The Foot Book

by Dr. Seuss

Children's book review by Steve Barancik

Ages 0-5

How many, many feet you meet!

On one level, this certainly isn't Seuss's most exciting book.

It's from the Bright and Early series, the Seuss books for the youngest readers. Very few words, lots of repetition, and lots of clues from the pictures about what we're looking at.

Compared to Bright and Early books like Mr. Brown Can Moo and There's a Wocket in My Pocket, there are no nonsense words in The Foot Book. It's all in the dictionary! You're free to consider that a positve or a negative.

We're talking simple. A typical two page spread reads...

His feet
Her feet
Fuzzy fur feet

I can't see calling The Foot Book a story, since there is no narrative. The book's only sense of continuity is provided by the friendly brown creature (you can see him on the cover) presenting a wide variety of feet for our enjoyment. (There are plenty of made up creatures depicted - with made up feet - just no made up names.)

Alert: In 1996, the publishers came out with a board book version of Seuss's Foot Book, subtitled Dr. Seuss's Wacky Book of Opposites, and though I haven't seen it I can report that more than a few parents and reviewers seem to consider it an abomination. In one example I saw cited...

Sick feet, trick feet

became

Sick feet, well feet.

Ahem. Yes, they're opposites. NO, they don't rhyme.

While I haven't read the book personally, I will share with you my opinion on rewriting the work of a picture book genius whose aptitude with meter and rhyme hasn't been matched before or since...

How dare you!

Okay, back to business...

Feet are fun, and fun is a great way to make reading appealing. Since no one draws funnier feet than Dr. Seuss (and since the publishers still haven't retitled it The Handbook for Feet, check out The Foot Book. It's toe-riffic!

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