Horton and the Kwuggerbug and More Lost Stories

June 16, 2014
Charles D. Cohen, the avid Seussian behind The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories, presents another four little-known manuscripts by Theodor Seuss Geisel. In his introduction, Cohen contextualizes the tales, which were published in Redbook and never became full-fledged picture books. In the title tale, “Horton and the Kwuggerbug” (1951), an insect and “terrible fellow! That Kwuggerbug guy” fools gentle Horton into ferrying him across an alligator-infested river and up a mountain to a delicious, out-of-reach Beezlenut tree. “Marco Comes Late” (1950) reprises And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street as Marco exaggerates his reasons for arriving late to school. Mulberry Street’s escalating formula likewise figures in “How Officer Pat Saved the Whole Town” (1950), about a policeman who anticipates trouble on a quiet day. The most interesting entry is a two-page fragment, “The Hoobub and the Grinch” (1955), in which a proto-Grinch character urges a gullible creature to pay 98¢ for some string. By no means gems, these archives suggest how Geisel tinkered with characters, developed his signature tetrameter, and commented on ethical issues, circa 1950. Ages 4–8.

June 15, 2014
Published in magazines, never seen since / Now resurrected for pleasure intense / Versified episodes numbering four / Featuring Marco, and Horton and more!All of the entries in this follow-up to The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories (2011) involve a certain amount of sharp dealing. Horton carries a Kwuggerbug through crocodile-infested waters and up a steep mountain because "a deal is a deal"-and then is cheated out of his promised share of delicious Beezlenuts. Officer Pat heads off escalating, imagined disasters on Mulberry Street by clubbing a pesky gnat. Marco (originally met on that same Mulberry Street) concocts a baroque excuse for being late to school. In the closer, a smooth-talking Grinch (not the green sort) sells a gullible Hoobub a piece of string. In a lively introduction, uber-fan Charles D. Cohen (The Seuss, The Whole Seuss, and Nothing but the Seuss, 2002) provides publishing histories, places characters and settings in Seussian context, and offers insights into, for instance, the origin of "Grinch." Along with predictably engaging wordplay-"He climbed. He grew dizzy. His ankles grew numb. / But he climbed and he climbed and he clum and he clum"-each tale features bright, crisply reproduced renditions of its original illustrations. Except for "The Hoobub and the Grinch," which has been jammed into a single spread, the verses and pictures are laid out in spacious, visually appealing ways.Fans both young and formerly young will be pleased-100 percent. (Picture book. 6-9)

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July 1, 2014

PreS-Gr 3-Readers will delight in this book of "lost" stories, told in Seuss's signature inventive rhyme. Horton is back and is as bighearted as always. The Kwuggerbug, on the other hand, is decidedly not. The art is classic Seuss and the illustrations perfectly match the text. In "Marco Comes Late," a student explains his tardiness with a grand tale to tell his teacher. And it's almost entirely true! "Officer Pat" is a policeman on the lookout for trouble. When a gnat threatens a cat, Officer Pat begins to imagine how this tiny wrinkle could put the whole town at risk. It's silly and fun, and the rhyme reinforces it all. The last story is not as satisfying as the others due to its abbreviated length. Still, it's good to see the Grinch up to his old Grinchy ways again. The introduction, by scholar Charles D. Cohen, is chock-full of background and offers the provenance of these stories collected from a variety of magazines. Dr. Seuss stories are irresistible, and this collection is no exception.-Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA

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