, read by a third, uncredited actor.