As Marco makes his way home from school his imagination turns a simple horse and wagon into an increasingly fantastical parade. The horse becomes a zebra then a reindeer followed by an elephant and finally two giraffes join in to help. The giraffes are needed because not only is the farmer now sitting atop the elephant in a grand throne, but the wagon has become so large that a whole brass band fits on it, and a trailer is attached to the back so an audience can sit and listen.

After Marco imagines this grand transformation of the simple horse and cart, he begins thinking of additional characters who have joined in. There is now a police escort, stands where the mayor sits and watches, an airplane dumping out confetti, and more! By the time Marco reaches home he has an amazing story to tell his father about what he saw while walking home, but Marco does not share. He simply replies, “Nothing […] But a plain horse and wagon on Mulberry Street,” (Dr. Seuss, 1937).

This book is a great example of how we can use our imaginations to turn something as mundane as a horse and cart into a fantastical adventure. Encouraging young children to embrace their imaginations and be creative is essential for future learning. Literature that catches a child’s interest and keeps them entertained leads to children who want to continue experiencing books and a desire to learn to read.

Gerald McGrew has no interest in the animals at the zoo, they’re too “boring” for him. “The lions and tigers and that kind of stuff they have up here now are not quite good enough. You see things like these in just any old zoo. They’re awfully old-fashioned. I want something new!” (Dr. Seuss, 1950). If he ran the zoo, Gerald would fill it with much more interesting animals. Animals from all around the world each more fantastical than the last.

If I Ran the Zoo follows Gerald as he imagines what a zoo he designed would look like. With the turn of each page, we go along with Gerald on an adventure around the world to find new animals that no one has ever seen before and each one is zanier than the last. Finally, we see what McGrew’s zoo would look like, filled with its new animals. Excited patrons stream in through the open gates. Then we turn to the last page where McGrew is seen back at a regular zoo, he considers the zoo he has imagined. “‘Yes…That’s what I’d do,’ said young Gerald McGrew. ‘I’d make a few changes If I ran the zoo,’” (Dr. Seuss, 1950).

One of the best things about Dr. Seuss books is how the characters in them are shown using their imaginations, which encourages children to do the same. There is a common term in business to “think outside the box” motivate young children to think this way from the start means that it will come naturally to them when they are adults. It is much harder to think of something new when you have always been taught to do it the same as everybody else.

In The Cat’s Quizzer we see the return of one of Seuss’s most famous characters, The Cat in the Hat. The book begins with The Cat in the Hat introducing the readers to Ziggy and Zizzy Zozzfozzel asking them if they “are smarter than a Zozzfozzel.” They are then lead through “a mixture of picture puzzles, logic tricks, and silly questions, The Cat's Quizzer will keep readers fascinated with a wide array of facts and fun!” (Google Books, n.d.). It includes such questions as “Do fish sleep with one eye open?” and “What do you call one eyed eye-glasses?”

One of the pages asks the reader to look hard at the picture then turn the page. On the next page they are asked to recall what they saw on the previous page. This test could have been inspired by Geisel’s own struggle at the time. In 1976 when this book was in development Geisel was experiencing sight loss due to cataracts and glaucoma. “Despite this arduous situation […] Ted never stopped working. What he did do was turn from his “big books” to creating shorter, less complicated Beginner Books,” (The Art of Dr. Seuss Collection, 2026).

These kinds of quiz books were always fun for me as a child. Combining the silly rhymes, fantastical creatures, and bright illustrations of Dr. Seuss with his wacky questions makes The Cat’s Quizzer one of the most fun quiz books I’ve come across. Asking children silly questions and coming up with silly answers is a great way to engage with children while reading.