Oh, the Places You'll Go!

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View books by Dr. Seuss.

Sorry but I hated it - Rated
Sorry to be a party pooper but I loathed this book, unlike most of the other books in this series. The rhymes were good, granted, but the tone was awful; preachy, miserable and sometimes scary. I like the idea of the book, which is why I bought it but in reality it offers very little. Definitely not a bed-time reading book I'd say.

Adam - Rated
Never mind the kids, this is a book every adult should read too ! I came across it some years ago when my marriage had just ended and I found it a beacon of extremely positive thought ... years later I still find it inspirational ! My heartfelt thanks to Dr Seuss !

An essential book for any parent - Rated
I would rate this book as highly as George Orwell's Animal Farm.
It has nothing in common with Animal Farm, other than the monicker -"every home should have one"
Perfect for kids, even more so for parents.
Purchase this and read it often.

Knowing and going - Rated
Of Seuss-an reviews this is the third
Likely my last, mostly absurd
But I had to think of life's general direction
And that brought me to this little reflection

The places we go
The places we know
The things that we show
The hearts that all glow

Life is but a journey friend
And friend with friend up till the end
We should be happy and we should be free
You should be you and I'll just be me

And OH, OH, the places we'll go
We'll go hither and we'll go fro
Over the rainbow and under a smile
Making the light year seem less than a mile

My own trek is one through theology
Determined it feels by biology
And compels me upon my wonderful way
And never doubting it for a day

That this is where I'm called to be
This is what I'm charged to see
By some much grander holy light
Which may someday give me greater sight

And until then the faith I'll hold
To try to make the journey bold
So that everyplace will feel like home
For everyplace is someone's home

Be it brown or be it blue
In a castle or a shoe
In the up and out the down
Journeying through every town

And still there will be more places to go
Still more ways in which we can grow
But may we never outgrow the Seuss
For then, dear friends, life's not much use

This is a lesser-known Dr. Seuss book, but still a great story and great learning device. This is especially well suited for children who are going through a transition or change in life, to show them in a cute and memorable way that life is journey in and of itself, and that there are good things to be found when leaving the security and safety of home.

An excellent text for children who may be nervous about going to school, going on a trip, or major life changes, this book is real treasure.

Appropriate Confidence-Building for Children of All Ages! - Rated
Researchers constantly find that reading to children is valuable in a variety of ways, not least of which are instilling a love of reading and improved reading skills. With better parent-child bonding from reading, your child will also be more emotionally secure and able to relate better to others. Intellectual performance will expand as well. Spending time together watching television fails as a substitute.

To help other parents apply this advice, as a parent of four I consulted an expert, our youngest child, and asked her to share with me her favorite books that were read to her as a young child. Oh, the Places You'll Go! was one of her picks.

This book describes a future filled with unlimited potential ('you can steer any direction you choose'), success ('you'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead'), set-backs ('you can get all hung up on a prickle-ly perch'), and overcoming obstacles ('somehow you'll escape all that waiting and staying').

Many will mischaracterize this book. Since it starts with the words, 'Congratulations! Today is your day.', some will see it only in the context of some special event. At one level, it could certainly be a graduation present for a high school or college grad. At another level, it can be given to those who are moving on from one school to another. You can also see it as a gift for any transition, even if from one grade to the next.

But, I think that the more important application of this book is in setting a standard of parental beliefs for your child about one's child's future life. Psychologists in book after book tell us that parents tend not to be supportive enough, and that teenagers and adult children feel that they have never lived up to their parents' standards. This book can play a very important role in conveying what those standards are and making them match up nicely with what will probably occur in your child's life. That's a tremendous resource, and one that all of us should avail outselves of! In particular, the end says, 'And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.). Notice, that the guarantee comes after faithfully pointing out that the path to success is never straight, that there will be setbacks, and that there will be self-doubt and delays. Hearing that guarantee in the context of the likely difficulties makes one realize that optimism and perserverance are what is being encouraged here. Also, setbacks and delays are merely that ... not failure or failing to meet parental standards.

Psychologists tell us that those who believe they can succeed will put up twice the effort of those who doubt their success.

So after thinking about it, I propose that the day to give this book to someone who has never seen it before is on the darkest day of their life, when all seems bleak and impossible. It may make all of the difference. The gift will be all the more meaningful if you (or someone else) read this book to them when they were younger.

With your children, the right time to introduce this book is as young as possible, so that the belief in their success and the realistic challenges of success will be grounded as soon and as deeply as possible.

So you may give this book as a gift to the same child many times in a lifetime. But don't leave out those who need it who are not your children! They need it even more if their parents did not read Oh, the Places You'll Go! to them as a child!

After you have read this book to your child or given it as a gift to someone else, consider the other ways that you can appropriately boost the self-confidence of that person. Telling a story about your own setbacks and how you overcame them may help. Making yourself more human will also bring you closer together!