Parents' Guide to

The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories

By Patricia Tauzer, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 6+

Treasure of lost Seuss tales a great all-ages read-aloud.

Book Dr. Seuss Poetry 2011
The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

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age 5+

Based on 1 parent review

Lebron12James3
Lebron12James3 Parent
December 1, 2021
age 5+
Shrek plants The Bippolo Seed, which grows a Bippolo. So Wallace And Gromit plant The Cracker Seed because they have forgotten the crackers.
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What's the Story?

Seuss scholar Charles D. Cohen has researched and collected seven stories by Dr. Seuss that were published in magazines during the 1950s, before his other books became household classics. They include a story of a duck led to greed by a conniving cat, a rabbit who tricks a bear out of eating him, a goldfish who outgrows his bowl, a set of twins trying to find their individuality, crazy creatures in search of a steak dinner, a kid trying to clean the spot out of his shirt, and another kid with a great imagination. The stories are told in rhyming couplets, with a rhythm that is recognizably a Dr. Seuss trademark. And the illustrations are as zany and silly as you might expect. Cohen has added a wonderfully informative introduction that explains his search as well as the importance of each story, and how it fit into the development of the Dr. Seuss whom readers have grown to love.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
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Kids say (1 ):

This book is not just for kids; adult readers, especially those who remember some of the stories from various magazines they may have read as kids, will enjoy the collection too. As readers may expect, the rhymes and rhythms carry the tales from one crazy moment to the next as zany characters work out whatever silly situation they find themselves in. New words are created, bizarre beasts strut about the pages, and imagination carries the day. Dr. Seuss books are always fun to read aloud, and the stories in this collection are no different. Readers of all ages will find themselves picking it up more than once, and giving it voice even if no one else is in the room. Finding these lost stories is, as Cohen says, like "finding a silver box containing a Bippolo Seed."

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the lessons of each story: How can greed turn good luck to bad? How can a small character use ingenuity to overcome larger obstacles? How does imagination help when a situation gets out of hand? Can you think of other Dr. Seuss books that present the same kinds of lessons? How about other fables that you may have read?

  • Dr. Seuss books have a distinctive rhythm, usually with rhyming couplets. They are also sprinkled with made-up words and names. What does that add to the stories? Do you like hearing them read aloud, or would you rather read them to yourself? What do you think of the made-up words and names? Can you think of other stories you have read that use the same techniques? What about the crazy creatures? Which are your favorites? How would these stories be different if the characters were more realistic?

  • Compare these stories to some of the other Dr. Seuss books you may have read. For example, how does The Strange Shirt Spot compare with The Cat in the Hat Comes Back? What parts are the same? Which are different? How did the Cat in the Hat character change the story?

Book Details

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