Dr. Seuss was a genius! His books are absolutely awesome and are the best teachers when it comes to rhyming and phonemic awareness! I remember my mom reading me all of the Dr. Seuss books when I was younger! Now I share all my Dr. Seuss books with my children in the classroom!

(This review is in response to a request as to why I have only given One Fish, Two Fish... three stars)

Firmly ensconced in the middle tier of the Dr Seuss canon, One Fish, Two Fish... is many people's favorite for its light humor, catchy, Moliere-esque couplets, and clever use of repetition as well as surprise, as in the title, where the rhyming word comes at the beginning of a repeated syllable, rather than at the end of the phrase.

It earns its place as one of the most quotable (possibly only Green Eggs and Ham is more often quoted) and fun to read aloud (after only Fox in Socks), but it stays firmly in the middle tier because it lacks three things:

1) The classic Dr Seuss creations. That book doesn't introduce a Who, a Cat in the Hat, Mulberry Street, Green Eggs, Grinches, or other new element to our culture is not a criticism. It does, however, set those books apart as critical pieces that added to our society in some way; they rise above this book.

2) Giesel's overt moralizing. Whether teaching is about size versus importance, making your own fun and cleaning up after it, the futility of war, or even a covert (and possibly unintentional) lesson on ambiguous modifiers, Seuss' classics do what the greatest children's literature does; they remind us as adults of lessons we needed to grow up and need now not to forget.

3) Covert study of a philosophical principle. This may be all in interpretation (no one suggests that Giessel intended these), but many readers for decades have found the Seuss books' repetition and variation of a theme to serve as a metaphor or direct example of something universal. Whether it's a question of imagination in play and its social consequence (The Cat in the Hat), ontological questions about Platonic ideals (Green Eggs and Ham, which rejects the notion that the environment is relevant to the enjoyment of the food), the Freudian question of experience and its ability to drive all future behavior (How the Grinch Stole Christmas), or a more complex example such as To Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street, which combines all of the above in various ways), the very best of Seuss takes a universal question and circles it, showing us various views in fanciful ways while using childlike tropes to strip the question down to its abstract base. It doesn't do this because Giessel intended to be a philosopher, but because he though about children and learning in deep ways inherent to the essence of experiencing humanity.

In this context, One Fish, Two Fish... is a fine and enjoyable book, and one that I will enjoy reading many times; its three-star rating is only because it is a relative trifle in the Seuss canon when seen next to his many masterpieces. It isn't one you'll go back to over decades for inspiration, when teaching your children, or as an example to understand or explain a principle implicit to Giessel's thinking and vital to us all.

It's a great book. Get it. Read it. But it earns an "I Liked It" on the Goodreads scale. Don't think of passing up Fox in Socks, Horton Hears a Who, The Cat in the Hat, or other of his classics in favor of this one.

Love these books

No plot, repetitive

Not for people with ichthyophobia.

One book, two book, red book, blue book...what a wonderful year it has been for reading! Instead of my normal book review, I thought I would use this last book review of the year to reflect on the year of reading. 2019 proved the old adage that the best investments are in old books and old friends. Since I consider books I've read before as old friends, it was a good year indeed!

The best of my re-reads included Murakami Haruki's Sputnik Sweetheart and Norwegian Wood. My own book "The Underground Novel", my satirical self-help novel, which I finished last year. Tales from the Irish Club by my old English teacher Lester Goran, the writing of Henry David Thoreau. I haven't decided what I will re-read next year, but shockingly that might include a biography of Elon Musk.

That brings me to my biggest surprise of the year: a biography of Elon Musk. Though the writing was not a literary masterpiece, the subject matter was enthralling. So much so that I had to reflect on a simple question: Do I love biographies as a genre? It appears I do. One of my favorite books is a biography of Orson Welles. Thus, next year I'll do everything I can to lay my hands on more biographies.

2019 was also a year of science. I read no less than three science books, my worst subject and enjoyed each of them. One of these books might find it onto my re-read list. One of the difficult things about reading science is that my critical blinkers are often turned off. I'm not sure how to engage these books in book reviews other than to note their value as entertainment, the accessibility, and their ability to motivate me to read other science books. Still, I'm not deterred. I will read at least one science book next year.

2019 was also the year of "The Boys". I finally finished the comic book series I started when I was in graduate school. Why? I had to. I couldn't have the series ruined for me by things people were saying about the Amazon series. (I'm sure the Amazon series is fine, but I will always think of the series as something inspired by Bush-era silliness).

The biggest disappointment this year: The big-think books. Nicholas Nassim Taleb is still a dazzling philosopher, but his newest book seems to see him indulge in his worst habits (picking petty fights with people who seem to annoy him on social media) rather than deepening and enriching his philosophy. At this point too, I seemed to have become able to anticipate what will be written in any given chapters (though to his credit he still has some surprises, read the section on -- How the Intolerant Minority wins!); 7 Habits of Successful People was a minor bust; The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck and Essentialism were good books, but their usefulness for me was limited. I had already gotten their messages a long time ago. Alas, there was not a big "rethink" moment for me in 2019.

Perhaps that means I'm just getting older and my reading is leading to a wiser life. Perhaps the big-think moments are actually in the genre of biography, not big think books. Actually, I'm pretty sure that's it.

Having written all this, what is my take away for reading in 2020. Well, less but better. 30 books is fine for 2020 if they are the right ones. Spend more time vetting my books. Don't just pick up something because it seems convenient at the moment. It's hard to do, but it will pay off in the end.

"I took the long way to choosing a book," I will write at the end of 2020, and I was all the better for it.

There are no flaws in this poem, clearly written by the good doctor in the throes of piscatorial love.

No es que sea malo, es que simplemente no me encanto. Se me hizo repetitivo y la descripción de los peces no me emocionó.

Puede que sólo sea que me agarro en un mal momento.

From there to here,
from here to there,
funny things
are everywhere.

Today is gone. Today was fun.
Tomorrow is another one.
Every day,
from here to there,
funny things are everywhere.

Dr. Seuss's books are always fun to read and make me smile. This book has his usual catchy rhyming and fun, colorful illustrations.

4 stars

I deeply appreciate this book as it has made a large quantity of our population love reading, it's complex rhymes inspire generations of young authors and poets amongst us.

I loved a classic.

n  n    Book Reviewn  n
4 out of 5 stars for One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, a children's picture book written in the 1960s by Dr. Seuss. I loved this one as a child, and probably read it around 7 or 8 years old, then again at 10. Between the rhymes and tongue-twisters, it encourages kids to laugh and have fun when reading. Focusing on pets, under water fish are my favorite. All the colors, shapes and sizes. All the things to do with them. Dr. Seuss is a definite children's classic, but with pictures and movies being made, it helps bring it all full circle. I love buying these books for my friend's children, then sitting to read with them. Great memories!

n  n    About Men  n
For those new to me or my reviews... here's the scoop: I read A LOT. I write A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you'll also find TV & Film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge and lots of blogging about places I've visited all over the world. And you can find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by.

This was one of the first books I read by myself when it first came out in 1960 when I was 6. It was my favorite Dr. Seuss book when I was a kid. (This was before many other Seuss books were published.)