With this newly discovered and never-before-seen picture book by Dr. Seuss himself, celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States of America! From Alabama to Wyoming, learn the names of all 50 states with a little help from the Cat in the Hat.
To sing the 50 United States you have to use your brain.
Massachusetts. Minnesota. Missouri and Montana. M-i-s-s-Mississippi. Maryland! Michigan and Maine!
In this never-before-seen picture book featuring Dr. Seuss’s signature rhyming style, readers will delight in naming the 50 states alongside the beloved Cat in the Hat! Funny, engaging, and educational, this book is ideal for Seuss fans and collectors of all ages. Sing the 50 United States features original, previously unpublished text by Dr. Seuss and brand-new illustrations inspired by his sketches.
At the end of the book you’ll find a Publisher’s Note about how this project came to be, including archival images of the original text and sketches by Ted Geisel—a.k.a. Dr. Seuss!
Remove the book’s jacket to reveal a complete map of the United States on the back, perfect for readers to test their own state-naming skills.
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.
This latest posthumously published book from the late-but-great Dr. Seuss, which he wrote but didn’t illustrate, is a interesting but well meaning book about the United States.
We see our Cat in the Hat and his little ones putting all the 50 states together puzzle-style while also making some nice rhymes with the state names.
For a Seuss book it’s not very story-driven but still a nice and informative book for kids to teach them about the states and their names. The illustrations still give that nice and zippy Seussian look, even if they look a bit too well-uniformed. The best thing though is the afterword as we learn of how this book came to be through how it was discovered and the early drafts it shows.
A fine and rhythmic book about the states, Not a classic Seuss but still great.
I am very excited about this picture book that has been published after the manuscript was discoverd in the archives of UC San Diego's Geisel Library and recently published by Random House Children's Books. This is very exciting to add to the books that celebrate the 250 birthday of our country this coming July.
Seuss's recognizable rhymes and his play with words are present in this picture book. Everyone's favorite Cat in the Hat is here to teach the names of the states in an engaging way for young readers. The shapes of the states on the maps are included for children to locate on a large map of the United States. Come read along and sing with the Cat in the Hat to learn all of the states to celebrate our country.
A Note From the Publisher is included at the end of the book to tell about how this treasure of a manuscript was found and published as a book.
Isn't it fun when previously unpublished material from a beloved author/illustrator is discovered and brought to life? Well, it can be when it's in the hands of the infamous Cat in the Hat and Dr. Seuss. Here, the Cat takes readers on a singing journey through the 50 states in this country. It all starts out with the M's and Massachusetts, eventually concluding with one missing state. But readers will have to check out the book to find out which one was (almost) omitted. I'm not sure if teachers even teach the names of the 50 states anymore, but memorizing them or trying to identify them on a map without their names can be lots of fun. There are no depictions of terrain or scenes from each state--just visual representations of their shapes and borders. I smiled all the way through this one. Most youngsters will too.
An example of why not to posthumously publish manuscripts. Ted obv. didn't think it was ready, and it's not. The song doesn't do anything helpful, and is in no particular order. The map is given, and does pay a bit of attention to regions... and that's the best way to just plain memorize the states. Even better of course is learning about them. For example not just the Southwest, but the *desert* southwest, including the Grand Canyon & White Sands.... I would never use this.
A beautiful "lost classic" of Dr. Seuss's imagination found in time for the 250th birthday of America. The book is true to Dr. Seuss and The Cat in the Hat and is the purr-fect way for children to learn the names of the states. The illustrations are spot on as well. I've already purchased two copies one for a baby shower gift and the other for a first birthday present.
Based on a raw manuscript found in the Seuss archives and illustrated in his style. Not his best work, but fun and informative for kids who are just learning about U.S. geography. No information about any state is provided except the name and the map location, with Alaska and Hawaii off to the side.
Getting ready for our Patriotic storytimes this week. This one is okay. It just bugs me that we start with the states in an order that is not alphabetical in nature. That would have made far more sense to me, but it was colorful and Dr. Seussy.
A Dr. Seuss books from the archives, this story wasn’t discovered until May of 2025. A ziggy and zaggy story that takes up through the 50 states, it’s not necessarily in order, but it goes cover the country. A classic for Dr. Seuss fans.
It turns out that the rough sketches, ideas, and page layouts were already done and saved in the University of California San Diego's Geisel Library. It's just that no one had found all of this until May, 2025. Just in time for it to be published before 04 July 2026 - our Semiquincentennial.
This one disappoints. No rhyming, no sing-songy meter. Maybe there’s a reason he never published it and we should stop publishing stuff we find in dead authors’ archives.
The Cat in the Hat sings about the 50 United States, with each state colorfully depicted. Inside the dust cover is another copy of the states together where they lie.
4.5 rounded up…I guess Dr. Seuss’ family is still getting rich off of his works after all these years. 🤷🏻♀️ I am a retired children’s librarian, and so of course, I respect Dr. Seuss’ great classic works. I even don’t mind the knock-off books that have been made of his character The Cat in the Hat. I am amazed though that they are still “discovering” new works by him after all of this time. Not that I don’t believe this was an authentic idea of his, but I can’t help thinking the timing of this release right before USA’s 250th birthday is a little too convenient. Still, it is not a bad book. I always love the little Kitten in a Hat too.