Newly Found Dr. Seuss Manuscripts to be Published by Random House

Following the recent discovery of an original manuscript and sketches by beloved children’s author Dr. Seuss, a new book by the late author will be published in July and at least two other titles are planned, publisher Random House announced Wednesday.

“What Pet Should I Get?” will be published on July 28, nearly 24 years after the author’s death. It will be the 46th book by the man whose publications have sold more than 650 million copies worldwide and appealed to generations.

His books have featured imaginative illustrations of fantasy characters and employed engaging rhyme. According to Random House, the new title will focus on a child's excitement over selecting a pet, and will feature the brother and sister characters introduced in Seuss’ “One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish.”

Among the most famous titles written and illustrated by Theodor Seuss Geisel, whose books were published under the pseudonym Dr. Seuss, are “The Cat in the Hat,” “Green Eggs and Ham,” “Horton Hears a Who!” and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!”

Several of the books have been adapted into films, including “Horton Hears a Who!”, “The Lorax” and “The Cat in the Hat.”

His final book before his death, “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!”, was published in 1990. He died in Sept. 24, 1991, at the age of 87.

From "What Pet Should I Get?"

A box filled with pages of text and sketches was found shortly after Geisel’s death when his widow, Audrey Geisel, was remodeling her home, according to Random House. The box was set aside and rediscovered in 2013 by Geisel and Claudia Prescott, Geisel’s longtime secretary and friend, the publisher said.

The text and illustrations for “What Pet Should I Get?” were found nearly complete.

Geisel’s widow called the discovery “undeniably special” but not surprising.

“Ted always worked on multiple projects and started new things all the time -- he was constantly drawing and coming up with ideas for new stories."

More ‘Lost’ Stories From Dr. Seuss

Ted Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, filled his books with fun and happiness, but as a new collection of his early, little-known magazine stories demonstrates, there was method to his madness, reason to his rhyming.

Alison Flood tells that In the 1950s, in stories published in Redbook and other magazines, Geisel started experimenting. He moved away from a mostly prose style and launched the wildly inventive wordplay that would become his trademark.

Four examples are collected in a new book, “Horton and the Kwuggerbug and More Lost Stories,” which have just been published..

“His intention was to craft stories that would make kids want to learn to read what they had heard, and in so doing, he ended up revolutionizing the way reading is taught to children,” said Charles Cohen, a Massachusetts Seuss scholar who wrote the book’s introduction.

By 1957, Geisel had perfected the technique with “The Cat in the Hat,” and three years later added “Green Eggs and Ham,” still two of the best selling and most influential children’s books of all time. His experimenting in magazines was pretty much over.

Geisel died in 1991 at age 87, but his catalog — more than 40 books in all — remains as popular as ever, with some 600 million copies sold over the years in 17 languages and 95 countries. “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” is a perennial holiday season favorite, and “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” a staple at graduation time.

The new book features familiar characters. There’s Horton, the elephant, and Marco, the boy from Seuss’ first book, “And to Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street.” And there’s a Grinch, who cons a Hoobub into believing that a piece of green string is more valuable than the sun.

“It’s like finding a lost one-act play by Shakespeare, or occasional verse by Walt Whitman,” said Philip Nel, director of the children’s literature program at Kansas State University and the author of two books about Seuss. “Even minor works of major artists tell us something about their unique genius.”

HOW THEY SURFACED

This is the second book of forgotten Seuss, and probably the last. Cohen, the driving force behind the projects, said copyright issues will keep the few remaining early tales from being republished..

The first collection, “The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories,” came out in 2011 and was a New York Times best-seller.

Cohen makes his living as a dentist, but he’s also an avid collector and researcher — baseball cards, bourbon — who got interested in Geisel after the author died 23 years ago this month. Cohen lives about 20 miles from where Geisel grew up in Massachusetts.

The new collection of stories is available through  Random House. 

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

Who in the world doesn't know Dr. Seuss?  He had much to recommend him.  Born Theodor Seuss Geisel on March 2, 1904, he was an American poet, writer and cartoonist.   He  published 46 children's books.

Read Across America was created by the National Education Association to celebrate the birthday of Dr. Seuss, and this year it will be held on March 2, 2013.  

Libraries, book stores all across the United States will hold celebrations by reading his books, holding book talks and giving opportunities to buy them.

At the time of his death on September 24, 1991, Ted had written and illustrated 44 children's books, including such all-time favorites as Green Eggs and Ham, Oh, the Places You'll Go, Fox in Socks, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. His books had been translated into more than 15 languages. Over 200 million copies had found their way into homes and hearts around the world.

Besides the books, his works have provided the source for eleven children's television specials, a Broadway musical and a feature-length motion picture. Other major motion pictures are on the way.  His honors included two Academy awards, two Emmy awards, a Peabody Award and the Pulitzer Prize.



Most of all, though, Dr. Seuss  is remembered for his magic.  The magic of making kids smile.  The magic of teaching kids to love reading.  The magic of opening kids' minds to creativity.  Thank you Dr. Seuss for all you did and still do for children all over the world.

Oh, and Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins by Dr. Seuss is Seventy-Five Years Old!

I have a soft spot in my heart for this Dr. Seuss classic.  I used to read it to my students when I taught elementary school.  Have a look at what is happening to the book.

According to Publishers Weekly, he was a man of many hats, both literally and figuratively. As Dr. Seuss, the prolific children’s author, he wrote 46 books for children, and as Theodor Seuss Geisel, he was an ad man and political cartoonist who collected hats, hats, and more hats – much like the title character in his 1938 classic, The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins.

In honor of the 75th anniversary of that title, Random House Children’s Books, which has sold 600 million Seuss books in 30 languages and 95 countries, is launching Hats Off to Dr. Seuss!, a yearlong celebration of the good doctor with a focus on some of the issues dear to his heart – children’s literacy and health, and the joy that creativity could bring them.  The commemoration includes several programs in honor of Geisel, who died in 1991 at age 87.

The author had a private collection of hats, said to number in the hundreds.  Geisel began collecting hats in his 20s and was known to wear them – and insist his editors wear them – when in need of inspiration for a word or a character. The star of the show is undoubtedly the tall red-and-white-striped topper sported by the wily feline star of The Cat in the Hat (1957).

In a partnership with Dr. Seuss Enterprises and the Jeff Gordon Children’s Foundation, an organization dedicated to finding a cure for pediatric cancer, Random House will donate Seuss books and Seuss-themed hats to children’s oncology hospitals in the JGCF network.

For its 75th anniversary, The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins has been converted to full color – the first Seuss title to get such a treatment.

 Originally published in black and white with flashes of red for the hats that magically appear on the title character’s head each time he removes one, the new edition, published in January, now features greens, blues, and yellows. 

It should be a fun read in its new colored state.  A renaissance of sorts for a classic.

The Lost Stories of Dr. Seuss Coming Soon!

A “Zinniga-Zanniga," feisty felines and nervous goldfish are all included in seven rarely-seen Dr. Seuss stories and can be found in The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories.  The book will be published this September by Random House.

The stories originally appeared in Redbook Magazine in 1950 and 1951 but never made it to book form.

 They were tracked down by Seuss expert, Charles D. Cohen, who has written an introduction to the book.

The title story involves a sneaky cat, a silly duck
and a bad decision.  “Gustav the Goldfish" is an early, rhymed version of A Fish Out of Water, a book by Helen Palmer, Geisel’s wife.

Readers will also meet “Tadd and Todd,” a band of hungry creatures who follow a boy home in hopes of “Steak for Supper,” and “The Strange Shirt Spot,” the source for the bathtub-ring scene in, The Cat in the Hat Comes Back.

For all you Seuss lovers, here's your chance for more!  The new book will be launched on September 27, 2011.