Oh, the Places You'll Go!

All Ages

Birth - 12 months

by Dr. Seuss

In this joyous ode to life, Dr. Seuss addresses graduates of all ages - from nursery school to medical school - and gives them the get-up-and-go to move mountains with the unrivaled exuberance and charm.

Age: 3 Year-olds | Title: Oh, the Places You'll Go! | Author: Dr. Seuss | Publisher: Random House Children's Books

Why we chose this book

"Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away!" - Dr. Seuss. Oh, the Places You'll Go is a graduation speech by Dr. Seuss, in his typical rhyming, pictures, and Seuss-isms (you know want I'm talking about). Although if sounds like a speech your crazy uncle may give, the book is quite encouraging to anyone heading off on a new adventure, whether it's your little child's first day of preschool, or your not-so-little-anymore one's college graduation. The illustrations contain the typical silly and slightly abstract style created by Seuss. With less than a handful of colors on each page, the star of the book really is the rhyming speech.

Let the language of Dr. Seuss inspire your reading and make it as fun for your little one as possible. The book has many lessons for parents and grandparents to instill in their children. The story is full of encouragement; "Wherever you fly, you'll be the best of the best. Where you go, you will top all the rest." It also has some harsh realities; "Except when you don't. Because, sometimes, you won't. I'm sorry to say so/ but, sadly, it's true/ that Bang-ups/ and Hang-ups/ can happen to you." The story reassures readers that life is hard for everyone, and that is okay, "Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find,/for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind."

I first read this book with my niece, Emily, when she was three and getting ready to head to pre-school. She enjoyed my theatrical reading (who can avoid 'getting into it' with rhymes as awesome as Dr. Seuss'?) and smiled the whole time. She was also quite fascinated by the scenes in some of the pictures and asked me a few times, "Auntie, is that place real? Where is that? Can we go?" Feeling wise, I told Emily, "You'll go to your own places, sweetie, and they'll be even better than what you see in the book."

--Audra

About 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.