A brand new book of Dr Seuss stories! Hasn’t the man been dead for 20 years? – I hear you ask. Well, yes, but avid Seuss scholar and collector Charles D. Cohen recently revealed these seven individual stories, which were initially published in Redbook magazine in the US during 1950 and 1951. They have finally appeared for the first time together in book format, with a global publication date of 27 September 2011. Being an avid Dr Seuss fan (my favourite childhood book was The Lorax), I met these stories with both trepidation and excitement. Could they possibly live up to the legend?

All the characters in these early works seem vaguely familiar and some do appear in later guises. ‘Gustav the Goldfish’ is an early, rhymed version of A Fish Out of Water, which was later published by Seuss’s wife, Helen Palmer Geisel;  ‘Tadd and Todd’, a pair of twins, one of whom is desperate to distinguish himself, have a physical resemblance to Thing One and Thing Two in The Cat in the Hat; and in ‘Steak for Supper’, our protagonist happens to be walking down Mulberry Street, the location of another of Seuss’s stories, when he gets in trouble with some unusual creatures.

The stories are just as you would expect from Seuss – clever, witty and engaging, with pitch-perfect rhyming couplets and his distinctive illustrations. I know that my toddler will love them just as much as I do, even if she has no idea she is reading buried treasure. In an introduction to the collection, Cohen explains the significance these seven stories have as transitional stories in Seuss’s career. They will certainly add to our understanding of one of the most beloved children’s picture book authors, but they will also provide many readers with the sheer delight of enjoying more Seuss-isms.

Angela Crocombe is from Readings St Kilda
[[THE-BIPPOLO-SEED_INT_UK_Page_06]]
Illustration from The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories by Dr Seuss
[[THE-BIPPOLO-SEED_INT_UK_Page_16]]
Illustration from The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories by Dr Seuss
[[THE-BIPPOLO-SEED_INT_UK_Page_31]]Illustration from The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories by Dr Seuss