I Would Read it to a Goose, This New Book from Dr. Seuss!
Audrey Geisel, the widow of Theodor Geisel (better known as Dr. Seuss) discovered a treasure in her attic just a few years ago: a box containing some of her husband’s unpublished manuscripts. His last book, Oh The Places You’ll Go! was published in 1990, the year before his death. Now, 25 years later, new and old fans alike can read a new story by Dr. Seuss!
Audrey Geisel and Seuss’s assistant, Claudia Prescott, are both involved in the publication process, so this undiscovered gem is much less contentious than Harper Lee’s recently released Go Set a Watchman. And even if it isn’t his best work – he left it for years in a box in the attic, after all – the pure novelty and nostalgia of a new Seuss property make it a curiosity at least.
What Pet Should I Get? comes out today from Random House. It’s got all of the elements that we expect from Seuss: the rhymes, the distinct illustration style, and a neat moral for kids (“MAKE UP YOUR MIND”).
Online booksellers recommend it for “juvenile readers” from “ages 3-7,” but that’s just a suggestion. Don’t let them stop you from living your dream. If someone asks you why, as an adult, you’re reading a children’s book, inform them that it’s never-before-seen material from one of the most significant American authors of the 20th century.
And then invite them to read it too.
I’m never sure about Audrey Geisel. (Read Seuss’ biography and *something* went down involving her and Seuss’ first wife.) I’ve always had the impression that she has been trying her darnedest to milk everything she can from his name since he passed away. Don’t get me wrong. I’ll add the book to my Seuss collection. But she just happened to re-discover this box of manuscripts after every other new source of revenue has been exhausted? Maybe its the cynic in me, but it seems very convenient.
Widow Geisel has been responsible for some great Seuss character licensing. I can’t complain about a lot of it. But she has also allowed quite a bit of junk to get out there. And from what I’ve read Seuss was a perfectionist. If he stuck a near complete manuscript away somewhere rather than publish it, it is possible (probable?) that he wasn’t happy with it and didn’t want it published. The other ‘found’ books of his that she has had published posthumously (Daisy-Head Mayzie and Hooray for Diffendoofer Day) had similar back stories.
But, this is entirely conjecture on my part. Just being a bit contentious. 🙂