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book_concierge's review against another edition
3.0
This is a collection of little-known stories by Theodor Geisel a/k/a Dr. Seuss. As explained by Charles D Cohen in the introduction to this book, the “buried treasure” of these lost stories had been hidden for decades. They were all published between 1948 through 1959 as short works in a variety of magazines. Cohen, a Seuss scholar, tracked them down and arranged to have them published in this collection.
The stories are from a time period when Seuss was experimenting with what would become his signature style. Rhyming words (including a fair number of those he made up), fantastical illustrations, and a clear message – warning against greed, celebrating intelligence, or encouraging young dreams. There is a lot more text and fewer illustrations in these stories than in some of his most famous books (e.g. The Cat in the Hat), but they are intended to be read to children by their parents.
I’m glad that these stories are no longer “lost.”
The stories are from a time period when Seuss was experimenting with what would become his signature style. Rhyming words (including a fair number of those he made up), fantastical illustrations, and a clear message – warning against greed, celebrating intelligence, or encouraging young dreams. There is a lot more text and fewer illustrations in these stories than in some of his most famous books (e.g. The Cat in the Hat), but they are intended to be read to children by their parents.
I’m glad that these stories are no longer “lost.”
readingjag's review against another edition
3.0
A collection of stories that were published in magazines before Dr. Seuss was super famous. What amazes me most is how long they are--I have a hard time picturing kids having the attention span to read most of these. Great for the adult Seuss completist.
erincataldi's review against another edition
5.0
It was soo soo worth it to listen to the audiobook version of this book!! Each story was narrated by a different celebrity: Peter Dinklage, Neal Patrick Harris, Angelica Houston, Jason Lee, Joan Cusack and more are on this star studded audiobook. Each narrator brought their own distinct and fun take on the Dr. Seuss stories. Seven lost stories are included as well as a ten minute commentary by Dr. Seuss scholar on the history and nature of these stories. The stories are classic Dr. Steuss, new creatures, funny stories, great morals, and memorable rhymes. The only downside to the audiobook version is that you can't see the amazing illustrations. I would highly recommend getting the audiobook as well as the book to have your kids listen and follow along with. A must for any Dr. Seuss fan. The commentary was even delightful!!
greenbeanteenqueen's review against another edition
5.0
I think this book is best enjoyed on audio with wonderful narrators!! I'm always a bit nervous about "lost" stories, but I enjoyed this collection for the most part, especially after hearing about how they were short works originally published in magazines and newspapers. I thought I'd share a breakdown of what I liked or disliked about each story:
The Bippolo Seed narrated by Neil Patrick Harris-I loved this story and I really thought it was the strongest of the book. It had the classic Seuss feel to it of silliness and a lesson in the end. I also liked the rhymes and felt they all worked well in this story. Plus, add in Neil Patrick Harris's fabulous narration and you've got a great read/listen. (Really, he needs to narrate more audiobooks! Please-more NPH on audio!)
The Rabbit, The Bear, and the Zinniga-Zanniga-narrated by Angelica Houston-This one was just OK. I think part of it was the narration-it was good, but not great. I also felt the story was a bit weak. It's still fun, but wasn't a stand out for me.
Gustav the Goldfish-narrated by Jason Lee-Jason Lee, I like you, I really do! But I disliked your narration of this story! Just because you're reading for kids doesn't mean you have to be overly excited all the time! I wasn't a fan of this story, mostly because I felt the ending fell flat and the narration was annoying. When I got the book, I liked the illustrations for this story, so maybe I would have liked it better if I had read it with the pictures instead of listening to it.
Tadd and Todd narrated by Joan Cusack-I liked this story and the narration is good. I did feel a bit sad in the end though. I felt like Tadd and Todd wanted to be unique and instead resigned to the fact that they were twins and had to be like each other. I would have liked to see them be able to embrace their originality instead of accepting they are the same. Maybe this was me projecting my adult-self onto the story. I think kids will find it fun and maybe find comfort in the fact that siblings are there with you as "peas in a pod".
Steak for Supper narrated by Edward Hermann-This story made me laugh and it was another strong classic Dr. Seuss. Filled with a menagerie of Seuss creatures, this one has lots of humor and silliness. It also has a nice twist to add to the humor. The narration helped make this one of the stand out stories of the book for me.
The Strange Shirt Spot narrated by William H. Macy-A great story with great narration! This is somewhat of an adventure story as a young boy can't get a dirty spot off anything! The trials of cleaning make for some laugh out loud fun and the end is sure to have parents and kids giggling with it's "oh so true" statement. This was another favorite story.
The Great Henry McBride narrated by Peter Dinklage-I enjoyed this story of a dreamer. The narration is fantastic and makes it a likable story. I also liked the idea of the story-that you can dream anything and no goal is too lofty. Peter Dinklage is another narrator that I would love to have narrate more audiobooks. One of the stand out stories and one of my favorites.
If you do listen to the audio, make sure you listen to the commentary at the end (which is the introduction in the book). It adds a lot to the book to examine each story and learn where they came from. The whole audio is about an hour long and worth every minute!! Great for readers of all ages, this would be a great audiobook for families and to introduce young listeners to the audio format.
The Bippolo Seed narrated by Neil Patrick Harris-I loved this story and I really thought it was the strongest of the book. It had the classic Seuss feel to it of silliness and a lesson in the end. I also liked the rhymes and felt they all worked well in this story. Plus, add in Neil Patrick Harris's fabulous narration and you've got a great read/listen. (Really, he needs to narrate more audiobooks! Please-more NPH on audio!)
The Rabbit, The Bear, and the Zinniga-Zanniga-narrated by Angelica Houston-This one was just OK. I think part of it was the narration-it was good, but not great. I also felt the story was a bit weak. It's still fun, but wasn't a stand out for me.
Gustav the Goldfish-narrated by Jason Lee-Jason Lee, I like you, I really do! But I disliked your narration of this story! Just because you're reading for kids doesn't mean you have to be overly excited all the time! I wasn't a fan of this story, mostly because I felt the ending fell flat and the narration was annoying. When I got the book, I liked the illustrations for this story, so maybe I would have liked it better if I had read it with the pictures instead of listening to it.
Tadd and Todd narrated by Joan Cusack-I liked this story and the narration is good. I did feel a bit sad in the end though. I felt like Tadd and Todd wanted to be unique and instead resigned to the fact that they were twins and had to be like each other. I would have liked to see them be able to embrace their originality instead of accepting they are the same. Maybe this was me projecting my adult-self onto the story. I think kids will find it fun and maybe find comfort in the fact that siblings are there with you as "peas in a pod".
Steak for Supper narrated by Edward Hermann-This story made me laugh and it was another strong classic Dr. Seuss. Filled with a menagerie of Seuss creatures, this one has lots of humor and silliness. It also has a nice twist to add to the humor. The narration helped make this one of the stand out stories of the book for me.
The Strange Shirt Spot narrated by William H. Macy-A great story with great narration! This is somewhat of an adventure story as a young boy can't get a dirty spot off anything! The trials of cleaning make for some laugh out loud fun and the end is sure to have parents and kids giggling with it's "oh so true" statement. This was another favorite story.
The Great Henry McBride narrated by Peter Dinklage-I enjoyed this story of a dreamer. The narration is fantastic and makes it a likable story. I also liked the idea of the story-that you can dream anything and no goal is too lofty. Peter Dinklage is another narrator that I would love to have narrate more audiobooks. One of the stand out stories and one of my favorites.
If you do listen to the audio, make sure you listen to the commentary at the end (which is the introduction in the book). It adds a lot to the book to examine each story and learn where they came from. The whole audio is about an hour long and worth every minute!! Great for readers of all ages, this would be a great audiobook for families and to introduce young listeners to the audio format.
alexandradk3's review against another edition
5.0
Read aloud for our Tuesday Poetry Teatime. We all loved these stories!