 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Oh, the Places You'll Go!
- By Dr. Seuss
- Genre: For Beginning Readers
Common Sense Media says
A jaunty, upbeat journey through wacky landscapes.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this is a jaunty, upbeat journey packed with wacky landscapes, buildings, monsters, and musical instruments. Even those who don't understand Dr. Seuss' message will be buoyed up and marched cheerfully along.
What's the story?
Our hero (a cheerful little guy in a yellow jumpsuit) receives the narrator's good wishes and heads out of town. He travels through a wide variety of colorful Seussian landscapes and cityscapes and finds himself in many different situations--some exhilarating, some depressing, some downright frightening.
At one point he gets stuck in the Waiting Place, where "everyone is just waiting ... waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake / or a pot to boil, or a Better Break / or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants / or a wig with curls, or Another Chance."
At one moment our hero is riding high on an elephant's back with a triumphant banner flapping overhead. At another he's rowing a tiny rowboat through a black lagoon full of howling, long-necked Hakken-Kraks. The plucky protagonist faces up to each challenge and extricates himself from each Hang-up, Lurch, and Slump. His success is "98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed"!
Is it any good?
This is the last book Dr. Seuss wrote, so it is easy to get sentimental about it. Yet it's an inspiring, poignant work on its own terms. The illustrations are a little shaky-looking compared to earlier ones, and there are one or two flaws in the rhyme's meter, but otherwise it is as beautifully crafted as anything Dr. Seuss ever wrote. And the message is clear and moving: Life can be extremely tough at times, but we will be just fine if we keep on the road and face up to each challenge as it presents itself.
Though Dr. Seuss was still alive when this book was published, some critics sensed it was his last. It does seem like a retrospective of his career: Horton-like elephants parade the hero triumphantly along, carrying flapping banners or canopies. A psychedelic interior decorated with billowy, colorful stripes resembles a circus tent, bringing back memories of If I Ran the Circus.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about what they enjoyed most about the book.
What were your favorite parts of the story?
Which illustrations did like most, and why?
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AGE
predictable Dr. Seuss
Not his best work. Try "The Lorax" instead.
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AGE
Will keep it in the bookcase a bit longer
We were given this book as a gift when my son was an infant and I read it to him for the first time recently. He's 4 and very literal. He didn't understand what was going on, was a bit spooked by the scary bits, and actually wanted to stop reading it. I really enjoy the book myself so I'll try it again when he's a bit older.
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AGE
better for 16+
its more of a book for teenagers my age, im almost 18, and i found when i reread the book after about 6 or so years i connected to it a lot better. (i had to write an essay on 2 books from my childhood and i chose this book) its better for 16 year old's and up because its about leaving and going out in the world on your own.....but that's just my personal opinion.
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| Author: | Dr. Seuss |
| Illustrator: | Dr. Seuss |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | For Beginning Readers |
| Publisher: | Random House |
| Publication date: | January 1, 1990 |
| Number of pages: | 46 |
| Hardcover price: | $17.00 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 4 - 7 |
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