Hunches in Bunches

by Dr. Seuss

A classic Dr. Seuss story about the difficulty of making up one's mind! From the beloved author of How the Grinch Stole Christmas and The Lorax—this is the perfect book to inspire children to overcome indecision and gain confidence in their choices!

It’s awfully awfully awful
When you can’t make up your mind!
Do you want to kick a football?
Or sit there on your behind?
Do you want to go out skating?
Fly a kite? Or climb a tree?
Do you want to eat a pizza?
Take a bath? Or watch TV?

Dr. Seuss adds his signature spin to the age-old dilemma of indecisiveness in his rhyming picture-book classic Hunches in Bunches. Whether readers have a “four-way hunch,” a “nowhere hunch,” or an “up hunch,” Dr. Seuss and his unmistakable one-of-a-kind advice will ensure that they won’t get “ga-fluppted" when choosing what to do!

Now available in the same size as other classic Dr. Seuss books like How the Grinch Stole Christmas and The Lorax!

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Poetry, Fantasy, Humor, Classics

25 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 12, 1982

About the author

Also wrote as Theodore Seuss Geisel, see https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Theodor Seuss Geisel was born 2 March 1904 in Springfield, Massachusetts. He graduated Dartmouth College in 1925, and proceeded on to Oxford University with the intent of acquiring a doctorate in literature. At Oxford he met Helen Palmer, who he wed in 1927. He returned from Europe in 1927, and began working for a magazine called Judge, the leading humor magazine in America at the time, submitting both cartoons and humorous articles for them. Additionally, he was submitting cartoons to Life, Vanity Fair and Liberty. In some of his works, he'd made reference to an insecticide called Flit. These references gained notice, and led to a contract to draw comic ads for Flit. This association lasted 17 years, gained him national exposure, and coined the catchphrase "Quick, Henry, the Flit!"

In 1936 on the way to a vacation in Europe, listening to the rhythm of the ship's engines, he came up with And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, which was then promptly rejected by the first 43 publishers he showed it to. Eventually in 1937 a friend published the book for him, and it went on to at least moderate success.

During World War II, Geisel joined the army and was sent to Hollywood. Captain Geisel would write for Frank Capra's Signal Corps Unit (for which he won the Legion of Merit) and do documentaries (he won Oscar's for Hitler Lives and Design for Death). He also created a cartoon called Gerald McBoing-Boing which also won him an Oscar.

In May of 1954, Life published a report concerning illiteracy among school children. The report said, among other things, that children were having trouble to read because their books were boring. This inspired Geisel's publisher, and prompted him to send Geisel a list of 400 words he felt were important, asked him to cut the list to 250 words (the publishers idea of how many words at one time a first grader could absorb), and write a book. Nine months later, Geisel, using 220 of the words given to him published The Cat in the Hat , which went on to instant success.

In 1960 Bennett Cerf bet Geisel $50 that he couldn't write an entire book using only fifty words. The result was Green Eggs and Ham . Cerf never paid the $50 from the bet.

Helen Palmer Geisel died in 1967. Theodor Geisel married Audrey Stone Diamond in 1968. Theodor Seuss Geisel died 24 September 1991.

Also worked under the pen name: Theo Le Sieg

Reviews

[Jayson · Rating 3 out of 5]

(B) 75% | More than Satisfactory
Notes: Rhyming's funky (rhythm's clunky), loosey-goosey plot, would be more fun if tighter spun and not quite scattershot.

*Progress update

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cute story about indecisiveness. Love the illustrations!

[Amber the Human · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not one of Seuss' best. I kind of get where he's going and the story he's trying to tell, but it comes off as a little wishy-washy with an unsatisfying ending. He wrote a lot of books, and not all of them are going to be gold. That's okay.

[Grant Hohlbein · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS WAS FIRE 🔥

[Tina · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is fine but the rhythm just isn’t there for reading aloud, and there are a lot of longer, less common words mixed in with made up jibber jabber that would make it a difficult choice for an earlier reader.

[Lisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book didn't flow like the Dr. Seuss books I'm used to reading. I was disappointed in the story line and the lack of quality in the "made-up" words.

[Katja Labonté · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars & 4/10 hearts. Such an enjoyable and excellent portrayal of moods and boredom! Another classic and delightful Dr. Seuss. <3

[Les Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who better for a family read time than Dr. Seuss. Loved his work from way back when.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always Dr. Suess is tongue twisting fun. This side project is allowing me to visit Seuss books I don’t remember, or maybe never read, and it has been such a joyride. This book is about what to do when you can't make up your mind. I am pretty sure, it doesn’t actually answer anything. But I could go for a hotdog or six.

[Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boy can't decide what to do.
Boy battles with possible options.
Boy decides to eat lunch.
Story of my life.

[Neda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I definitely have fallen in love with this book.. That's because it's really like that when you cannot make up your mind.. Oh these 'Hunches'..
Oh I would have given it ten starts at least...

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is a Hunch? This Funny Tale Will Explain Everything.

[Radwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

being riddled with indecisiveness, I quite enjoyed this read. I mean this is my daily life, not knowing what to do with the few hours of free time, or where to eat out, or which dress to buy, etc. rhyming absurd fun!

"Do you ever sit and fidget
when you don't know what to do?
everybody gets the fidgets
even me and even you
and today was quite an awful day
for me and my poor pup
my trouble was I had a mind
but I couldn't make it up."

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book disappointed me a little. It's definitely not a bad book and I'm sure many children enjoy it. But it just pales in comparison, in my opinion, with other Dr. Suess greats.

I read "Hunches in Bunches" to some of the preschool-aged children I work with and it didn't go over all to well - and I agreed with them afterward. I understand the concept of hunches, but I think it was lost among the children I read to. It was just a little too odd and goofy to have much of a point. I also thought the illustrations were mediocre.

Some details I noticed include:

* This book is 39 pages and its length became evident as it wasn't an incredibly fun book for me to read.

* This book was published in 1982 and that made sense to me with the illustration and maybe some natural fade my copy of the book has accrued. The illustrations just seemed a bit dull - or drab - for my taste (and I think my little read-along friends would say so too).

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a little boy decides how to spend his day he is presented with a multitude of options by strange creatures known as Hunches. Each Hunch has a specific purpose such as an Up Hunch goes up while a Down Hunch goes down. In the end, we find out that the Munch Hunch is the best Hunch of all.

Fun rhyming nonsense in full color. I liked studying the facial expressions on the different Hunches. I never read this book as a kid, but reading it as an adult I couldn't help thinking how a busy day at work sometimes feels like this story; being overwhelmed with options and sometimes they directly oppose one another.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read it today ...It made me feel like a rhyme...so I did in time to whoopeedopine

It made me feel silly and happy which is just what I needed.....

[Zara]

If I have to read those for the kids then I will add them to my gr lol.

[Savannah Kerr · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you don’t know what to do the Hunches in Dr. Seuss’ book will help you out. They like to give many directions and advice to the little boy who doesn’t know quite what to do with his day. They tell him to go out and play, do to his homework, and to go on a walk. Finally he decides he needs many of himself before he can get all the stuff done. At the end he decides to go to the kitchen and eat hotdogs for lunch! Very cute book again the typical Dr. Seuss book that contains great rhyming. This book would work well for a young beginning reader to help with fluency.

[Tim · Rating 2 out of 5]

if I don't like a book, I usually don't bother reading it. But this one was by Dr Seuss, so I got through it, and it just wasn't quite like his others.
the artwork is much less spectacular, the plot less adventurous, and the theme rather dull. the protagonist is struggling to make it decision, following different hunters that lead to know where. In the end, nothing is really learned except that he's hungry and needs to get something to eat.
does this reflect had dark and cynical in Seuss's later life?

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

With crazy, made-up creatures and a rhythmic, rhyming narrative, this is a very typical story by Dr. Seuss. The story is humorous and it's a fun book to read aloud.

We have been searching for any of his books that we haven't yet read - I didn't realize just how many books he wrote! I thought I'd read all of his books when I was a kid, but I was wrong!

[Tracey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really do love Dr. Seuss books, but sadly this one was very disappointing. It was as if The Cat in the Hat came back to haunt you as Hunches in Bunches. I could not wait to finish the book and sadly would not be recommending it to any of my students to read.

[Wilde Sky · Rating 4 out of 5]

A boy tries to decide what to do

This was a bizarre but entertaining book with funny illustrations, but it was not as good as the other books in the series.

Overall rating 3.5.

Reading time around twenty minutes.

[Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite Seuss book!

[Nojood Alsudairi · Rating 4 out of 5]

My trouble was I had a mind
ButI couldn't make it up!
I did not know whether I should give this book four stars or five, but then
the repeated nonsense of the cat in the hat made the four win.

[Canavan · Rating 3 out of 5]

✭✭✭

[The Brothers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Dr. Suess classic is about being "paralyzed" by indecision because there are too many option to choose from!

Love, love, loved it and the illustrations.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I never read this on before. It doesn't grab me. I'm putting it down on the list.

[Dane Cobain · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn’t one of Seuss’s most famous books, but it’s still alright for what it is and I found it good for a chuckle.

[Edward Sojuwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not only is this likely the only Dr Seuss to acknowledge the existence of such inventions as video games and pizza, it could very well be his weakest kids lit book of all time, since it also dares to discuss what a lot of us who are mentally ill, like me, go thru in our own minds and our own lives: the voices of indecisiveness which give us big time headaches, among....other things. But I'm sure the good Dr never intended any harmful commentary about us. After all, as I see it, parody is a form of flattery as well as grateful thanks to us because, hey, we're survivors of the war in our heads. In this book, one of his last before his death, voices of indecision are represented by creatures called Hunches, who bicker back and forth on how an ordinary person should carry out his/her day. One says "Go outside and play." One says, "Stay indoors." One says "Try four things at once." Still another: "Do nothing, like you usually do! Ha ha." Me, I get that way too. Every day I strive to decide whether to watch Netflix or YouTube or read my ebooks, and end up playing a nice quiet video game like, say, Dead Trigger 2. Okay, bad joke. But you see my point, right? I go thru bunches of my own hunches, and my hunches are more like hunchbacks! From Notre Dame! Which is the favorite college team of my best friend from Youngstown, Ohio! They're THAT BIG! EEK!...Anyway, once again Dr Seuss sees into our psyches and knows our secrets. Except he has no real answer this time, only some pat ending involving the eating of six hot dogs. (I prefer burgers but hot dogs with chili will do as an alternate.) Good, but not classic like his usual. Must be the mention of video games and pizza. That'll do it.
Three stars
Seuss' Hunches pull a few punches, and the good Dr is out to lunches.

[Alex Popkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hunches in Bunches gives further confirmation that Dr. Seuss was a strange, amazing, and utterly wonderful author.

All of his books share certain features, most notably his instantly recognizable artwork full of strange but mainly friendly creatures and the rhyme scheme. Hunches in Bunches follows that pattern, but as with so many other Seuss successes, it has a unique theme. The story starts with an unnamed narrator sitting at home with his dog, reflecting: “Do you ever sit and fidget when you don't know what to do...? Everybody gets the fidgets. Even me and even you.” Then a series of “hunches” appear, each one with an idea, such as that he should go outside, do his homework, or go play video games. The hunches are depicted as figures of varying height, some human-sized and some towering, but each with a giant hand-shaped hat on his head pointing in a specific direction. An odd idea for a book, to be sure, but in the capable hands of Dr. Seuss it works well with neither the text nor the pictures growing repetitive.

The book is not merely an excuse for a series of bizarrely funny pictures, though. It actually introduces children to the notion that their mind is frequently non-linear, with thoughts and ideas arising unpredictably, interrupting plans and diverting from goals. Saint Augustine noted that while our bodies obey mental commands, our minds do not, and numerous other philosophers and scientists have tackled the restless, uncontrollable nature of our inner experiences. Seuss clearly felt that it was never to early to teach children about this matter, and this amusing book is the result.