I was just a couple of years too old to really get into the Dr. Seuss books the way my younger brother did. I had already learned to read when the books started arriving at our house. I think that our parents were subscribed to a young reader’s program because along with the Dr. Seuss books there were other books to teach reading and encourage the love of books. It probably was a good thing, however, to have books around the house that were a bit below my current reading level. I think that I read all of them. I still have the original copies of “The Cat in the Hat” and “The Cat in the Hat Comes Back” that we had when we were children and they are well-used.

Now, as a grandpa, I love to read those books. Most of them are on their third go around, having read them as a child, read them to our children and now reading them with our grandchildren. Some of them, like Green Eggs and Ham, I have read so many times that I have long sections of the poetry memorized and can vary the pace of my reading to match the mood of the grumpy old character who does not like green eggs and ham, at least until he tries them.

We read stories with our grandson over Skype from time to time and Dr. Seuss books are among the titles that we read. We have a copy here for us to read and another for our grandson to look at. At four years old he isn’t reading yet, but there are many pages of the book that he has memorized and so he can “read” the page to us. One of our favorites is one of the books from the Dr. Seuss Beginner Books series, by P.D. Eastman, “Go Dog. Go!” It is a great book with lots of colors, actions, car chases and a surprise ending. I try to have several hats handy for the dialogue between two characters, now shared with our grandson:
“Hello!”
“Hello!”
“Do you like my hat?”
“No, I do not like that hat.”
“Goodbye.”
“Goodbye.”

So you can imagine my delight that in a little less than a week there will be a new Dr. Seuss book. It has been a quarter of a century since the last new Dr. Seuss book, “Oh, The Places You’ll Go!” came out. Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss’s real name) died in 1991 and we thought that the series of books had ended. However, among his papers at the time of his death was the manuscript and illustrations for a book that was never published and now (lucky us!) the book is coming out next week.

“What Pet Should I Get?” features the brother and sister from the 1960 book, “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish,” so you know it is going to be wonderful. I’m hoping that the book contains the silly rhymes that make other Dr. Seuss books so much fun to read aloud.

I’m sure that the pet store in the book will have not only cats, dogs, birds, fish and rabbits, but also the wonderful imaginary creatures that inhabit the world of Dr. Seuss. And, for children and adults alike, what pet to get requires serious consideration.

Reading that the book is about to be released immediately made me think of my cousin’s granddaughter in whose home we visited last week. She first introduced us to her rather rambunctious dog that clearly delights the young owner with its antics, ball chasing and dashes into the river to swim. Then we met her rabbit and heard of her desire to get a guinea pig. It didn’t sound like she had made much progress in convincing her mother that this was a good idea. She does, after all, live on a farm with chickens and cows and several dogs and a yard full of farm cats. There is not immediate shortage of animals in her world and no shortage of chores to care for the animals. Still, just one more pet . . .

So it is easy to understand how the characters in Dr. Seuss’s book allow themselves to wonder if they might bring home one of each kind of pet in the pet store. The idea, however, will not work:
“NO . . . Dad would be mad.
We can only have one.
If we do not choose,
we will end up with NONE.”

Always a teacher, Dr. Seuss is helping young readers to learn of the importance of making choices. Learning to make up one’s mind is one of the challenges of growing up and Dr. Seuss is consistent in teaching about important issues without being overly preachy or moralistic. His playful way of struggling with real problems makes it a joy to consider the challenges of childhood and reminds parents that the problems faced by children are real.

According to the article I read in the Washington Post, the book also has several pages with photographs of the discovery of the manuscript and other interesting information about Dr. Seuss himself and how he went about creating his delightful books. There is also a note from the publisher noting that although decades ago pet shops were the common place to get an animal today’s recommendation is to adopt a pet from a shelter or rescue organization.

In typical Dr. Seuss fashion, I suspect that this book will delight children, parents and grandparents. I also suspect that it will inspire more than a few children to start their own campaigns to get a new pet for their family. After all if it is that much fun to read about looking for a new pet, the process itself might be even more fun. Dr. Seuss has that effect on people of all ages.

Of course I have pre-ordered the book: two copies. I can’t wait to read this one with our grandson. It’s OK, their family already has a dog.

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