Oh, the Places You'll Go!

( 180 )

Overview

Dr. Seuss's wonderfully wise graduation speech is the perfect send-off for children starting out in the world, be they nursery, high school, or college grads! With his trademark use of humorous verse and illustrations, Dr. Seuss addresses the the ups and downs life presents while encouraging readers to find the success that lies within them all.

"Don't be fooled by the title of this seriocomic ode to success; it's not 'Climb Every Mountain,' kid version. All journeys face perils, whether from indecision, from ...

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More About This Book

Overview

Dr. Seuss's wonderfully wise graduation speech is the perfect send-off for children starting out in the world, be they nursery, high school, or college grads! With his trademark use of humorous verse and illustrations, Dr. Seuss addresses the the ups and downs life presents while encouraging readers to find the success that lies within them all.

"Don't be fooled by the title of this seriocomic ode to success; it's not 'Climb Every Mountain,' kid version. All journeys face perils, whether from indecision, from loneliness, or worst of all, from too much waiting. Seuss' familiar pajama-clad hero is up to the challenge, and his odyssey is captured vividly in busy two-page spreads evoking both the good times (grinning purple elephants, floating golden castles) and the bad (deep blue wells of confusion). Seuss' message is simple but never sappy: life may be a 'Great Balancing Act,' but through it all 'There's fun to be done.'"—(starred) Booklist.

Also available: Oh, the Places You’ll Go Pop-up in a deluxe limited edition.

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Editorial Reviews

From Barnes & Noble
"Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places. You're off and away!" And so begins Dr. Seuss' zestful 1990 classic Oh, The Places You'll Go! for "out-starting upstarts of all ages." The last book penned by Theodor Geisel (1904-1991) maintains the quirky joyous modulated optimism that we associate with this legendary children's book author. An excellent reading adventure for anyone with brains in their head and feet in their shoes.
From the Publisher
Gift guide, The New York Times, June 21, 2008:
"One book that has proved to be popular for graduates of all ages since it was first published in 1990."
Children's Literature - Phyllis Kennemer
Celebrating the wisdom of the beloved Dr. Seuss, this 20th anniversary edition of the book first published one year before his death at age eighty-seven reminds readers that life has challenges, but they are not insurmountable. Best of all, life also has joys. Whereas most of Seuss's books are primarily cherished by young children, this one has become a modern classic and remained a bestseller because of its appeal to older audiences. Although some youngsters have been given the book as they complete kindergarten, it is also popular as a graduation gift for students of all ages as they complete high school, college, or university degrees. And the book is commonly given to new retirees as they venture into their new life experiences. We can all identify with Seuss's "Everyman" with brains in his head and feet in his shoes as he decides which direction to choose. Seuss's signature zany illustrations in pastel colors remind us of some of life's absurd situations, but we know in the end, we will succeed (98 and ? percent guaranteed). Reviewer: Phyllis Kennemer, Ph.D.
School Library Journal
The master of enjoyable didacticism offers a flight of fancy into the future of a generic "you'' who is venturing out into the world, where he will have ups and downs but will succeed and finally "MOVE MOUNTAINS!'' While doting relatives will find this extended greeting card an ideal gift for nursery school graduates, the story will have less appeal for children than Seuss' story books and easy readers. Seuss' characteristic drawings carry and extend the text through mazelike streets, over colorful checkerboard landscapes, into muddy blue "slumps,'' through heady highs when fame results from success at the game of life, and through dark, lonely confrontations with graveyard-like fears in times of solitude. While the text gives a strong message of self-determination and potential, the small, male "you'' pictured seems more of a passive passenger on his journey through life, reacting to things as they come and walking along with his eyes shut on both the first and last pages of the text. Although this does not rank among the best of Seuss' books, its stress on self-esteem and imaginative artwork make it a good addition to picture-book collections.
— Louise L. Sherman, Anna C. Scott School, Leonia, NJ
Denver Post
A joyful song to life.
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780679805274
  • Publisher: Random House Children's Books
  • Publication date: 1/28/1990
  • Series: Classic Seuss Series
  • Pages: 56
  • Sales rank: 53
  • Age range: 3 - 8 Years
  • Product dimensions: 8.51 (w) x 11.33 (h) x 0.38 (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 5
( 180 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(158)

4 Star

(14)

3 Star

(2)

2 Star

(3)

1 Star

(3)

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See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 180 Customer Reviews

  • Anonymous

    Posted May 10, 2010

    The Places You'll Go

    Dr. Seuss, "The Places You'll Go" is a really great book. It has been around since I was a kid. I think everyone should read the book from the ages 2-to-120.

    6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted April 5, 2012

    I Also Recommend:

    Born To Spy

    That was great!!!!!!! loved it!

    That was great!!!!!!! loved it!

    4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted May 26, 2010

    I Also Recommend:

    Dr. Seuss's Beginner Book Collection
    Green Eggs and Ham
    One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish
    The Foot Book: Dr. Seuss's Wacky Book of Opposites
    Are You My Mother?

    Depends on the Graduate

    This book is a great gift for some graduates.

    The one who will be receiving it from me has lead a somewhat bumpy and hard life so far. he has fallen off of the tracks a few times and lost he way. With some recent help, he has found his way back into the race of life and is actually graduating a year early from HS.

    My graduate takes gifts like these to heart and I know he will remember this one for years to come. Dr. Suess's words in this book are so inspiring for a boy like him. The Dr says it perfectly when he writes "You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care. About some you will say, 'I don't choose to go there.' With your head full of brains and your shoes fun of feet, you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street."

    These words touch home with this boy. His life has been full of choices, some that were not good ones. Now he has the knowledge and the brains to stear clear of these places and watch what he does and where he chooses to go. He has the knowledge to CHOOSE right and has the knowledge of what he should do.

    I know for a fact that if I got a dictionary or something of that sort, it would be used even less than a book like this. I know, because I got one and it is still sitting on my bookshelf and hasn't been opened since the day I got it.

    Students these days use the computer for everything they need, like looking up words in a electronic dictionary. It is so much easier and so much faster.

    All I am trying to say is: when looking at something, please look at all sides of the situation. What might be worthless to some, is the best gift others could get.

    The first thing that I felt when reading your review was that I spent weeks thinking of a really great gift for my graduate and that getting this was like getting him garbage; just something that he can throw away. When, in reality, it might be something that he keeps forever.

    4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted May 16, 2010

    The Best of Seuss

    This book is an amazingly pertinent read for all age levels - the message is timeless and ageless. It's funny, absorbing, and inspirational. The illustrations are eye-catching and colorful which children will appreciate. Reading and re-reading this to young children will show them your love, help develop their confidence, and inspire them. Though a child's book, it also makes an excellent 6th or 8th grade promotion gift or graduation gift from High School, College, or University, as it puts words to the feelings of love and confidence you have in the graduate. Or, read it for yourself for a shot of encouragement!

    4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted May 24, 2001

    Clever Idea

    I am a mother of a 3yr old daughter, who attends day care. It was brought to my attention that another mother is having her child's teachers sign a copy of Dr Suess, Oh the Places You'll Go! She intends to do this until her child graduates college w/o letting her child know it's being done. Then she is going to present it to the child upon graduation. I love this idea and the book and I am going to do it and maybe other parents may do it now too!

    3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted May 9, 2010

    This book is really funny!

    I bought two of these books to give to my daughter and her best friend for high school graduation. They loved their Dr. Seuss books when they were kids and they are going to love this one!

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted March 17, 2009

    Newly relevant!

    In today's economy, this book has a whole new life. Although written for the new graduate finding his/her way into the world, I turned to it when I lost my job and had to face the challenges and fears of finding a new career in my 50s. "And when you're in a Slump,/you're not in for much fun./Un-slumping yourself/is not easily done." I've just sent a copy to my sister who's will also enjoy this encouraging story from the master tell himself.

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted July 16, 2011

    A Twist on the Graduation Gift

    Someone suggested I do this for my daughter and it's exactly what I intend to do: buy the book and have significant people in their lives write a personal note in the book. Then give the book to the graduate filled with encouragement from school teachers, Sunday school teachers, coaches, family members. It becomes so much more than a book - it's personal and inspirational. Love this idea and hope others will too. My daughter is 4 now and I plan on having her teachers from 3K and 4K start it off.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted May 24, 2010

    more from this reviewer

    I Also Recommend:

    Still Life with Woodpecker
    The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language
    Webster's New World Dictionary and Thesaurus
    The Elements of Resume Style: Essential Rules and Eye-Opening Advice for Writing Resumes and Cover Letters That Work
    Even Cowgirls Get the Blues

    One of the best Dr. Seuss Books ever.... but NOT for a graduate......

    I personally love this book its a fun thought provoking book---Dr. Suess has a wonderful way of making life magical. I know that this is a favorite gift to give to the newly graduated-(high school, collage) I don't entirely agree with that.... I DONT think it makes a good graduation gift, and I love this book- I can quote this book, but a new grad needs a dictionary, a collection of the classics, a book on how to create a resume. when given to a grad theis book is going to be read once perhaps twice and put away- its a 'novelty gift' when it shouldnt be a 'novelty gift', this book is better than that, give this book to a three year old and read it often- thats when the message sticks and really sinks in. (this was the last book published before he died)


    "The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go."
    - Dr. Seuss (Oh, the Places You'll Go!)

    1 out of 9 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted May 9, 2010

    Excellent book for kids!

    Bought this for my 3 yr. old girl & intend to read it to her as often as possible. This book teaches life's lessons in a very entertaining fashion.
    Also bought it for my 5 nieces & nephews!

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted May 6, 2010

    Great graduation gift

    Even though my son graduated from HS a few years ago, he wanted this book,as his English teacher read it to his senior class. He said the story fit very well for graduation and young people getting out on their own. I gave it to him for his birthday and he was very pleased with it.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted May 22, 2001

    Can be read over and over and over again!

    I am the mother of a four year old. This book may have some deeper concepts that are beyond her but she understands that the boy in the book keeps trying no matter what life brings him and strives to be the very best that he can be. I love the book, and I believe that because of my love for the book, my enthusiasm when reading it transfers to my daughter. She likes to point at the pictures and show me what she sees. The pictures inspire her imagination and the rhymes are so catchy she can remember them and recite them to me! I will never get tired of this book. I think my daughter will continue to appreciate this book and it's message all of her life and share with her children.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted February 27, 2001

    Must Read For Graduating Seniors

    One of Dr. Seuss' best. A great way for upper level student to remember the joy of Seuss and to hear a positive message of life. That it does not matter what you do, but that you beleive in yourself and work hard.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted June 10, 2000

    Graduation Speech

    My son just graduated high school and he was the Salutatorian of his class. He used 'Oh, The Places You'll Go' for his valediction. He used excerpts, of course, but it was wonderful and everyone from students, teachers,parents and grandparents loved it! His paternal grandmother gave him the hardback edition for one of his graduation gifts, which will be a keepsake for him!

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 21, 2000

    must read

    This is a wonderful book about life, and for any age of reader. I received it as a highschool graduation gift from a friend and as I read through it, it brought tears to my eyes because it has a REAL impact, (for being classified as a childrens book.)The words were very inspiring to me. I would recommend it to anyone from ages 3 to 99.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted January 11, 2013

    more from this reviewer

    Oh, The Places You Will Go is a recipient of the prestigious Mom

    Oh, The Places You Will Go is a recipient of the prestigious Mom's Choice Award. The Mom’s Choice Awards honors excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. An esteemed panel of judges includes education, media and other experts as well as parents, children, librarians, performing artists, producers, medical and business professionals, authors, scientists and others. A sampling of the panel members includes: Dr. Twila C. Liggett, ten-time Emmy-winner, professor and founder of PBS’s Reading Rainbow; Julie Aigner-Clark, Creator of Baby Einstein and The Safe Side Project; Jodee Blanco, New York Times best-selling Author and; LeAnn Thieman, motivational speaker and coauthor of seven Chicken Soup For The Soul books. Parents and educators look for the Mom’s Choice Awards seal in selecting quality materials and products for children and families.

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  • Posted November 15, 2012

    This book has had an influence on me from early childhood to my

    This book has had an influence on me from early childhood to my life today as a college student. The vibrant illustrations intrigued my interest and held my attention in early years and the lyrical verses that motivate the reader to take control of their tomorrow impacts me so much currently today. The fact that it appeals to several demographics, making it relevant to several, evokes a true writer.

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  • Posted November 5, 2012

    more from this reviewer

    Highly Recommended for all Ages

    I enjoy all Dr. Suess's books. The all have a message and this one is no exception. If you are having a rough time, pick up this book and see what you get out of it.

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  • Posted September 14, 2012

    more from this reviewer

    Great for starting the new school year!

    Dr. Seuss is always a great way to start any new adventure, all ages will enjoy.

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  • Posted August 25, 2011

    Highly Recommended

    Dr. Sesus Oh, The Places You'll Go, shows and gives children multiple ideas about all the different places they can go. Not all are good, but not all are bad either. It shows the reader that even when you are at your lowest, there are always other places you can go explore. It gives the reader an idea of what you can expect wherever you are, what you might want or not want to do. It encourages the reader and produces excitement, with its choice of perspective, rhyming, constructive drawings and coloring. Overall, this is a good book, I recommend it to children 8 or under.

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