Welcome to the wonderful world of whimsical, wacky writing, and crazy, colorful caricatures. Geeezz, that’s hard to read aloud. The Foot Book, Dr. Seuss’s Wacky Book of Opposites is an inspired introduction to contrary concepts, such as left verses right, and just plain silliness through rhyme. Wet/dry, high/low, front/back, and well/sick… you get the gist. William LOVED this book when he was a baby. He especially liked the pig page.

Up feet, down feet, here come clown feet.
Small feet, big feet, here come pig feet.

It’s a quick read. It takes less than a minute to complete, although, we’d sit for 5-minutes or more just talking about the illustrations. If you’ve ever read an original Seuss, then you know what I mean when I say they are whimsical, and colorful. Of course, I am partial to Seuss’s illustrated works, rather than the books he wrote and others illustrated for him, such as The Eye Book. His caricatures are silly, almost fantasy like. He doesn’t use a lot of color on each page; however, the overall effect is upbeat, and always entertaining.

The Foot Book, Dr. Seuss’s Wacky Book of Opposites is NOT a miniature version of Seuss’s, The Foot Book. The text, and images have been adapted from the original to accommodate board book standards. Yet, the phrasing and prose flow, as is apparent from the above excerpt.

There has been a great deal of controversy regarding these little books. It seems, others think the publisher, has infringed upon the copyright laws. When these “Bright and Early Board Books” were released in 2001, the titles, and the covers were the same as the originals. Some were confused, and even angered. Apparently, they thought they were buying smaller, yet full-text copies of the originals. It clearly states they are adapted formats on the back of the cover, so I don’t understand what the fuss is all about. Random House has since altered the titles, and covers to indicate the modifications. For instance, The Foot Book has a white cover, while The Foot Book, Dr. Seuss’s Wacky Book of Opposites has a green background even though the image is the same.

I, for one, was thrilled to have the opportunity to offer my infant son a CLASSIC Seuss narrative, even in it’s ADAPTED form. These magical miniatures are delightfully entertaining for little babies. Especially for those who enjoy the positive interaction of cooperative play through reading. The objective of these small books is to appeal to newborns, and very young children who are not attentive enough for the full-text versions. They are NOT meant to replace the originals. Moreover, these pocket-size gems are fashioned for effortless travel to the market, on a plane, in the car, or on a train. Hee, hee… that’s my own Seuss inspired rhyme.

Enjoy,
Mary

In honor of what would have been Theodor Geisel’s 100th birthday the National Education Association is hosting a yearlong celebration called Seussentennial: A Century of Imagination. Check out the details at the following site http://www.seussville.com/seussentennial/. This review is my entry in Debbie26’s write-off paying tribute to the wonderfully, creative man known as Dr. Seuss.

Other Entries
Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories
My Book about Me: By Me, Myself
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
The Little Engine That Could
Green Eggs & Ham
Daisy-Head Mayzie
King and King
Paul Bunyan
Nina's Waltz
Hop on Pop
Buttermilk


Recommended: Yes