Best Dr Seuss Books -
for Every Age & Every
Stage
The best Dr Seuss books have been around for over 80 years and translated into more than 20 languages! Can you even imagine how many children's lives have been touched by a book written (many also illustrated) by a man named Theodor Seuss Geisel?! I bet you're one!
All Dr. Seuss books are not for all ages though. Some are short, and some are long. Some are simple, and some are complex. Some are stories, and some are pure nonsense! That's what makes them fun!
The best Dr Seuss books have something valuable to offer whether it's simple words to build confidence in a beginning reader or a life lesson to encourage a student graduating and moving on to a new season of life!
Most Dr Seuss books are divided into three categories:
- Bright & Early Books - for young children
- I Can Read Books - for emerging readers
- Classic Seuss - great for read alouds with life lessons for older children to adults
Also note that Dr Seuss was not the only pen name Theodor Geisel used; he also wrote under Theo LeSieg (Geisel backwards!)
Best Dr Seuss Books for Young Children
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Books in this group are much shorter, most come in board books or hardcovers, and they usually focus on beginning concepts for toddlers and very young children including names of things, sounds animals make, shapes & colors.
See how these can be used to enhance your child's development in various areas:
The Shape of Me and Other Stuff |
Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? |
There's a Wocket in my Pocket! |
Dr Seuss' Book of Colors |
In a People House |
Best Dr Seuss Books for Early Readers
Of all the "I Can Read Books," the two most well known have to be The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham.
These have got to be two of my favorite too...not necessarily for the stories as much as for the words. Ted Geisel wanted to write books with words emerging readers could read by themselves encased in stories they could enjoy!
The Cat in the Hat has only 130 basic words most of which are either simple sight words or three letter CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words repeated to create a fun read, but also a thought provoking story on obedience and truth. It ends with a questions for the reader -
"Should we tell her about it?
Now, shat should we do?
Well...
What would you do
If your mother asked you?"
Later a friend challenged Geisel to write a children's book with even fewer words. He wrote Green Eggs & Ham with only 50 different words; a perfect book for an emerging reader, and a wonderful lesson in being open to trying new things!
Not only is this group of books great for emerging readers, they also introduce several early learning concepts including colors, counting, shapes, etc.
Here are a few: follow their links for ideas on using these in areas of development for a child:
The Cat in the Hat |
Green Eggs & Ham |
Hop on Pop |
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish |
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I Can Read With My Eyes Shut |
Life Lessons found in Dr Seuss Books
Ted Geisel's life story is a life lesson itself in perseverance...don't give up!
He had plenty of trials in both his personal and professional life as we all do. His originality of framing life's troubles from the view of a children's story became a trademark along with offering lessons he may have never thought to connect.
Here are some of our favorites:
The Sneetches |
The Lorax |
Yertle the Turtle |
What was I Scared of? |
Horton Hatches the Egg |
Horton Hears a Who! |
Dr. Seuss Quotes
From the contents of his books as well as his life, Theodore Seuss Geisel left us many amazing quotes for us to stop and consider along our life's journey.
“To the world you may be one person; but to one person you may be the world.”
“You have to be odd to be number one.”
“Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.”
“Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it’s a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope.”
“Why fit in when you were born to stand out?”
Horton Hears a Who -
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot. Nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
Oh, the Places You'll Go -
"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
The Lorax -
"UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not."
Happy Birthday to You!
'Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.'
More quotes from Dr Seuss - HERE
Activities & Printables for Dr Seuss Books
Welcome! I'm Susan - Mom to four grown children & Suzie to our grandchildren. I love books and truly believe they can shape lives!
