The 32 Best Dr. Seuss Books

By YPB TeamNov 3

Bedtime staples share the shelf with sly fables about war, greed and prejudice. Pick the rhymes that stuck with you longest.

1
The Cat in the Hat
The 1957 Beginner Book about a mischievous cat who visits two children on a rainy day, written with a vocabulary of about 236 words.
1000pts
2
Green Eggs and Ham
The 1960 Beginner Book written using only 50 different words, reportedly to win a bet with publisher Bennett Cerf.
684pts
3
If I Ran the Circus
The 1956 picture book in which young Morris McGurk imagines the outlandish circus he would build in a vacant lot.
627pts
4
Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are?
The 1973 picture book in which an old man in the desert lists the misfortunes of others to cheer a child up.
606pts
5
Bartholomew and the Oobleck
The 1949 sequel to The 500 Hats, about a sticky green substance falling from the sky, which received a 1950 Caldecott Honor.
590pts
6
The Lorax
The 1971 environmental fable in which the Lorax speaks for the trees against the Once-ler's Truffula-felling business.
589pts
7
The Sneetches and Other Stories
The 1961 collection whose title story satirises discrimination through star-bellied and plain-bellied Sneetches.
548pts
8
Horton Hatches the Egg
The 1940 tale of Horton the elephant faithfully sitting on a lazy bird's egg, his first appearance in print.
548pts
9
Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?
The 1970 Bright and Early Book in which Mr. Brown imitates sounds from cows and bees to thunder.
501pts
10
Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now!
The 1972 Bright and Early Book that pleads with a boy to leave by any means, from bike to Crunk-Car.
448pts
11
There's a Wocket in My Pocket!
The 1974 Bright and Early Book about a boy whose house is full of rhyming creatures like the Zlock behind the clock.
448pts
12
The Cat in the Hat Comes Back
The 1958 sequel in which the Cat returns and leaves a pink bathtub ring that spreads through the house.
448pts
13
I Can Read with My Eyes Shut!
The 1978 Beginner Book in which the Cat in the Hat encourages reading; Seuss dedicated it to his eye doctor.
448pts
14
Fox in Socks
The 1965 Beginner Book of escalating tongue twisters, whose cover warns readers to take it slowly.
448pts
15
Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose
The 1948 story of a kindly moose whose antlers fill up with freeloading animal guests.
448pts
16
Dr. Seuss's ABC
The 1963 alphabet book that pairs each letter with alliterative nonsense, from Aunt Annie's alligator onward.
388pts
17
The Foot Book
The 1968 book about feet of every kind, the first title in the Bright and Early Books series for toddlers.
388pts
18
You're Only Old Once!
The 1986 picture book for adults about an elderly man's visit to the Golden Years Clinic, published for Seuss's 82nd birthday.
388pts
19
Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories
The 1958 collection whose title story about a tyrant turtle king was inspired by Hitler's rise to power.
388pts
20
The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins
Seuss's second children's book, published in 1938, about a boy who cannot remove his hat before the king.
388pts
21
Oh Say Can You Say?
The 1979 Beginner Book of tongue twisters, a follow-up in spirit to Fox in Socks.
388pts
22
Hop on Pop
The 1963 early-reader of short rhyming word pairs, subtitled "The Simplest Seuss for Youngest Use."
388pts
23
The King's Stilts
Seuss's 1939 prose picture book about a king whose beloved stilts are stolen while his kingdom is threatened by Nizzards.
320pts
24
The Butter Battle Book
The 1984 Cold War allegory about the Yooks and Zooks, who build an arms race over which side of bread to butter.
320pts
25
I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew
The 1965 tale of a creature who sets off for a trouble-free city and decides to face his problems at home instead.
320pts
26
Dr. Seuss's Sleep Book
The 1962 bedtime book that tallies how many creatures have fallen asleep across the land, starting with a single yawn.
241pts
27
Oh, the Places You'll Go!
The 1990 book about life's ups and downs, the last published in Seuss's lifetime and a perennial graduation gift.
241pts
28
One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish
The 1960 Beginner Book of loosely connected rhymes about odd creatures, published the same year as Green Eggs and Ham.
241pts
29
Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!
The 1975 Beginner Book celebrating imagination through a parade of invented creatures and places.
241pts
30
How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
The 1957 rhyming tale of a grouch who tries to steal Christmas from the Whos of Whoville, adapted for TV in 1966.
149pts
31
Horton Hears a Who!
The 1954 story of an elephant who protects a tiny world on a speck of dust, with the line "a person's a person, no matter how small."
0pts
32
Happy Birthday to You!
The 1959 picture book about the extravagant birthday celebrations held in the land of Katroo.
0pts