Beginner Books facts for kids

Beginner Books is a special collection of books from Random House for young children, usually aged 3 to 9. It was started in 1957 by Phyllis Fraser, along with the famous author Dr. Seuss (whose real name was Ted Geisel) and his wife, Helen Palmer Geisel.

The very first book in this series was Dr. Seuss's The Cat in the Hat, which came out in 1957. You can even see the Cat in the Hat character in the Beginner Books logo! Phyllis Fraser created a list of 379 simple words that young readers would know. She also added 20 slightly harder "emergency" words. The Cat in the Hat was written using no more than 200 words from this list. All the books that followed in the series had to meet similar word requirements, making them easy for kids to read on their own.

In 1958, Beginner Books only had four titles. But just two years later, by 1960, they were making a million dollars a year! That same year, Random House bought Beginner Books. This made Random House the biggest publisher of children's books in the United States.

Who Wrote and Drew for Beginner Books?

Amazing Authors

Many talented writers created stories for Beginner Books. When Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss) drew his own pictures, he used his famous name, Dr. Seuss. But when other artists illustrated his stories, he sometimes used different names like Theo LeSieg or Rosetta Stone.

Other early authors included Robert Lopshire, Bennett Cerf, Al Perkins, and Helen Palmer Geisel (who wrote as Helen Palmer). Also, P. D. Eastman, Stan and Jan Berenstain, Benjamin Elkin, and Marion Holland wrote for the series.

Talented Illustrators

Beginner Books also featured many well-known illustrators. These included Theodor Seuss Geisel himself, P. D. Eastman, Stan and Jan Berenstain, and Robert Lopshire. Another important artist was Roy McKie.

List of Beginner Books

Here is a list of some of the books in the Beginner Books series:

Book Clubs

Beginner Books were also available through various book clubs, including:

• Grolier Book Club Beginner Book Series
• Scholastic Book Club Beginner Book Series
• Early Moments Book Club Beginner Book Series

Bright and Early Books for Beginning Beginners

These books are designed for even younger children and are also part of the Beginner Books family. The "BE" in their ID stands for "Bright and Early."

Book Clubs

Bright and Early Books were also offered through special book clubs:

• Grolier Bright and Early Book series
• Scholastic Bright and Early Book series
• Early Moments Bright and Early Book series

Bright and Early Board Books

These books are shorter, simpler versions of the Beginner Books and Bright and Early Books, made especially for very young children. They are not numbered like the other series.

• The Alphabet Book by P. D. Eastman
• I'll Teach My Dog a Lot of Words by Michael Frith, illustrated by P. D. Eastman
• Big Dog...Little Dog by P. D. Eastman
• Are You My Mother? by P. D. Eastman
• Eres mi Mama? by P. D. Eastman (Spanish version)
• Go, Dog. Go! P.D. Eastman's Book of Things That Go by P. D. Eastman
• Ve, Perro. Ve! by P. D. Eastman (Spanish version)
• Fred and Ted Like to Fly by Peter Eastman
• The Snowman illustrated by Raymond Briggs (This book has no words!)
• What Time Is It? by P. D. Eastman
• The Berenstain Bears: Old Hat, New Hat by the Berenstains
• Sombrero Viejo, Sombrero Nuevo by the Berenstains (Spanish version)
• The Berenstain Bears: Inside, Outside, Upside Down by the Berenstains
• The Berenstain Bears: He Bear, She Bear by the Berenstains
• Summer by Alice Low, illustrated by Roy McKie
• Put Me In The Zoo: A Book of Colors by Robert Lopshire
• Stop, Train, Stop! by Rev. W. Awdry
• Para, Trencito, Para! by Rev. W. Awdry (Spanish version)
• Blue Train, Green Train by Rev. W. Awdry
• Dr. Seuss's ABC: An Amazing Alphabet Book! by Dr. Seuss
• Fox In Socks: Dr. Seuss's Book of Tongue Twisters by Dr. Seuss
• Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss
• Ten Apples Up On Top! by Dr. Seuss (as Theo. LeSieg), illustrated by Roy McKie
• There's a Wocket in My Pocket! Dr. Seuss's Book of Ridiculous Rhymes by Dr. Seuss
• Oh, the Thinks You Can Think! by Dr. Seuss
• Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? Dr. Seuss's Book of Wonderful Noises by Dr. Seuss
• The Shape of Me and Other Stuff: Dr. Seuss's Surprising Word Book by Dr. Seuss
• Would You Rather Be a Bullfrog? by Dr. Seuss (as Theo. LeSieg), illustrated by Roy McKie
• The Many Mice of Mr. Brice by Dr. Seuss (as Theo. LeSieg), illustrated by Roy McKie
• The Ear Book by Al Perkins, illustrated by Henry Payne
• Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb by Al Perkins, illustrated by Eric Gurney
• The Nose Book by Al Perkins, illustrated by Joe Mathieu
• The Tooth Book by Dr. Seuss (as Theo. LeSieg), illustrated by Joe Mathieu
• The Eye Book by Dr. Seuss (as Theo. LeSieg), illustrated by Joe Mathieu
• The Foot Book: Dr. Seuss's Wacky Book of Opposites by Dr. Seuss

Big Bright and Early Board Books

These are larger versions of the Bright and Early Board Books.

• Fast Train, Slow Train by Rev W. Awdry
• Would You Rather Be a Bullfrog? by Dr. Seuss (as Theo. LeSieg), illustrated by Roy McKie
• Dr. Seuss's ABC: An Amazing Alphabet Book! by Dr. Seuss
• The Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Old Tree by Stan and Jan Berenstain
• Oh, the Thinks You Can Think! by Dr. Seuss
• Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?: Dr. Seuss's Book of Wonderful Noises by Dr. Seuss
• Trains, Cranes and Troublesome Trucks by Rev W. Awdry
• The Many Mice of Mr. Brice by Dr. Seuss (as Theo. LeSieg), illustrated by Roy McKie
• Fox in Socks: Dr. Seuss's Book of Tongue Twisters by Dr. Seuss
• Are You My Mother? by P. D. Eastman
• Hop on Pop: The Simplest Seuss for Toddlers Use by Dr. Seuss
• Go, Dog. Go!: P. D. Eastman's Book of Things That Go by P. D. Eastman
• The Big Box of Bright and Early Board Books About Me (includes The Foot Book: Dr. Seuss's Wacky Book of Opposites, The Eye Book, The Nose Book, The Tooth Book)
• The Eye Book by Dr. Seuss (as Theo. LeSieg), illustrated by Joe Mathieu
• The Foot Book: Dr. Seuss's Wacky Book of Opposites by Dr. Seuss
• Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb by Al Perkins, illustrated by Eric Gurney
• The Tooth Book by Dr. Seuss (as Theo. LeSieg), illustrated by Joe Mathieu
• The Nose Book by Al Perkins, illustrated by Joe Mathieu
• There's a Wocket in My Pocket!: Dr. Seuss's Book of Ridiculous Rhymes by Dr. Seuss
• The Berenstain Bears: Inside, Outside, Upside Down by Stan and Jan Berenstain
• The Alphabet Book by P.D. Eastman
• Put Me in the Zoo: A Book of Colors by Robert Lopshire

Bright and Early Bath Books

These special books are made for bath time!

• One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss (the only Bright and Early Bath Book)

See also

• Ladybird Books