Dr. Seuss's ABC: An Amazing Alphabet Book

( 52 )

Overview

With Dr. Seuss as your guide, learning the alphabet is as easy as A, B, C.  

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More About This Book

Overview

With Dr. Seuss as your guide, learning the alphabet is as easy as A, B, C.  

Read More Show Less

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780679882817
  • Publisher: Random House Children's Books
  • Publication date: 11/28/1996
  • Series: Bright & Early Board Books(TM) Series
  • Edition description: BOARD
  • Pages: 24
  • Sales rank: 14,439
  • Age range: Up to 2 years
  • Product dimensions: 4.25 (w) x 5.77 (h) x 0.51 (d)

Meet the Author

Dr. Seuss was born Theodor Geisel in Springfield, Massachusetts on March 2, 1904.  After attending Dartmouth College and Oxford University, he began a career in advertising.  His advertising cartoons, featuring Quick, Henry, the Flit!,  appeared in several leading American magazines.  Dr. Seuss's first children's book, And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street, hit the market in 1937, and the world of children's literature was changed forever!  In 1957, Seuss's The Cat in the Hat became the prototype for one of Random House's best- selling series, Beginner Books.  This popular series combined engaging stories with outrageous illustrations and playful sounds to teach basic reading skills.  Brilliant, playful, and always respectful of children, Dr. Seuss charmed his way into the consciousness of four generations of youngsters and parents.  In the process, he helped kids learn to read.

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1984 and three Academy Awards, Seuss was the author and illustrator of 44 children's books, some of which have been made into audiocassettes, animated television specials, and videos for children of all ages.  Even after his death in 1991, Dr. Seuss continues to be the best-selling author of children's books in the world.  

Biography

Now that generations of readers have been reared on The Cat in the Hat and Fox in Socks, it's easy to forget how colorless most children's books were before Dr. Seuss reinvented the genre. When the editorial cartoonist Theodor Seuss Geisel wrote And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street in 1936, the book was turned down by 27 publishers, many of whom said it was "too different." Geisel was about to burn his manuscript when it was rescued and published, under the pen name Dr. Seuss, by a college classmate.

Over the next two decades, Geisel concocted such delightfully loopy tales as The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins and Horton Hears a Who. Most of his books earned excellent reviews, and three received Caldecott Honor Awards. But it was the 1957 publication of The Cat in the Hat that catapulted Geisel to celebrity.

Rudolf Flesch's book Why Johnny Can't Read, along with a related Life magazine article, had recently charged that children's primers were too pallid and bland to inspire an interest in reading. The Cat in the Hat, written with 220 words from a first-grade vocabulary list, "worked like a karate chop on the weary little world of Dick, Jane and Spot," as Ellen Goodman wrote in The Detroit Free Press. With its vivid illustrations, rhyming text and topsy-turvy plot, Geisel's book for beginning readers was anything but bland. It sold nearly a million copies within three years.

Geisel was named president of Beginner Books, a new venture of Random House, where he worked with writers and artists like P.D. Eastman, Michael Frith, Al Perkins, and Roy McKie, some of whom collaborated with him on book projects. For books he wrote but didn't illustrate, Geisel used the pen name Theo LeSieg (LeSieg is Geisel spelled backwards).

As Dr. Seuss, he continued to write bestsellers. Some, like Green Eggs and Ham and the tongue-twisting Fox in Socks, were aimed at beginning readers. Others could be read by older children or read aloud by parents, who were often as captivated as their kids by Geisel's wit and imagination. Geisel's visual style appealed to television and film directors, too: The animator Chuck Jones, who had worked with Geisel on a series of Army training films, brought How the Grinch Stole Christmas! to life as a hugely popular animated TV special in 1966. A live-action movie starring Jim Carrey as the Grinch was released in 2000.

Many Dr. Seuss stories have serious undertones: The Butter Battle Book, for example, parodies the nuclear arms race. But whether he was teaching vocabulary words or values, Geisel never wrote plodding lesson books. All his stories are animated by a lively sense of visual and verbal play. At the time of his death in 1991, his books had sold more than 200 million copies. Bennett Cerf, Geisel's publisher, liked to say that of all the distinguished authors he had worked with, only one was a genius: Dr. Seuss.

Good To Know

The Cat in the Hat was written at the urging of editor William Spaulding, who insisted that a book for first-graders should have no more than 225 words. Later, Bennett Cerf bet Geisel $50 that he couldn't write a book with just 50 words. Geisel won the bet with Green Eggs and Ham, though to his recollection, Cerf never paid him the $50.

Geisel faced another challenge in 1974, when his friend Art Buchwald dared him to write a political book. Geisel picked up a copy of Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now! and a pen, crossed out each mention of the name "Marvin K. Mooney," and replaced it with "Richard M. Nixon." Buchwald reprinted the results in his syndicated column. Nine days later, President Nixon announced his resignation.

The American Heritage Dictionary says the word "nerd" first appeared in print in the Dr. Seuss book If I Ran the Zoo: "And then, just to show them, I'll sail to Ka-Troo / And bring back an It-Kutch a Preep and a Proo / A Nerkle a Nerd and a Seersucker, too!" The word "grinch," after the title character in How the Grinch Stole Christmas, is defined in Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary as a killjoy or spoilsport.

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    1. Also Known As:
      Theodor Seuss Geisel (full name); also: Theo LeSieg, Rosetta Stone
    1. Date of Birth:
      March 2, 1904
    2. Place of Birth:
      Springfield, Massachusetts
    1. Date of Death:
      September 4, 1991
    2. Place of Death:
      La Jolla, California

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4
( 52 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(31)

4 Star

(10)

3 Star

(5)

2 Star

(2)

1 Star

(4)

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See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 52 Customer Reviews

  • Anonymous

    Posted April 3, 2005

    Not the Same

    I am very unsatisfied by this board book. My 11 month old loves the original ABC book and the original Foot Book. Now that he is at the stage of turning pages I thought the board books would be nice...but the words are not the same. I dont like the thought of changing a story he has heard since birth. I bought a 4 pack thinking they would be like his original books. Nothing on the outside cover told me they had been shortened or changed...'trick feet, sick feet' is now 'well feet, sick feet'. It does not even rhyme!

    4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted December 12, 2006

    what begins with the letter...

    My 19 month grandson loves this book. Although he loves all books in general, this book is very special. Instead of a toy it's the first thing he looks for each morning while he waiting for his breakfast. This book has been very helpful with learning the sound of each letter as well as recognizing and match letters with certain pictures and words.

    3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted August 26, 2011

    How can you change a classic??

    I got this book for my 16 month son last night. I started reading it to him and noticed that it isnt the same as the book I know and have loved since I was very little. I dont believe that any of the words should have been changed. I will not be reading this copy to him anymore. Thank goodness I still have my copy from when I was little.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted May 12, 2010

    I Also Recommend:

    BooBoo
    Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
    Gossie and Friends Board Book Set
    The Very Hungry Caterpillar: board book & CD
    Ollie the Stomper

    Wonderful!

    I got this book when my son was 4 months old. At first it was a bit lengthy to read the whole thing to him- he would get angry around "Big N, little n..." but now he absolutely loves it! I wouldn't recommend it as a bed time story though because of how long it is but it is a wonderful way to learn the alphabet, learn "big" and "little" letters, and to learn a variety of unique words. My son is nearly 8 months old and he loves this book. I'm not sure how long the book will last though- sometimes we read it after a meal (or he decides the book IS a meal) and it gets pretty messy and when I clean it some of the color rubs off... but that is to be expected and I would have no problem buying this book again and again!

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted May 16, 2009

    Love this book!

    I remember this from my childhood, I only wish that they had made the boardbook like the original: the format is small and they have a lot of pages with 2 letters to one page.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted February 26, 2013

    I like the ABC Book by Dr. Seuss. This book is about the

    I like the ABC Book by Dr. Seuss. This book is about the abc's. It tells you letters and what begins with the letter. It is fun and it rhymes. My aunt can buy it so my baby cousin can learn the abc's.

    by HM (first grade)

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  • Posted October 5, 2012

    A classic!

    I bought this book for my grandson's first birthday. A great addition to establish any children's personal library.

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  • Posted January 26, 2012

    more from this reviewer

    Review

    No story here but plenty of Dr. Seuss' classic children's poetry.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted April 25, 2010

    Good ABC Book

    I had a good time reading it to her. There were good examples of the letters so they can learn ABCs.

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  • Posted April 20, 2010

    Better than Green Eggs and Ham

    At least with this book I can console myself that there are only 26 letters. It's long, but there is an end in sight. My son loves this. My main complaint, other than length, is the use of imaginary words. I would prefer using real words to boost his vocabulary.

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  • Posted April 9, 2010

    Great ABC book

    We love Suess at our house so maybe we are a little bias but this is the best ABC book I have found. The rhymes and the rhythm to the book are great.

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  • Posted March 30, 2010

    more from this reviewer

    A Classic for Children

    This book truly is a classic for young children especially those just learning their ABC's. Dr. Seuss gives beginning readers a chance to learn and grow all while hearing a wonderful, silly story. The pages are colorful and engaging and a joy to read and share with your favorite little one. I bought this for my 5 year old nephew for his dad to read to him and they both love it. It allows for quality time while being a great educational tool. My nephew can be heard reciting his ABC's Dr. Seuss style while playing in the yard with other toys. I would recommend this book both for gift giving and for basic educational uses.

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  • Posted March 20, 2010

    great learning..

    great book... get it.. perfect for small hands...

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  • Posted March 13, 2010

    more from this reviewer

    Serious Silliness

    Rhyming and learning letters and ABC's with Dr Seuss unique characters. A new favorite for my 2 1/2 yr old grandson.

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  • Posted February 20, 2010

    An Acquired Taste

    I love Dr. Seuss in all its forms; however, my granddaughter is probably too young to fully appreciate it even though it is in board book form. I keep coming back to it, hoping that within a few months, she'll discover it.

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  • Posted October 19, 2009

    This is an altered & abrided version of the original & is very disappointing

    This version is not as much fun to the adults who are familiar with the original. Unsuspecting readers will like it.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted April 21, 2009

    I Also Recommend:

    Hop on Pop
    Hop on Pop

    Childrens classic

    This book has stood the test of time. After 30 years of reading it, it keeps its appeal. There was a time my husband and I could recite the book by heart. Our family has loved it.

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  • Posted April 20, 2009

    Dr. Seuss's ABC

    Each year our family celebrates the birthday of Theodore Geisel, lovingly known to millions as Dr. Seuss. In addition to a birthday cake for our family we present someone in the education field with a special Dr. Seuss gift and a card inwhich they also have the opportunity to celebrate. We call this, 'their second birthday. They get younger and everything sweet you eat has no calories'.
    This year our gift went to the Vice Principal of the grade school my son attended as a child. Next year she will be the Principal of a new school.
    She enjoyed the gift, especially the 'no calories' part and loved reading it to the younger grades.
    Dr. Seuss is great for the kid in all of us.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted February 23, 2009

    Great Book!

    I love Dr Seuss books. I have an 8 year old that enjoyed them when he was young and now my 2 year old loves them, as well. Before, he wasn't interested in taking the time to sit and read a book, but with these, he keeps bringing them to me to reread to him. Great purchase!

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  • Posted February 17, 2009

    A Must Have!

    This is a must have for a child's library. Because of the small size, I bought it to keep in the diaper bag and it has become a favorite which keeps disappearing from the bag at home. All of my granddaughters love to look at the pictures and the one reader still loves to look at it with the little ones.

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