Parents' Guide to Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!

Oh, the Thinks You Can Think! Poster Image

Common Sense Media Review

By Peter Lewis , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 4+

Dr. Seuss in is psychedelic mode here.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 4+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

age 2+

Based on 1 kid review

What's the Story?

Dr. Seuss in is psychedelic mode here: The candy colors flash and swirl as if on fire, the creatures bend the imagination, and the urge to think freely runs unfettered. Just consider the wild names given to creatures--guffs, snuvs, bloogs, zongs, jibboos--and places: Da-Dake, Na-Nupp, and the wonderful Stairs in the Night. Here is creative thinking in overdrive.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say : Not yet rated
Kids say ( 1 ):

Dr. Seuss casts off from the shore of ordinary thinking and invites his readers along to spend some time thinking freely, vibrantly, and passionately. Make connections where there haven't been any before, he suggests; go ahead and make things up.

As most always, what Seuss has to say is a breath of fresh air, blowing the cobwebs out of the old imagination. But here it feels especially zany and full of spice, and his colors have gone electric and dazzling: candy-striped tree trunks, purple skies and elephants, magenta gloves and trees, and multicolored creatures. It is a breath-stealing ride, not to mention a sharp exercise in sounding letters into words. There are pages here that throw a jimjam or two: One 4-year-old melted a little deeper into the sofa when the shadowy jibboo appeared in the night street, but the shivers were more delicious than scary.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the made-up creatures in this book. Encourage kids to make up their own creatures.

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

Oh, the Thinks You Can Think! Poster Image

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