Parents' Guide to

Oh, the Places You'll Go!

By Robyn Raymer, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 4+

Jaunty, upbeat journey encourages perseverance.

Book Dr. Seuss For Beginning Readers 1990
Oh, the Places You'll Go! Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

See all
age 7+

Based on 5 parent reviews

Lebron12James3
Lebron12James3 Parent
February 23, 2022
age 9+

Pretty good manga

Megan G.
Megan G. Parent of 3-year-old
February 8, 2018
age 2+

For anyone going anywhere

We started our daughter on Seuss young, and read something of La Jolla's most famous weekly. This is her favorite. What's lovely about re-reading Seuss is the catchiness of his rhyming scheme, we started reading this book in my daughter's infancy, she's nearly four now and knows it so well that she tacks on the final couple words of each line while I read. I always say my daughter's full in between 'be your name...', and the 'B' names Theo provided; this little improvisation always incites excitement in my little one; try it! I also substitute all male pronouns for female ones, 'Ready for anything under the sky. / Ready because you're that kind of a guy!' turns into 'Ready for anything [in the whole wide world]./ Ready because you're that kind of [girl]' I hope your little or big kid connects with this book, it's an inspiring one!

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
See all 5 parent reviews

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 another moment, he's 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 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?

Our review:
Parents say (5 ):
Kids say (3 ):

This is the last book 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 with 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 tackle 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.

Talk to Your Kids 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?

Book Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended book lists

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate