The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories (Hardcover) by Dr. Seuss

About the Book

Seuss scholar/collector Charles D. Cohen has hunted down seven rarely seen stories by Dr. Seuss, originally published in magazines between 1950 and 1951. In an Introduction to the collection, Cohen explains the significance these seven stories have, not only as lost treasures, but as transitional stories in Dr. Seuss's career. Illustrations.

Book Synopsis

What's better than a lost treasure? Seven lost treasures! These rarely seen Dr. Seuss stories were published in magazines in the early 1950s and are finally available in book form. They include "The Bippolo Seed" (in which a scheming feline leads a duck toward a bad decision), "The Rabbit, the Bear, and the Zinniga-Zanniga" (about a rabbit who is saved from a bear by a single eyelash), "Gustav, the Goldfish" (an early rhymed version of the Beginner Book A Fish Out of Water), "Tadd and Todd" (about a twin who is striving to be an individual), "Steak for Supper" (in which fantastic creatures follow a boy home in anticipation of a steak dinner), "The Strange Shirt Spot" (the inspiration for the bathtub-ring scene in The Cat in the Hat Comes Back), and "The Great Henry McBride" (about a boy whose far-flung career fantasies are bested only by those of Dr. Seuss himself). An introduction by Seuss scholar Charles D. Cohen traces the history of the stories, which demonstrate an intentional move toward the writing style we now associate with Dr. Seuss. Cohen also explores the themes that recur in well-known Seuss stories (like the importance of the imagination or the perils of greed). With a color palette enhanced beyond the limitations of the original magazines, this is a collection that no Seuss fan (whether scholar or second grader) will want to miss.

Review Quotes

Starred Review, Publishers Weekly, August 19, 2011:
The stories' rhymed couplets are pitch-perfect, the verse's rhythm as snappy as in any of Seuss's better-known works...[F]ans old and young will deem these 'lost' stories a tremendous find.

Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews, September 1, 2011:
The buffed-up illustrations look brand new, and...the writing is as fresh, silly and exhilarating as it must have been when first seen. The good Doctor may be dead these 20 years, but he's still good for splendid surprises.

ChildrensBooksGuide.com, 2011's Best Children's Books
...Everything you'd expect from this master... Chock full of rhyming, goofy characters and whimsical illustrations.

San Francisco Chronicle, October 30, 2011
...A treasure trove from one of the greats of children's literature...an unexpected treat... The collection sings with Geisel's trademark rhyme, rhythm, wordplay and serious silly streak. A must-have addition to your Seuss collection.

BoingBoing.net, October 27, 2011
...A new Seuss collection is reason to celebrate...and Bippolo Seed is more than a curiosity or a completist's collection of offcuts -- much of the material in this book stands with Seuss's best-loved work. The illustrations are classic Seuss and full of wit and irreverence...

The Atlantic, September 27, 2011
...A fantastic new collection...More than just a literary gem, which it certainly is...

The Baltimore Examiner, September 28, 2011
Truly a great piece of treasure for your family's library!

USA Today, October 5, 2011
Did you know a bunch of 'lost' Dr. Seuss stories were unearthed recently?...As one would expect with Seuss, they're incredibly clever.

Wired.com, September 28, 2011
The stories are pure Seuss -- you cannot mistake the artwork or the made up words...my son...enjoyed them for what they are-- little stories that teach some sort of lesson.

The Mac Observer, October 18, 2011
If you or someone you know, whether large or small, is a Seuss fan, go get a copy of The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories...it's excellent stuff.

Cracking the Cover (blog), October 13, 2011
Books by Dr. Seuss are classic...passed on from generation to generation... When he died in 1991...no one expected to see new work from him again... Each of these tales is a rhythmical delight with the tongue-twisting text we've come to expect from Dr. Seuss. The illustrations are wacky, playful and colorful...and each of these tales is sure to spark imagination.

Readings.com, September 26, 2011
...Clever, witty and engaging, with pitch-perfect rhyming couplets and his distinctive illustrations...they will provide...readers with the sheer delight of enjoying more Seuss-isms.

Apptudes.com, October 5, 2011
Little imaginations will be delighted with more nonsensical Seussish characters to love and entertaining stories with which to sharpen their reading skills...Each story is chock full of Dr Seuss genius and inventive use of words...

Giggleapps.com, October 17, 2011
A wonderful anthology of stories..., each full of the wondrous Dr. Seuss style of imaginative...characters, beautifully odd illustrations, and fantastical rhyming prose... They are important works of early Dr. Seuss.

BestAppsforKids.com, October 19, 2011
Fans of Dr. Seuss will especially love this addition to the collection...and [it] will surely become a bedtime favorite...Dr. Seuss is always great and these lost stories are bound to delight.

Digital-Storytime.com, September 27, 2011
...A wonderful collection of seven stories... They are exceptional and will enchant both young readers and older ones alike... the illustrations are also exceptional, capturing the familiar whimsy of Seuss...

Excelsiorfile, October 11, 2011
A collection of tales featuring...that cadence...that is as distinctly Seuss as iambic pantamenter is to Shakespeare. To read the book...it is almost impossible to not begin by reading aloud...and to do so...reveals some interesting information about...the development of that cadence we know by heart and memory... And for those older Seuss fans its an even better reminder of what can and should be expected in terms of books for young readers.

Hooray for Books! Indepedent Bookstore, October 14, 2011
Fans of Seuss will know to expect outlandish creatures, exuberant rhyme, funny adventures, and even a little food for thought. You'll find all that and more in 'Bippolo Seed.' This book is a fantastic find for Seuss fans of all ages...!

Barnes and Noble, September 2011
Children, their parents, and their grandparents will all treasure this singular batch of rarely seen...stories...these tales exude the sprightliness that we have all come to associate with the...master.

Lunch.com, September 30, 2011
I tip my hat to Dr. Cohen for his love of Dr. Seuss' vision and the work that went into tracking down these tales. If not for him, future generations might never have been able to experience this amazing collection.

About The Author

Theodor Seuss Geisel--aka Dr. Seuss--is one of the most beloved children's book authors of all time. From The Cat in the Hat to Oh, the Places You'll Go!, his iconic characters, stories, and art style have been a lasting influence on generations of children and adults. The books he wrote and illustrated under the name Dr. Seuss (and others that he wrote but did not illustrate, including some under the pseudonyms Theo. LeSieg and Rosetta Stone) have been translated into 45 languages. Hundreds of millions of copies have found their way into homes and hearts around the world. Dr. Seuss's long list of awards includes Caldecott Honors, the Pulitzer Prize, and eight honorary doctorates. Works based on his original stories have won three Oscars, three Emmys, three Grammys, and a Peabody.

Contributor CHARLES D. COHEN is a graduate of Haverford College and the Tufts University School of Dental Medicine and has been a practicing dentist for over twenty-five years. Dr. Cohen first became enchanted with the works of Dr. Seuss as a child and he began purchasing early edition of Seuss books in college. Today, Dr. Cohen's trove of Seussiana is likely the most comprehensive private collection in the world. It is his hope to create a museum to preserve the full Seuss legacy by protecting the pieces for posterity. He is the author of the The Seuss, the Whole Seuss, and Nothing But the Seuss.