Dr. Seuss's ABC: An Amazing Alphabet Book!

BIG R, little r,
what begins with R?
Rosy's red rhinoceros.
R...r...R

From Aunt Annie's Alligator to Rosy's red rhinoceros to a Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz, learning the alphabet is bound to be fun with Dr. Seuss. And with this small, sturdy board-book version of his classic ABC book (Dr. Seuss's ABC), even the tiniest tots can indulge in a little alphabetical education. Each letter is featured with Dr. Seuss's unmistakably nonsensical illustrations and text: "Lion with a lollipop," "Camel on the ceiling," "Uncle Ubb's umbrella and his underwear, too." The youngest readers-to-be will get lots of letter practice with the repetitive use of each letter and the easy-to-memorize rhythmic rhymes. Soon your favorite preschooler will be reading this book aloud to you! (Baby to preschool) --Emilie Coulter

The original -
"BIG V, little v
Vera Violet Vinn
Is very, very, very awful on her violin."

Revised edition -
"BIG V, little v, what begins with V?
Verna Vera Vin and her violet violin."

I am flabbergasted by the lack of enthusiasm for the revised board book editions of Dr. Seuss's (and others) "Beginner Books" published by Random House. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to offer my infant son a CLASSIC narrative, by means of a board book, even in its ADAPTED form. These magical miniatures are delightfully entertaining for little babies, who enjoy the positive interaction of cooperative play through reading. The objectives of these small books are to appeal to newborns, and very young children with short attention spans who are not attentive enough for the full text versions, they are NOT meant to replace the originals. Moreover, these pocketsize gems are fashioned for effortless travel to the market, on a plane, in the car, or on a train. Hee, hee.

I own most of Dr. Seuss's first editions, in addition to a few of the board book volumes, and agree that the original "Beginner Books" are just that - ORIGINAL. They are more amusing, entertaining, and educational, but are in fact more appropriate for older children, 4 years and older. I believe introducing infants to creative works, such as these, only encourages listening and learning from an earlier age. In summary, if your child is three or older purchase an original version, otherwise think of introducing your infant to the shorter, travel-anywhere format, and procure the original at a later date. The marvelous, magical magician, who was Dr. Seuss is worth it! Birth and up.


Severely changed from the original, therefore no good   March 12, 2002
Sarah Schopp (Austin, TX)
11 out of 11 found this review helpful

Yes, it's nice that Random House Publishing has begun publishing these books in board books. But beware. They are not the same as the original! Sentences have been taken out, the rhythm has been artificially altered, and pictures have been severely edited. Some pictures have been entered into the book that were not there before, and sentences have been changed to meet the edited pictures' contents. I think it is a travesty that youngsters and parents think they are reading the original book (nowhere on the book does it say it's been edited) when in reality it is very different from the real book. If you want your child to have a book to chew on, there are many board books out there. If you want your child to know and love Seuss, get the original. Don't take my word for it though; go to the bookstore and compare them for yourself. I assume Random House is doing this with all the books they are making into board books, but I don't know for sure. Just make sure you know you're not getting the true Seuss.