We checked out the book and tape at the library. A week later, I had the whole thing memorized. When we got our own copy of the book, we unfortunately did not get the cassette. Oh, well. Like I said, I had it memorized.
The boys simply demand it. My older one, almost three, tells me, "you sing song," and I know what he means. The other day I sang the song and watched him turn the pages and stay on the right pages. The cassette features several different singers using different styles of music to sing out the words of the fabulously popular book. Sometimes there are sound effects, but usually not.
It's a great way to reinforce the alphabet song. Several letters are introduced by singing the alphabet song up to that letter and then some of the other songs seem to have the alphabet tune to them.
The book has great graphics. Of course it does, it's Seuss. But there again, these are great illustrations and are a great way to teach the alphabet and a tiny bit of phonics. Phonics or whole word is not the focus, here. Rather, having fun with the alphabet, loving reading, and playing with words is what's going on here.
It's a great set. Try to get the cassette version, if that's what you like. We loved it!

I had this book as a kid, and never forgot "X is very useful if your name is Nixie Knox. It also comes in handy for spelling ax and extra fox." I bought for my two-year-olds a couple of months ago, and they love it. It seems to be making an impression, too; last week I found that Arthur was able to recognize some of the letters in his name. And they're *constantly* quoting "Camel on the ceiling". :-)

Do not bother with the board book edition, though; it's been butchered. They've expunged Nixie Knox, for one thing.

In 1954 "Life" magazine published a report about the problem of illiteracy among the nation's school children and placed part of the blame on the fact that books that were supposed to teach children to read were boring ("See Spot Run. Run Spot run. Fetch the ball, Spot"). Theodore Geisel's publisher sent him a list of 400 words that the author was to cut to 250 words, the number the publisher felt a first grader could absorb, and write a book. "The Cat in the Hat" uses only 220 words and made Dr. Seuss an instant success with beginning readers. Eventually he would go on to write almost four dozen books for children to read all by themselves.

Of course sooner or later Dr. Seuss was going to put out his own alphabet book for beginning readers and in 1963 this book was published. It is, as you would expect, more than a look at the twenty-six letters of the alphabet. Other books will tell you that "A is for Apple" and "Z is for Zebra," but not Dr. Seuss because this book stars with "Aunt Annie's alligator" and ends with a "Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz." Young readers will also enjoy the mix of rhyme and absurdity so much that they might not notice Dr. Seuss is also showing them the difference between the big and little versions of each letter.

As I was reading over "Dr. Seuss's ABC," a book that most definitely wants to be read aloud to be fully enjoyed, I was wondering if I should temper my enthusiasm by saying that this is not an ideal choice for a beginning reader's first alphabet book. After all, something simpler, in the traditional "A is for Apple" mode might be more appropriate. But I think there is something to be said for even beginning readers being confronted with the level of sophistication found in this book. After all, it promotes fun as much as reading and young children might never notice the degree to which they are being challenged.

I remember learning my ABCs with this book when I was a kid. Now I'm sharing my copy with my son. The illustrations are just as delightful now as they were when the book first came out.

This is another Dr. Seuss classic. The illustrations are bright and whimsical. Children love the rhyming of Dr. Seuss books.

This is another fun book for younger children.