Books

New Dr. Seuss Book? I'll Get It, By Hook or Crook

by Meredith Turits

Dr. Seuss taught us a lot: Among these lessons, how to imagine and pronounce insane things like a "Lorax," yes, but also about humility and family, and when we were attuned to allegory, a whole lot about politics. (Seriously, go read The Butter Battle Book again as an adult now informed on the Berlin Wall conflict. It. Is. The. Best.) This explains why we adore his stories decades later.

Theodore Seuss Geisel published 46 children's books, of which many of us have probably read the entire catalog — several times. Now, there's more: Four forgotten Dr. Seuss tales, titled Horton and the Kwuggerbug and More Lost Stories, will be published this fall, giving Seussophiles (yup, just made that up) something new to love. According to The Guardian, the book, which will be released in September from Random House Books for Young Readers, will include stories previously published in Redbook in the 1950s. Though they've technically been released before, they're not well-known, and will be new to most readers.

The title story dates from 1951, while another story dates back to 1955, and the other two from 1950. Readers will see the familiar Horton (obviously) and also the Grinch, who stars in "The Hoobub and the Grinch." Here's more scoop on the collection, according to the publisher:

A new Dr. Seuss book! This follow-up to The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories features familiar Seussian faces and places—including Horton the Elephant, Marco, Mulberry Street, and a Grinch—as well as an introduction by renowned Seuss scholar Charles D. Cohen. Seuss fans will learn more about Horton’s integrity, Marco’s amazing imagination, a narrowly avoided disaster on Mullbery Street, and a devious Grinch. With a color palette enhanced beyond that of the magazines in which the stories originally appeared, this new volume of “lost” tales is a perfect gift for young readers and a must-have for Seuss collectors of all ages!

Um. Yes. Of course, there's a possibility that these tales won't revolutionize the way we see Seuss, sure, but I sort of don't care. I'm all game for a little extra Horton in my life. I mean, just look at that punim: