If You're Fishing For a Good Read, Give This Seuss Classic a Try

When it comes to making up critters, few authors can match Dr. Seuss. Rather, I should say few illustrators, since the genius of Seuss' sheer creativity comes out more in his unrestricted art than in his writing, which is often limited mostly to simple rhymes. There are, of course, complex plot-driven rhyming narratives that bear the Good Doctor's name - How the Grinch Stole Christmas, The Lorax, Horton Hatches the Egg - but much of his work is designed for especially young readers with small vocabularies and relies more on sparking the imagination than telling a cohesive story.

One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish is that sort of book. Read it straight through, and it doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but it doesn't have to. It's a series of snatches, a sampling of all the "funny things" he claims are "everywhere." The things in this book are vastly stranger than anything I have ever seen. But that's what makes this book so appealing. It's pure, silly imagination, complete with Seuss's trademark strings of rhyme, such as "What good to a Nook is a hook cook book?" and "If you wish to wish a wish, you may swish for fish with my Ish wish dish."

I was surprised, upon reading this book today for the first time in many years, how little it has to do with fish. We get a nice little listing in the first seven pages, rather like Bubba's shrimp litany in Forrest Gump, and after that I guess we're supposed to figure Seuss has said about all he wants to say about fish. There's only so much to be done with scales and fins.

As the book continues we are introduced to all sorts of bizarre beasts: the multi-humped Wump, which is a handy transportation provider; the ornery yellow fellow named Ned who is too tall to get a decent night's sleep; the enormous goat-like Zans, whose horn functions like a can opener; the Poodle-esque Yink that drinks pink ink all day; the tiny hopping Yop; the reindeer-like Gack whose antlers are grand for ring toss; the ominous-looking horned water creature that mysteriously shows up in the park. And this is only the tip of the iceberg.

I wasn't such a fan of Happy Birthday to You!, a similar Seuss book that is short on plot but long on creativity. But I get a kick out of this book, with all its excessive rhyming and zany creations. One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish may not spend most of its time underwater, but it certainly makes a splash!