Books and characters.

From Green Eggs to Star-Belly Sneetches.

• Published 1938.

  

  The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins

  One boy, one king, and 500 hats.

  Bartholomew Cubbins tips his hat to the king, and a new one pops up in its place. Then another. And another, 500 in all, each grander than the last. Dr. Seuss's 1938 tale about a boy who keeps his cool (while nearly losing his head) begs to be read out loud.

• Published 1939.

  

  The King's Stilts

  Even kings need recess.

  King Birtram runs his kingdom all day and races around on red stilts at night. Then a sour old lord hides them, and everything wobbles. Seuss's 1939 tale is about balance. Do your work, keep your joy. Your kids will root for the pageboy who puts things right.

• Published 1940.

  

  Horton Hatches the Egg

  One egg, one elephant, one very big promise.

  Lazy Mayzie wants a vacation, so Horton the elephant agrees to sit on her egg. He keeps sitting, through rain, snow, and a whole circus of trouble, because he gave his word. Kids soak up the galloping rhymes and a bigger idea. Promises matter. The surprise ending lands every single time.

• Published 1948.

  

  Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose

  Kindness is grand, until the whole forest moves in.

  Thidwick lets one little bug hitch a ride on his antlers. The bug invites a spider, the spider a bird, and soon half the forest has moved in. It's a galloping, giggly rhyme about generosity and its limits, and a gentle way to talk with your kid about saying no.

• Published 1949.

  

  Bartholomew and the Oobleck

  Two small words stop a very sticky storm.

  King Derwin is bored with plain old rain and snow, so he orders his magicians to cook up something new. Down comes oobleck. Green, gooey, and sticking to the whole kingdom. Bartholomew, a plain-spoken page boy, is the one brave enough to ask the king for two small words. "I'm sorry."

• Published 1954.

  

  Horton Hears a Who!

  Horton hears them. Your kid will too.

  Horton the elephant hears a tiny cry coming from a speck of dust, and he won't let it go. The whole jungle thinks he's imagining things. He isn't. Kids gallop through the rhymes and come away with the big lesson tucked inside. Every voice counts, even the very smallest.

• Published 1956.

  

  If I Ran the Circus

  The greatest show behind Sneelock's store.

  Young Morris McGurk stares at the empty lot behind Sneelock's store and sees the Circus McGurkus. A Drum-Tummied Snumm, a Remarkable Foon, a Wily Walloo. It's a big-top daydream about what imagination can build out of nothing, with poor Mr. Sneelock cast in every daring act.

• Published 1958.

  

  Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories

  One small burp topples the turtle king.

  Yertle wants a throne taller than the moon, so he stacks his pond-mates sky-high. Then a plain little turtle named Mack burps, and down comes the king. Three stories about greed, vanity, and bragging, told with the bounce kids love and lessons that stick.

• Published 1959.

  

  Happy Birthday to You!

  One day a year that's all yours.

  The Great Birthday Bird of Katroo throws one kid the party of the century. Parades, cake, and a mountain of maybes. Underneath the confetti sits the quiet lesson kids carry home. There's exactly one you, and that alone is worth celebrating.

• Published 1961.

  

  The Sneetches and Other Stories

  Belly stars come and go. Kindness sticks.

  Some Sneetches have stars on their bellies. Some don't. And somehow that matters, until it doesn't. Four rhyming stories about kindness, stubbornness, and a very spooky pair of pants. Your kid gets the giggles first, then the bigger idea. We're better together, stars or no stars.

• Published 1962.

  

  Dr. Seuss's Sleep Book

  One small yawn, and the whole world nods off.

  A tiny bug named Van Vleck yawns, and the yawn spreads. Soon every creature for miles is drooping, dozing, and counting its way to dreamland. Seuss wrote the gentlest wind-down in the business back in 1962, and it still works. Read it slow, dim the lights, and watch the yawns catch.

• Published 1963.

  

  Dr. Seuss's ABC

  Twenty-six letters, one gloriously silly parade.

  Every letter gets its own little party here. Alligators, camels, ostriches, and the Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz holding down the end of the line. Kids chant the sounds long before anyone says the word phonics. By the tenth read (there will be more), yours will be spotting letters at the grocery store.

• Published 1963.

  

  Hop on Pop

  Hop, pop, stop. Reading starts with a bounce.

  Hop. Pop. Stop. Three letters at a time, Dr. Seuss turns sounds into words and words into a game. Kids bounce from rhyme to rhyme, sounding out pairs like cup and pup, and somewhere in the giggling they start to read. It's the gentlest running start a reader can get.

• Published 1965.

  

  I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew

  The road to trouble-free turns out pretty bumpy.

  One stubbed toe and our hero is done with trouble, so he sets off for Solla Sollew, where trouble supposedly never comes. The road there disagrees. Floods, one-wheeled wagons, one very locked door. It's a funny, big-hearted story about grit, and why facing your troubles beats outrunning them.

• Published 1967.

  

  The Cat in the Hat Songbook

  Nineteen silly songs, one very musical Cat.

  The Cat trades his hat tricks for piano keys in this 1967 collection of 19 sing-along songs. Dr. Seuss wrote the words, composer Eugene Poddany set them to music, and kids get marching tunes, lullabies, and giggles in equal measure. Fair warning, "The Super-Supper March" will get stuck in your head.

• Published 1968.

  

  The Foot Book

  Opposites, one goofy foot at a time.

  Dr. Seuss kicked off his Bright and Early line in 1968 with a parade of feet. Big ones, small ones, fast ones, slow ones. Every pair sneaks in a lesson on opposites, set to a beat so catchy your kid will stomp it across the kitchen floor.

• Published 1969.

  

  I Can Lick 30 Tigers Today! and Other Stories

  Big talk, bigger tigers, and one runaway imagination.

  Three short stories, one swaggering young cat. He struts uphill to lick 30 tigers, then does some quick math on his claim. Add a kingdom of tail-holding cats and a Glunk that won't un-thunk, and you've got a funny little masterclass in big talk and bigger thinking.

• Published 1970.

  

  I Can Draw ItMyself, By Me, Myself

  Dr. Seuss starts the picture. Your kid finishes it.

  Dr. Seuss left these drawings unfinished on purpose. A bird with no feet. A creature missing its nose. Your kid picks up a crayon and completes each one, 18 pictures in all. It's the rare Seuss book where the byline belongs to your child.

• Published 1970.

  

  Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?

  Fair warning, story time is about to get loud.

  Mr. Brown can moo, buzz, and boom like thunder, and your kid gets to copy every one. All that noisy fun is early phonics in disguise. Hearing sounds, matching them to words, and building the ear a new reader needs. Since 1970, the loudest quiet time ever.

• Published 1972.

  

  Marvin K. MooneyWill You Please Go Now!

  So many ways to go. Marvin won't budge.

  Marvin K. Mooney has been asked to leave. First politely, then louder, then by camel, cow, Crunk-Car, and Bumble-Boat. He stays put anyway. Your early reader will love the repetition, the ridiculous rides, and the payoff when Marvin finally goes. Short words, big rhythm, made for reading out loud.

• Published 1973.

  

  Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are?

  The luckiest lesson ever perched on a cactus.

  An old desert sage perches on a cactus and runs through troubles your kid will never have. Shlumpy Borfins, grass that grows back as fast as you mow it, a full-time bee-watcher. By the last page the whole family's counting its luck. First published in 1973, and the gratitude still lands.

• Published 1973.

  

  The Shape of Me and Other Stuff

  Look closely. The whole world is made of shapes.

  Everything in this one casts a shadow. Kids, bugs, bikes, and one very shapely camel, all inked in bold silhouette while Dr. Seuss riffs on the shape of, well, everything. It's a first lesson in really looking. After a read or two, your kid will be spotting shapes in the toast.

• Published 1974.

  

  There's a Wocket in My Pocket!

  There's a rhyme hiding in every room.

  A boy tours his own house and finds it crawling with friendly nonsense. A creature behind the clock, another under the rug, one snoozing on a shelf. Every made-up name is a rhyme your kid can catch, which is sneaky phonics dressed up as a giggle. Bedtime may run long.

• Published 1975.

  

  Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!

  Big thinks for little thinkers.

  Seuss turns "think" into a noun and hands it to your kid. Odd birds, strange waters, a creature or two with unpronounceable names. The words stay simple so beginning readers keep up while their imaginations sprint ahead. Fifty years and counting, it's still the best warm-up an idea ever had.

• Published 1978.

  

  I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!

  Open your eyes. There's a lot to read.

  The Cat in the Hat tries reading with his eyes shut and quickly thinks better of it. This one's a love letter to reading itself. Silly words, wild facts, and the promise that every page takes you somewhere new. A sweet nudge for kids just falling for books.

• Published 1979.

  

  Oh, Say Can You Say?

  Say it fast. Say it twice. Good luck.

  Fair warning, your tongue will trip, and your kid will love watching it happen. Dr. Seuss loaded these pages with tongue twisters that get funnier every time you fumble them. Underneath the giggles, all that repeating and retrying builds real sound-and-word muscle. Best read out loud, together, badly.

• Published 1982.

  

  Hunches in Bunches

  What to do when your hunches gang up.

  Ever watched your kid stall out between six good options? Same. In this 1982 story, a boy gets swarmed by Hunches, big blue mitten-headed characters, each one pointing a different way. He learns to quiet the noise and pick for himself. A funny, useful lesson in making up your mind.

• Published 1984.

  

  The Butter Battle Book

  A great big standoff over buttered bread.

  The Yooks butter their bread on top. The Zooks butter theirs underneath. From that tiny disagreement comes a wall, a standoff, and some gloriously silly contraptions. It's Dr. Seuss at his sharpest, giving kids (and grown-ups) a gentle way to talk about conflict, stubbornness, and seeing the other side.

• Published 1986.

  

  You're Only Old Once!

  The one Seuss wrote for grandma and grandpa.

  Seuss wrote this one at 82, a birthday gift to anyone with a few grey hairs. A patient shuffles into the Golden Years Clinic, where doctors run him through every test, pill, and payment window imaginable. It's the rare picture book grandparents laugh at hardest. Read it together.

• Published 1990.

  

  Oh, the Places You'll Go!

  Every big journey starts with one small reader.

  Dr. Seuss saved his best pep talk for last. The final book he published is one long cheer for the road ahead. Bright places, waiting places, the occasional slump. Kids soak up the bouncy rhymes while quietly learning that wobbles pass, and that brains and feet can carry you anywhere.

• Published 2011.

  

  The Bippolo Seedand Other Lost Stories

  Seven stories hid in magazines for 60 years.

  Back in 1950, Dr. Seuss tucked seven stories into magazines and moved on. A Seuss-loving dentist dug them up 60 years later. Inside were a magic seed, a scheming cat, and a goldfish that grows too big. Bouncy rhymes and sly little lessons, perfect practice for ears learning to love language.

• Published 2015.

  

  What Pet Should I Get?

  A whole pet store, and just one yes.

  A brother and sister walk into a pet store with one job. Pick a pet, just one, before it's time to head home. Found in a box 22 years after Dr. Seuss died, this rhyming charmer gives kids a giggly first lesson in making up their minds.