The History

The history behind the production of this new Dr. Seuss book is simply fascinating.

Between 1950 and 1951 Dr Seuss had a number of his stories published in magazines, but they were never published in the form of a book. Over the years they became lost and forgotten, but not to dentist and self-confessed Seussologist, Charles Cohen.

Charles tracked down the stories and magazines on ebay and in trying to re-sell them, he gained the attention of Cathy Goldsmith, art director of Random House (who had also worked with Dr. Seuss himself).

Watch this video to learn more about how Charles and Cathy worked together to create this collection of literary lost treasures.

Donations to The Children’s Hospital  in Westmeade

Children all over the world have enjoyed reading the stories of Dr. Seuss, and HarperCollins is ensuring that a proportion of the book’s sales during October go directly to helping children in need.

HarperCollins will be donating $2 from every book sold in Australian Bookstores during October to The Children’s Hospital in Westmead. Donations will go to areas of the Hospital most in need, including research into childhood illness and purchase of equipment, ensuring that every child admitted to The Children’s Hospital at Westmead will continue to receive world-class care and support.

The Book:

The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories is made up of seven delightful stories. Below is an overview but you can read a detailed review at Kids Book Review (where you can also win a copy of the book):

• The Bippolo Seed,  in which a scheming cat leads an innocent duck to make a bad decision

• The Rabbit, the Bear, and the Zinniga-Zanniga, about a rabbit who is saved from a bear via a single eyelash

• The Great Henry McBride, about a boy whose far-flung career fantasies were bested only by those of Dr. Seuss himself.

• Gustav the Goldfish, about a fish that grew and grew

• Tadd and Todd, a tale about twins

• Steak for Supper, about fantastic creatures who follow a boy home in anticipation of a steak dinner

• The Strange Shirt Spot, about a spot of dirt that gets everywhere

ISBN:978-0007438457

Format: Hardback

Publisher: HarperCollins Children’s Books, October 2011

RRP:$19.99 (aud)

Suitable for ages: 4+

So make sure if you’re a Dr. Seuss Fan that you head into a bookstore and make your purchase this month.