Hop on Pop
by Dr. Seuss

Children's book review by Steve Barancik

Ages 3-6

SEUSS LOOSE
Seuss on the loose

The subtitle of Hop on Pop is "The Simplest Seuss for Youngest Use." While I suspect the good Doctor didn't write that subtitle, it certainly sums things up aptly.

Each turn of the page brings the same 3 components:

• Two rhyming words in big, capital letters
• A very short sentence (or sentence fragment) containing those words
• A trademark Seuss illustration, confirming those words

For instance...

MOUSE
HOUSE

Mouse on house.

HOUSE
MOUSE

House on mouse.

(Don't worry: the mouse isn't crushed.)

Seuss uses phonics and rhyming to make reading seem possible. Even three year olds will be tempted to try to make sense of the text. The book's layout absolutely invites them to have a go at it.

THREE
TREE

Three fish in a tree.
Fish in a tree?
How can that be?

The text gets progressively tougher, which means this book gets a lot of use. With every reading, your child gets a bit farther before Mom or Dad has to take over.

This simple formula made Hop on Pop the 16th most popular hardcover children's book of the entire 20th century!

The inside cover features rhyming sets of words for great phonics practice:

• all
• call
• ball
• wall
• fall
• tall
• small

The illustrations are pure Seuss, with great Seussian characters on every page. The focus on living entitities, rather than inanimate objects, means that the book never fails to engage.

Do you have a little, eager-to-read beaver? Hop on Pop IS "The Simplest Seuss for Youngest Use."

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