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Oh Say Can You Say?

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In this collection of 24 silly verse tongue-twisters, Dr. Seuss will delight readers of all ages with a simple story filled with hilarious nonsense!

"Bed Spreaders spread spreads on beds.
Bread Spreaders spread butter on breads.
And that Bed Spreader better watch out how he's spreading...
or that Bread Spreader's sure going to butter his bedding."

Tongue twisters are more fun than almost anything, and that's why they're so easy to read. Beginners will laugh all the way through every page of 'Oh Say Can You Say? by Dr. Seuss.

"I can read it all be myself" is the Beginner Books motto, and behind it is an understanding of how important it is for children to take pride and pleasure in their early reading. They are designed to appeal directly to children through the use of humor, rhyme and bright pictures that can be "read" even by the non-reading child.

With his unique combination of hilarious stories, zany pictures and riotous rhymes, Dr. Seuss has been delighting young children, as well as helping them learn to read for over fifty years. Creator of the wonderfully anarchic 'Cat in the Hat', and ranked among the world's top children's authors, Dr. Seuss is a global best-seller, with nearly half a billion books sold worldwide.

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 1,1979

This edition

Format
48 pages, Paperback
Published
November 1, 2005 by London : Collins, 2004.
ISBN
9780007175222
ASIN
0007175221
Language
English

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About the author

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dr. seuss

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Theodor Seuss Geisel was born 2 March 1904 in Springfield, Massachusetts. He graduated Dartmouth College in 1925, and proceeded on to Oxford University with the intent of acquiring a doctorate in literature. At Oxford he met Helen Palmer, who he wed in 1927. He returned from Europe in 1927, and began working for a magazine called Judge, the leading humor magazine in America at the time, submitting both cartoons and humorous articles for them. Additionally, he was submitting cartoons to Life, Vanity Fair and Liberty. In some of his works, he'd made reference to an insecticide called Flit. These references gained notice, and led to a contract to draw comic ads for Flit. This association lasted 17 years, gained him national exposure, and coined the catchphrase "Quick, Henry, the Flit!"

In 1936 on the way to a vacation in Europe, listening to the rhythm of the ship's engines, he came up with And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, which was then promptly rejected by the first 43 publishers he showed it to. Eventually in 1937 a friend published the book for him, and it went on to at least moderate success.

During World War II, Geisel joined the army and was sent to Hollywood. Captain Geisel would write for Frank Capra's Signal Corps Unit (for which he won the Legion of Merit) and do documentaries (he won Oscar's for Hitler Lives and Design for Death). He also created a cartoon called Gerald McBoing-Boing which also won him an Oscar.

In May of 1954, Life published a report concerning illiteracy among school children. The report said, among other things, that children were having trouble to read because their books were boring. This inspired Geisel's publisher, and prompted him to send Geisel a list of 400 words he felt were important, asked him to cut the list to 250 words (the publishers idea of how many words at one time a first grader could absorb), and write a book. Nine months later, Geisel, using 220 of the words given to him published The Cat in the Hat, which went on to instant success.

In 1960 Bennett Cerf bet Geisel $50 that he couldn't write an entire book using only fifty words. The result was Green Eggs and Ham. Cerf never paid the $50 from the bet.

Helen Palmer Geisel died in 1967. Theodor Geisel married Audrey Stone Diamond in 1968. Theodor Seuss Geisel died 24 September 1991.

Also worked under the pen name: Theo Le Sieg

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Community Reviews

Rating(3.9 / 5.0, 99 votes)
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99 reviews All reviews
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BabsZetina
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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"I like that there is a chef. He cooks fish."

I got this book at the second hand store. Mama bought it for me because I saw a copy of The Fox in Socks by Dr. Seuss in my buddy's car. I really wanted that book. But, this book seemed to have rhymes like The Fox in Socks. Mama thought I would like it. She was right. I really liked the short tongue twisters. Papa read it to me a few times in the car on the way home. Rather than go into the store with Mama, I sat in the car with Papa to read it. That's a pretty big deal. I usually like to go on adventures.
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Azumizai
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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Oh Say Can You Say?, Dr. Seuss
I read this years ago to my kids! Oh Say Can You Say? is a children's book written and illustrated by Theodor Geisel under the pen name Dr. Seuss, and published in 1979 by Random House. It is a collection of 25 tongue-twisters such as "Oh my brothers! Oh my sisters! These are Terrible Tongue Twisters!" It was Dr. Seuss's last beginner book.
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Laurielaurs
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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It was a really funny, really well-written and really enjoyable Dr. Seuss book. It had really well-written illustrations, great characters, really funny rhymes, really great humor and a really fun story. I haven't read this book in a very long time. This is going to be one of my favorite Dr. Seuss books I've ever read in my whole life. I highly recommend this book to both kids and adults.
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burger_time
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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What a tounge twister!! But still made me laugh!!! Dr Seuss is one of my favorite children's author!!
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Bobulated
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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I love this book! It is so amazing to explain science to children with rhymes, so much easier for them to remember! Dr. Seuss explains leaves, flowers, insects, etc. Also, in the book it explains how the plants give off oxygen for the planet, and other important factors about them. It is very educational and the illustrations and bright colors keep the kids interested!
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ZFPuhi
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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Dr. Seuss always has funny, weird looking images and rhymes in his books. Although I enjoyed the book, I probably wouldn't read this to small children for the fact that they may not really understand the meaning behind many of the words used. The images are also too small for whole group but maybe one on one with a particular child who really does enjoy Dr. Seuss books.
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xDoN904
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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The tongue twisters in 'Oh Say Can You Say?' are great fun, particularly when read aloud, even if it is to oneself!

The fresh fish at Finney's Diner is, in the owner's words,'The finest fish at Finney's is my freshest fish, French-fried!' while the dinosaur named Dinn is 'thin … doesn't have much skin and the bones fall out of his left shin' but Pinner Blinn is called in and 'with a thin Blinn shinbone pin, Blinn pins Dinn's shinbones right back in.'

The ape who was mad about grapes and cakes says, 'The greener green grapes are, the keener keen apes are to gobble green grape cakes. They're GREAT!' And mention of food leads us to Skipper Zip's where 'If you like to eat potato chips and chew pork chops on clipper ships, I suggest that you chew a few chips and a chop at Skipper Zipp's Clipper Ship Chip Chop Shop.' I'm sure you get the gist now!

Perhaps my favourite in this marvellous book is the verse entitled 'The Fuddnuddlers' with the accompanying illustration portraying 21 Fuddnuddlers balancing precariously on each other. These are the world famous Fuddnuddler Brothers 'who like to pile each on the heads of the others' with 'Bipper and Bud, Skipper and Jipper and Jeffrey and Jud' at the top and 'down at the bottom is poor little Lud'. 'But if Lud ever sneezes, his name will be MUD.' And as well as those at the top, Horatio, Horace and Hendrix and Hud, Dinwoodie and Dinty and Dud, also Fitzsimmon and Frederick and Fud, not to mention Slinkey and Stinkey and Stuart and Stud would all be very worried!

'Pete Pats Pigs' is about Pete Briggs who 'pats pink pigs' and 'pats big pigs' all day long and when he is finished 'Then Pete puts his patted pigs away in his Pete Briggs' Pink Pigs Big Pigs Pigpen'. And there's a final question at the end, which asks 'Oh can you say? ...', "The storm starts when the drops start dropping. When the drops stop dropping then the storm starts stopping.'

The answer by all readers will be, 'Of course we can. We're well practised after reading this most amusing book.'
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