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Dr. Seuss' ABC
From Aunt Annie’s alligator to the colourful Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz, Dr. Seuss’s delightful book introduces early learners to the letters of the alphabet through an amazing array of crazy creatures. With his unique combination of hilarious stories, zany pictures and riotous rhymes, Dr. Seuss has been delighting young children and helping them learn to read for over fifty years. Creator of the wonderfully anarchic Cat in the Hat, and ranked among the UK's top ten favourite children's authors, Seuss is firmly established as a global best-seller, with nearly half a billion books sold worldwide. As the first step in a major rebrand programme, HarperCollins is relaunching 17 of Dr. Seuss's best-selling books, including such perennial favourites as The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham and Fox in Socks. In response to consumer demand, the bright new cover designs incorporate much needed guidance on reading levels, with the standard paperbacks divided into three reading strands – Blue Back Books for parents to share with young children, Green Back Books for budding readers to tackle on their own, and Yellow Back Books for older, more fluent readers to enjoy. Dr. Seuss’s ABC belongs to the Blue Back Book range.
63 pages, Paperback
First published August 29, 1963
397 people are currently reading
14352 people want to read
About the author
Dr. Seuss
946 books18.4k followersAlso 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
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
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,738 reviews
January 31, 2026
(B+) 76% | Good
Notes: An okay abecedary: no real detail (no scenery nor any ostentation), example words can get absurd, if fine alliteration.
*Progress update
Notes: An okay abecedary: no real detail (no scenery nor any ostentation), example words can get absurd, if fine alliteration.
*Progress update
April 19, 2025
5 ⭐
BIG A,
little a,
What begins with A?
Absolutely
awesome
arrangement
aimed
at
assisting
apprehensive
amateur’s
admirable
albeit
awful
attempts
at
alphabetical
apprehension
and
articulation!
A…a…A!
Wanna get those “A, D, C, B, E, S, G”’s sounding more like the commonly preferred “A, B, C, D, E, F, G”’s?
Wanna hear more “H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P” instead of the admittedly humorous, but horrendous, “8, I, J, Tay (?), L, N, M, O, P”?
Theodor Seuss, PhD is your man! As soon as your little critter shows even an inkling of interest in the alphabet, slip this one into the repertoire and they’ll be cruelly, not to mention foolishly, correcting their Venezuelan mother’s pronunciation faster than you can say “Cuidado, niña!”
BIG A,
little a,
What begins with A?
Absolutely
awesome
arrangement
aimed
at
assisting
apprehensive
amateur’s
admirable
albeit
awful
attempts
at
alphabetical
apprehension
and
articulation!
A…a…A!
Wanna get those “A, D, C, B, E, S, G”’s sounding more like the commonly preferred “A, B, C, D, E, F, G”’s?
Wanna hear more “H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P” instead of the admittedly humorous, but horrendous, “8, I, J, Tay (?), L, N, M, O, P”?
Theodor Seuss, PhD is your man! As soon as your little critter shows even an inkling of interest in the alphabet, slip this one into the repertoire and they’ll be cruelly, not to mention foolishly, correcting their Venezuelan mother’s pronunciation faster than you can say “Cuidado, niña!”
August 23, 2021
I think this was in a tub of crap my father-in-law sent us home with. Anyway, my wife got it out yesterday and I read it to Miles at least seven times. A toddler pushing a book into your hands and saying "Read! Read!" is hard to ignore.
The artwork is typical Seuss, which I like. Every letter has a page or two dedicated to it, usually including a tongue twister like "Four fluffy feathers on a fiffer-feffer-feff."
Not as many corpses as I would like but a fun read none the less.
The artwork is typical Seuss, which I like. Every letter has a page or two dedicated to it, usually including a tongue twister like "Four fluffy feathers on a fiffer-feffer-feff."
Not as many corpses as I would like but a fun read none the less.
February 3, 2012
Only Dr. Seuss has the audacity to make up names in a book that teaches kids the alphabet.
Zizzer-zazzer-zuzz? Really?
Can you tell I've been reading lots of these books lately with my 18 month old?
Zizzer-zazzer-zuzz? Really?
Can you tell I've been reading lots of these books lately with my 18 month old?
April 3, 2017
Innovative words. Amazing alliterations. Made-up names.
This is Dr. Seuss for you.
Well done, doctor. :D
This is Dr. Seuss for you.
Well done, doctor. :D
July 1, 2023
I work at a farm and there's a Country Store there that sells a lot of wonderful things!! All donations go for the care and feeding if the farm animals and birds. Anyway, I ran across two Dr. Suess books today and couldn't pass them up! This is one of them!!
It's too adorable!!! It's a rhyming book that match the letters of the alphabet and has wonderfully colored illusions on each page!!!! So much for everyone adults and kids alike!!!
ABC's were never more fun!!😁
Enjoy and Happy Reading 💫✨
It's too adorable!!! It's a rhyming book that match the letters of the alphabet and has wonderfully colored illusions on each page!!!! So much for everyone adults and kids alike!!!
ABC's were never more fun!!😁
Enjoy and Happy Reading 💫✨
September 17, 2020
My best friend just got like eight Dr. Seuss books and I am not sorry about flooding your feed today and tomorrow with me reading them and telling you how amazing they are.
Because, I mean, it's Dr. Seuss. Can it be anything less?
I would read this to my kids, your kids, your neighbor's kids, the kid down the block, the kid of my worst enemy and probably just all kids. Alphabets can be fun.
Because, I mean, it's Dr. Seuss. Can it be anything less?
I would read this to my kids, your kids, your neighbor's kids, the kid down the block, the kid of my worst enemy and probably just all kids. Alphabets can be fun.
December 15, 2017
I think that this is the most amazing alphabet book ever, word-wise. (Animalia wins for pictures, I think.)
We've been collecting Dr. Seuss books for quite some time, because we tend to like them. I never read this book as a child, and I'm almost glad, because I get to be so astounded now as an adult.
First of all, there's great meter. Second, there's tons of alliteration. Third, the alliteration is not only at the beginnings of words, but inside them, too:
"Barber
baby
bubbles
and a
bumblebee"
"Four fluffy feathers
on a
Fiffer-feffer-feff."
I actually didn't notice this until my son had insisted on me reading this to him about twenty times. I woke up in the middle of the night and thought, "Hey!" And since I practically have this book memorized (the catchy rhythm and alliteration help), I went through the book in my head at four in the morning and realized exactly how amazing this book is.
Simple words. Amazing alliteration. Great meter. Incredible creativity. How did he manage?
We've been collecting Dr. Seuss books for quite some time, because we tend to like them. I never read this book as a child, and I'm almost glad, because I get to be so astounded now as an adult.
First of all, there's great meter. Second, there's tons of alliteration. Third, the alliteration is not only at the beginnings of words, but inside them, too:
"Barber
baby
bubbles
and a
bumblebee"
"Four fluffy feathers
on a
Fiffer-feffer-feff."
I actually didn't notice this until my son had insisted on me reading this to him about twenty times. I woke up in the middle of the night and thought, "Hey!" And since I practically have this book memorized (the catchy rhythm and alliteration help), I went through the book in my head at four in the morning and realized exactly how amazing this book is.
Simple words. Amazing alliteration. Great meter. Incredible creativity. How did he manage?
April 3, 2025
perfectly rapped on tiktok. 4/5 stars.
November 22, 2021
An old favorite from childhood...and a great way to help me get back on track with my annual reading goal!
July 1, 2025
This is in my daughter’s on-the-go backpack, which is full of little activities for her to do while in the car or when the family is attending Bible Study.
She goes through this book a lot; either reading it to herself or reading it to Cal. It’s pretty cute to hear her. While she has much of it memorized, it’s fun to see how she gets creative with what she doesn’t remember.
A fun one that helps teach upper and lower case letters with wacky characters.
Watch my kiddo’s ABC time and discover our family favorites.
Ages: 2 - 5
Content Considerations: nothing to note.
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I have an Instagram account that’s pretty bookishly unique too!
She goes through this book a lot; either reading it to herself or reading it to Cal. It’s pretty cute to hear her. While she has much of it memorized, it’s fun to see how she gets creative with what she doesn’t remember.
A fun one that helps teach upper and lower case letters with wacky characters.
Watch my kiddo’s ABC time and discover our family favorites.
Ages: 2 - 5
Content Considerations: nothing to note.
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide Content Considerations, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
If you’re considering a book or looking for a new title to read, check out my highly categorized shelves, read my reviews and Friend or Follow me to spiff up your feed with clean, wholesome, living books.
I have an Instagram account that’s pretty bookishly unique too!
September 15, 2025
Well, what can I say? I indulged myself with a little of Dr Seuss and taught myself my A B C - Z all over again. It was fun, the illustrations are fun, the book is fun and is a must for children of all ages!
I am now reviewing a different edition that goes into far more detail than the one reviewed above. It still runs through the gamut of the alphabet, it is still fun, the illustrations are as zany as Dr Seuss can be and it is still a must for children of all ages. Believe it or not, I bought it for my daughter (she is in her 40s and still loves Dr Seuss) for Christmas and she was determined to read it aloud to me - and she did. I then decided to read it myself because it was such fun.
'Auntie Aggie and her alligator' start proceedings off then we work through to 'Jerry Jordan's jelly jar and jam begin that way' onward to 'Silly Sammy Slick sipped six sodas and got sick sick sick' to a final 'What begins with Z? I do. I am a Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz as you can plainly see.' And we can see the Zizzer sat there in his pink and white squared one piece - or is it his unusually coloured fur?
A jolly good bit of fun to be had at Christmas.
I am now reviewing a different edition that goes into far more detail than the one reviewed above. It still runs through the gamut of the alphabet, it is still fun, the illustrations are as zany as Dr Seuss can be and it is still a must for children of all ages. Believe it or not, I bought it for my daughter (she is in her 40s and still loves Dr Seuss) for Christmas and she was determined to read it aloud to me - and she did. I then decided to read it myself because it was such fun.
'Auntie Aggie and her alligator' start proceedings off then we work through to 'Jerry Jordan's jelly jar and jam begin that way' onward to 'Silly Sammy Slick sipped six sodas and got sick sick sick' to a final 'What begins with Z? I do. I am a Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz as you can plainly see.' And we can see the Zizzer sat there in his pink and white squared one piece - or is it his unusually coloured fur?
A jolly good bit of fun to be had at Christmas.
April 6, 2015
BIG A,
little a,
what begins with A?
Aunt Annie's alligator.
A...a...A
BIG B,
little b,
what begins with B?
Barber
baby
bubbles
and a
bumblebee.
...
little a,
what begins with A?
Aunt Annie's alligator.
A...a...A
BIG B,
little b,
what begins with B?
Barber
baby
bubbles
and a
bumblebee.
...
July 5, 2013
We have quite a few ABC books in the house now, but I don't think any of them are quite as fun to read as this one - certainly not with the younger readers anyway. Seuss doesn't go for the usual pattern of picking one thing for each letter; no, he has to include silly rhymes and even some made-up words too, paired with his trademark slightly-unrealistic illustrations. A sample:
BIG A,
little a,
what begins with A?
Aunt Annie's alligator.
A...a...A
BIG F,
little f
what begins with F?
Four fluffy feathers on a Fiffer-feffer-feff.
BIG O,
little o,
what begins with O?
Ostrich, oil,
orange owl.
O...o...O
BIG Y,
little y,
what begins with Y?
A yawning yellow yak
with Yolanda on his back.
There's some variety, not all the rhymes follow the same exact format, but they all start the same way and most end with the letters again. Writing the alphabet this way does make for a fairly long read, though, and so far the kids (recently turned or turning 2) get a bit restless and distracted before the end. But there's some good vocabulary here (and not too many made-up words) and you can get them to name the things in the pictures, too.
BIG A,
little a,
what begins with A?
Aunt Annie's alligator.
A...a...A
BIG F,
little f
what begins with F?
Four fluffy feathers on a Fiffer-feffer-feff.
BIG O,
little o,
what begins with O?
Ostrich, oil,
orange owl.
O...o...O
BIG Y,
little y,
what begins with Y?
A yawning yellow yak
with Yolanda on his back.
There's some variety, not all the rhymes follow the same exact format, but they all start the same way and most end with the letters again. Writing the alphabet this way does make for a fairly long read, though, and so far the kids (recently turned or turning 2) get a bit restless and distracted before the end. But there's some good vocabulary here (and not too many made-up words) and you can get them to name the things in the pictures, too.
January 30, 2015
His parents being concerned about how much time he was spending watching a computer video game on YouTube, first-grader Jack was told to stop and I thereupon invited him to pick out a book to read instead. He selected this one without complaint and the two of us proceeded to study it, page by page, both in terms of its words, but also in terms of their reference to the art work. To make it more participatory, I asked Jack to give a word starting with the letter-to-come before proceeding to see what author Geisel's selection would be. It worked, worked enough for the two of us to get through the whole thing, Jack's attention span for reading usually not being adequate to entire children's books.
March 1, 2013
"Big A little a what begins with A?" And it begins -- the sound of a little voice answering the question - "Aunt Annie's Alligator A a A." This is a favorite read in the car - so much so that my grand kids have it memorized!
Dr. Seuss has a magical way of rhyming and creating rhythm that appeal to young and old. You begin reading about Aunt Annie's alligator and you're off into that delightful rhythm that keeps you and the children hooked to the very end with the Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz. Seuss never disappoints - the rhyme and rhythm are always precise, all because of his great imagination. Nixie Knox and Willy Waterloo, Warren Wiggins and Waldo Woo are all wonderful characters that take us through the travels of the alphabet.
The book is full of anticipation as each page turns will there be blue or red, polka dots or plaids or fancy flying feathers -- who knows? Will the letters be big or very, very small? We can't seem to read it fast enough to see what comes next!
Thanks, Dr. Seuss, for the cat in the hat, the green eggs, Horton and the fish in the bowl. You've helped kids all over the world love to read! Thanks for the good reads!!!
Dr. Seuss has a magical way of rhyming and creating rhythm that appeal to young and old. You begin reading about Aunt Annie's alligator and you're off into that delightful rhythm that keeps you and the children hooked to the very end with the Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz. Seuss never disappoints - the rhyme and rhythm are always precise, all because of his great imagination. Nixie Knox and Willy Waterloo, Warren Wiggins and Waldo Woo are all wonderful characters that take us through the travels of the alphabet.
The book is full of anticipation as each page turns will there be blue or red, polka dots or plaids or fancy flying feathers -- who knows? Will the letters be big or very, very small? We can't seem to read it fast enough to see what comes next!
Thanks, Dr. Seuss, for the cat in the hat, the green eggs, Horton and the fish in the bowl. You've helped kids all over the world love to read! Thanks for the good reads!!!
April 3, 2024
challenging read
February 25, 2022
While living in Athens, Greece, then River Forest, Illinois, we introduced my son to our alphabet using Dr. Seuss. While in Pasadena, Texas, and Cicero, Illinois, then Oran, Algeria, I introduced him to McGuffey's Readers by which he learned to read exceptionally well. By the age of 4 and 5 he had started to read novels and adventure comics. Thanks to Seuss and McGuffey.
September 23, 2021
That is great for learning the English alphabet.
January 11, 2016
I'll definitely read this book to my child :)
October 16, 2016
I insist on this one at least once every two weeks to get the alphabet front and center for my son. I think his favorite is Rosie’s Red Rhinoceros but then the Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz is also pretty neat
February 9, 2017
This is an excellent book for some one who is just learning to read. I look forward to reading more of this author's work.
March 9, 2017
My grand daughter read this one to me. The majority of words easy for her to handle.
May 4, 2022
4 stars & 4/10 hearts. Simply delightful to read aloud, and a guarantee to never forget any letter. ;)
February 28, 2024
Quintessential Dr. Seuss book right here… feels normal, and then all of a sudden F throws you for a curve ball and you’re like wait is that a word? I think it’s probably still age appropriate for a toddler but it is hard to explain made up words to them. Definitely not great for the age of kids that are learning to read because they will for sure get confused. Overall, I love the old school illustrations and wackiness. Solid 4 stars, would recommend!
June 21, 2018
I read this with my 9yo cousin and it was a fun activity to get her to think about different words that begin with different letters, especially enjoyed thinking of animals beginning with whichever letter we were on. This is really useful and a super fun activity to do with your children!
April 17, 2019
Love Dr. Seuss, great illustrations!
February 21, 2020
Read to my grade 1’s :)
January 21, 2026
This is what all the other alphabet books are trying to be. This one wins.
January 6, 2022
Learning the alphabet is as fun and as funny as the feather on a Fiffer-feffer-feff!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,738 reviews