Beginner Books
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Beginner Books is the Random House imprint for young children ages 4-8, co-founded by Phyllis Cerf with Ted Geisel, more often known as Dr. Seuss, and his wife Helen Palmer Geisel.
Their first book was Dr. Seuss's The Cat in the Hat (1957). The rest of the series was modeled on the requirement Seuss set himself in writing that book: for each book, the author was to use no more than 200 words taken from a list of 379 words compiled by Cerf as the basic vocabulary for young readers, along with twenty more slightly harder "emergency" words.[1]
With only four titles in their catalog in 1958, they were earning a million dollars a year two years later, making Random House the largest publisher of children's books in America.
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[edit] Early contributors
Among authors of early Beginner Books are:
- Theodor Seuss Geisel, writing as Dr Seuss when he illustrated his own stories, and as Theo LeSieg or Rosetta Stone when others did.
- Robert M. Lopshire
- Bennett Cerf
- Al Perkins
- Helen Palmer Geisel, writing as Helen Palmer.
- P. D. Eastman (Philip Dey Eastman)
- Stan and Jan Berenstain
- Benjamin Elkin
Among illustrators of early Beginner Books are:
[edit] List of Beginner Books
| ID | Title | Author | Illustrator |
|---|---|---|---|
| B- 1 | The Cat in the Hat | Dr Seuss | Dr Seuss |
| B- 2 | The Cat in the Hat Comes Back | Dr Seuss | Dr Seuss |
| B- 3 | A Fly Went By | Mike McClintock | Fritz Siebel |
| B- 4 | The Big Jump & Other Stories | Benjamin Elkin | Katherine Evans |
| B- 5 | A Big Ball of String | Marion Holland | Marion Holland (later Roy McKie) |
| B- 6 | Sam and the Firefly | P. D. Eastman | P. D. Eastman |
| B- 7 | Going to the Moon/You Will Go To the Moon | Mae & Ira Freeman | Robert Patterson (later Lee Ames) |
| B- 8 | Cowboy Andy | Edna Walker Chandler | E. Raymond Kinstler |
| B- 9 | The Whales Go By | Fred B. Phleger | Paul Galdone |
| B-10 | Stop That Ball! | Mike McClintock | Fritz Siebel |
| B-11 | Bennett Cerf's Book of Laughs | Bennett Cerf | Carl Rose |
| B-12 | Ann Can Fly | Fred Phleger | Robert Lopshire |
| B-13 | One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish | Dr Seuss | Dr Seuss |
| B-14 | The King's Wish and Other Stories | Benjamin Elkin | Leonard Shortall |
| B-15 | Bennett Cerf's Book of Riddles | Bennett Cerf | Roy McKie |
| B-16 | Green Eggs and Ham | Dr Seuss | Dr Seuss |
| B-17 | Put Me in the Zoo | Robert Lopshire | Robert Lopshire |
| B-18 | Are You My Mother? | P. D. Eastman | P. D. Eastman |
| B-19 | Ten Apples Up On Top! | Dr. Seuss | Roy McKie |
| B-20 | Go, Dog. Go! | P.D. Eastman | P.D. Eastman |
| B-21 | Little Black, A Pony | Walter Farley | James Schucker |
| B-22 | Look Out For Pirates! | Iris Vinton | H.B. Vinton |
| B-23 | A Fish Out Of Water | Helen Palmer | P.D. Eastman |
| B-24 | Bennett Cerf's More Riddles | Bennett Cerf | Roy McKie |
| B-25 | Robert the Rose Horse | Joan Heilbroner | P. D. Eastman |
| B-26 | I Was Kissed by a Seal at the Zoo | Helen Palmer | Lynn Fayman |
| B-27 | Snow | P.D. Eastman | Roy McKie |
| B-28 | The Big Honey Hunt | Stan Berenstain | Jan Berenstain |
| B-29 | Hop on Pop | Dr. Seuss | Dr. Seuss |
| B-30 | Dr. Seuss's ABC | Dr. Seuss | Dr. Seuss |
| B-31 | Do You Know What I'm Going To Do Next Saturday? | Helen Palmer Geisel | Lynn Fayman |
| B-32 | Summer | Alice Low | Roy McKie |
| B-33 | Little Black Goes to the Circus | Walter Farley | James Schucker |
| B-34 | Bennett Cerf's Book of Animal Riddles | Bennett Cerf | Roy McKie |
| B-35 | Why I Built the Boogle House | Helen Palmer | Lynn Fayman |
| B-36 | The Bike Lesson | Stan Berenstain | Jan Berenstain |
| B-37 | The Beginner Book of Things To Make/How to Make Flibbers, etc | Robert Lopshire | Robert Lopshire |
| B-38 | Fox in Socks/Fox in Socks: A Tongue Twister for Super Children | Dr. Seuss | Dr. Seuss |
| B-39 | The King, the Mice and the Cheese | Nancy Gurney | Eric Gurney |
| B-40 | I Wish That I Had Duck Feet | Theo LeSieg | B. Tobey |
| B-41 | The Bears' Picnic | Stan & Jan Berenstain | Stan & Jan Berenstain |
| B-42 | Don and Donna Go To Bat | Al Perkins | B. Tobey |
| B-43 | You Will Live Under the Sea | Fred Phleger | Ward Brackett |
| B-44 | Come Over To My House | Theo LeSieg | Richard Erdoes |
| B-45 | Babar Loses His Crown | Laurent de Brunhoff | Laurent de Brunhoff |
| B-46 | The Bear Scouts | Stan & Jan Berenstain | Stan & Jan Berenstain |
| B-47 | The Digging-est Dog | Al Perkins | Eric Gurney |
| B-48 | (Hugh Loftings') The Travels of Dr. Dolittle | Al Perkins | Philip Wende |
| B-49 | (Hugh Loftings') Doctor Dolittle and the Pirates | Al Perkins | Philip Wende |
| B-50 | Off To The Races | Fred B. Phleger | Leo Summers |
| B-51 | The Best Nest | P. D. Eastman | P. D. Eastman |
| B-52 | The Bears' Vacation | Stan & Jan Berenstain | Stan & Jan Berenstain |
| B-53 | (Ian Flemings' Story of) Chitty Chitty Bang Bang! the Magical Car | Al Perkins | B Tobey |
| B-54 | King Midas and the Golden Touch | Al Perkins | Harold Berson |
| B-55 | The Bears' Christmas | Stan Berenstain | Jan Berenstain |
| B-56 | Tubby and the Lantern | Al Perkins | Roland B. Wilson |
| B-57 | Tubby and the Poo-Bah | Al Perkins | Rowland B. Wilson |
| B-58 | My Amazing Book of Autographs! | Michael Frith | Michael Frith |
| B-59 | Wacky Wednesday | Theo LeSieg | George Booth |
| B-60 | The Bear Detectives | Stan Berenstain | Jan Berenstain |
| B-61 | Because a Little Bug Went Ka-Choo! | Rosetta Stone | Michael Frith |
| B-62 | Oh, the Thinks You Can Think! | Dr Seuss | |
| B-63 | Please Try to Remember the First of Octember! | Dr. Seuss | Art Cummings |
| B-64 | I Can Read With My Eyes Shut! | Dr Seuss | |
| B-65 | Oh Say Can You Say? | Dr Seuss | |
| B-66 | The Berenstain Bears and the Missing Dinosaur Bone | Stan Berenstain | Jan Berenstain |
| B-67 | Maybe You Should Fly a Jet! Maybe You Should Be a Vet! | Theo LeSieg | Michael J. Smollin |
| B-68 | It's Not Easy Being a Bunny | Marilyn Sadler | Roger Bollen |
| B-69 | Spooky Riddles | Marc Brown | |
| B-70 | What Do Smurfs Do All Day? | Peyo | |
| B-71 | The Very Bad Bunny | Marilyn Sadler | Roger Bollen |
| B-72 | I Want to Be Somebody New!: A Sequeal to Put Me in the Zoo/I Want To Be Somebody New! | Robert Lopshire | |
| B-73 | The Black Stallion | Walter Farley | Sandy Rabinowitz |
| B-74 | I Am Not Going To Get Up Today! | Dr Seuss | James Stevenson |
| B-75 | The Cat's Quizzer | Dr. Seuss | |
| B-76 | Stop, Train, Stop!: A Thomas the Tank Engine Story | Rev. W. Awdry | Jane E. Gerver |
| B-77 | New Tricks I Can Do! | Robert Lopshire | Robert Lopshire |
| B-78 | Anthony the Perfect Monster | Angelo DeCesare | |
| B-79 | 4 Pups and a Worm | Eric Seltzer | |
| B-80 | Honey Bunny Funnybunny | Marilyn Sadler | Roger Bollen |
| B-81 | Come Down Now, Flying Cow! | Timothy Roland | |
| B-82 | Can You Tell Me How To Get To Sesame Street? | Elenor Hudson | Joe Mathieu |
| B-83 | Mercer Mayer's Critters of the Night: Roast & Toast | Erica Farber/J. R. Sansevere | |
| B-84 | Monster Munchies | Laura Numeroff | Nate Evans |
| B-85 | Babe the Sheep Pig: A Little Pig Goes a Long Way | Mallory Loehr | |
| B-86 | The Land Before Time | Molly Goode | Beverly Lazor-Bahr |
| B-87 | Riddles and More Riddles: Previously Published as Bennett Cerf's Book of Riddles and More Riddles | Bennett Cerf | |
| B-88 | Flap Your Wings | P. D. Eastman | P. D. Eastman |
| B-89 | The Berenstain Bears: That Stump Must Go! | Stan & Jan Berenstain | |
| B-90 | Paws and Claws | Erica Farber/J. R. Sansevere | |
| B-91 | Thomas and Friends: A Crack In the Track | Rev. W. Awdry | Tommy Stubbs |
| B-92 | Big Dog, Little Dog | P. D. Eastman | P. D. Eastman/Peter (Anthony) Eastman |
| B-93 | Thomas and Friends: Go, Train, Go!: A Companion Book to Stop, Train, Stop! | Rev. W. Awdry/Elizabeth Terrill | Tommy Stubbs |
| B-94 | Fred and Ted Go Camping | Peter Anthony Eastman | Peter Anthony Eastman |
| B-95 | Mrs. Wow Never Wants a Cow | Martha Freeman | Steven Salerno |
| B-96 | Fred and Ted Like to Fly | Peter Anthony Eastman | Peter Anthony Eastman |
| B-97 | The Belly Book | Joe Harris | Joe Harris |
| B-98 | Thomas and Friends: Trains, Cranes & Troublesome Trucks | Rev. W. Awdrey | Tommy Stubbs |
| B-99 | Have You Seen My Dinosaur? | Jon Surgel | Joe Mathieu |
| B-100 | Fred and Ted's Road Trip | Peter Anthony Eastman | Peter Anthony Eastman |
| B-?? | Crayon Box: Pigs of a Feather | Tish Rabe | Klimo K. |
[edit] Bright and Early Books
These are books for younger children - they are technically part of the series. They are numbered as "BE" for Bright and Early.
| ID | Title | Author | Illustrator |
|---|---|---|---|
| BE-1 | The Foot Book | Dr. Seuss | |
| BE-2 | The Eye Book | Dr. Seuss | Roy McKie (later Joe Mathieu) |
| BE-3 | The Ear Book | Al Perkins | William O'Brian (later Henry Payne) |
| BE-4 | Inside Outside Upside Down | Stan and Jan Berenstain | |
| BE-5 | Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb | Al Perkins | Eric Gurney |
| BE-6 | Bears on Wheels | Stan and Jan Berenstain | |
| BE-7 | Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? | Dr. Seuss | |
| BE-8 | The Nose Book | Al Perkins | Roy McKie (later Joe Mathieu) |
| BE-9 | Old Hat New Hat | Stan and Jan Berenstain | |
| BE-10 | Bears in the Night | Stan and Jan Berenstain | |
| BE-11 | The B Book | Stan and Jan Berenstain | |
| BE-12 | In a People House | Dr. Seuss | Roy McKie |
| BE-13 | Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now! | Dr. Seuss | |
| BE-14 | The C Book aka C Is for Clown | Stan and Jan Berenstain | |
| BE-15 | The Pop-Up Mice of Mr. Brice (without Bright and Early Books for Beginning Readers series only)/The Many Mice of Mr. Brice | Theo. LeSieg (later Dr. Seuss writing as Theo. LeSeig in 100th Anniversary of Dr. Seuss) | Roy McKie |
| BE-16 | The Shape of Me and Other Stuff | Dr. Seuss | |
| BE-17 | I'll Teach My Dog 100 Words | Michael Frith | P.D. Eastman |
| BE-18 | There's a Wocket in my Pocket | Dr. Seuss | |
| BE-19 | Great Day for Up | Dr. Seuss | Quentin Blake |
| BE-20 | He Bear, She Bear | Stan and Jan Berenstain | |
| BE-21 | Would you Rather be a Bullfrog? | Dr. Seuss | Roy McKie |
| BE-22 | Hooper Humperdink...? Not Him! | Dr. Seuss | Charles E. Martin (later Scott Nash) |
| BE-23 | The Spooky Old Tree | Stan and Jan Berenstain | |
| BE-24 | The Hair Book | Graham Tether | Roy McKie |
| BE-25 | The Tooth Book | Dr. Seuss | Roy McKie (later Joe Mathieu) |
| BE-26 | Wings on Things | Marc Brown | |
| BE-27 | The Berenstain Bears on the Moon | Stan and Jan Berenstain | |
| BE-28 | Snug House, Bug House! | Susan Schade and Jon Buller | |
| BE-29 | Snow Bugs | Susan Schade and Jon Buller | |
| BE-30 | The A Book | Stan and Jan Berenstain | |
| BE-31 | It's Not Easy Being Big! | Stephanie St. Pierre | John Lund |
[edit] References
- ^ Judith Morgan and Neil Morgan, Dr. Seuss & Mr. Geisel: A Biography (Da Capo Press, 1996), ISBN 9780306807367. Excerpt available at Google Books.
[edit] External links
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Beginner Books |
- List of the first 50 Beginner Books at Children's Picture Book Price Guide
- kids@Random (catalog download page)
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