What Pet Should I Get? (Classic Seuss)

by Dr Seuss (Author)

What Pet Should I Get? (Classic Seuss)
Reading Level: K − 1st Grade
Series: Classic Seuss
A boy wants all of the pets in a pet store but he and his sister can choose only one. End notes discuss Dr. Seuss's pets, his creative process, and the discovery of the manuscript and illustrations for "What Pet Should I Get?"
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Publishers Weekly

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 indecision--with an appropriately indecisive ending. Ages 3-7. (July)

Copyright 2015 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

School Library Journal

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.
Dr Seuss
Dr. Seuss, also known as Theodor Seuss Geisel, is one of the most beloved children's book authors of all time. From The Cat in the Hat to Oh, the Places You'll Go!, his iconic characters, stories, and art style have had a lasting influence on generations of children and adults. The books he wrote and illustrated under the name Dr. Seuss (along with others he wrote but did not illustrate, under the pseudonyms Theo. LeSieg and Rosetta Stone) have been translated into forty-five languages. Hundreds of millions of copies have found their way into homes and hearts around the world. Dr. Seuss's long list of awards includes Caldecott Honors, the Pulitzer Prize, and eight honorary doctorates. Works based on his original stories have won three Oscars, three Emmys, three Grammys, and a Peabody.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780553524260
Lexile Measure
350
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Random House Books for Young Readers
Publication date
July 28, 2015
Series
Classic Seuss
BISAC categories
JUV002190 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Pets
JUV057000 - Juvenile Fiction | Stories in Verse (see also Poetry)
JUV043000 - Juvenile Fiction | Readers | Beginner
Library of Congress categories
Animals
Pets
Stories in rhyme
Choice
Choice (Psychology)

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