If I Ran The Circus (Classic Seuss)

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Step right up for Dr. Seuss’s classic rhyming picture-book tale of young Morris McGurk’s big circus dreams. This circus has more than a mere lion tamer and trapeze artist! At the Circus McGurkus, you’ll be intrigued by the wink-hooded Hoodwink, terrified by the Spotted Atrocious, and amazed by the daring feats of the great Sneelock. And these are just a few of the astonishing things you’ll find under this big top. Told with the humor and originality that are synonymous with Dr. Seuss, If I Ran the Circus is a crowd-pleasing showstopper!

Lexile Measure: NP (What's this?)

Series: Classic Seuss

Hardcover: 64 pages

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers; 1St Edition edition (1986)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 039480080X

ISBN-13: 978-0394800806

Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 0.4 x 11.4 inches

Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (108 customer reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #6,661 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #31 in Books > Children's Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Dr. Seuss #33 in Books > Children's Books > Arts, Music & Photography > Performing Arts #192 in Books > Children's Books > Activities, Crafts & Games > Activity Books

Age Range: 5 - 9 years

Grade Level: Kindergarten - 4

"If I Ran the Circus" is classic Dr. Seuss: delightful rhymes, wacky nonsense words, and bizarre creatures drawn in a playful artistic style. And, as in the best of Seuss' books, all these elements come together to celebrate the power of the imagination. The entire book takes place in the mind of young Morris McGurk, who imagines creating an extravagant circus in the vacant lot behind Sneelock's Store.And what a circus he imagines! As the scenario unfolds, we are treated to many marvelous sights: a 500-gallon lemonade dispenser, a Drum-Tummied Snumm, a fluff-muffled Truffle, a Spotted Atrocious, a trapeze troupe, and much, much more. Dr. Seuss' distinctive rhyming style is on full display throughout. Typical lines: "Then my Tournament Knights! Noble apes without fears! / Sir Hector! Sir Vector! Sir Bopps! and Sir Beers!"Throughout the book, young McGurk imagines store owner Sneelock performing in the imaginary circus. This gives the book a subtle touch of gentle subversiveness, since Sneelock is an adult, and thus an authority figure. But the humor is never mean, and in fact Sneelock appears both courageous and talented in the many wild scenarios spun in the boy's head. All things considered, "If I Ran the Circus" is a delight, and another triumph for Dr. Seuss.

If I Ran the Circus is a delightful cross between the tongue-twisting Fox in Sox and the classic Cat in the Hat. I read it to my children until they begged me to stop. Then I read it to my wife. It demands to be read outloud with the greatest of enthusiasm, almost child-like glee, drawing out the unique word combinations and stunning metre and rhyme. Fabuluous.

Gasp at the scale. Wince at the rhymes. Be amazed at the exploits of Old Sneelock. This book is classic Seuss and deserves to be read much more widely. I recommend it unreservedly.

This book doesn't disappoint, after all, it is a Seuss tale. We love Dr. Seuss in our house and every one gets read aloud to my sons with different voices, expressions, grimaces, and hand gestures. This one is one of the more fun ones to read with exciting detail. I'm hoping these moments are just as memorable to my very young children as they are to me as I don't think any childhood can be called complete without vivid memories of such colorful wacky stories. This one wasn't in our collection until we threw my son a vintage circus themed 1st birthday party. We bought this to have the guests sign with well wishes instead of bringing gifts and cards. Then, we brought it into the home library and read it with great delight. It's definitely a must have for all families!

We bought this book for my 3 yr old after going to the circus. Being a Seuss loving family, we were all excited to read it, but my daughter quickly lost interest because there was really no reference to anything like a real circus. Cool Seuss writing, but don't get it if your looking for any circus memories...

When our friends became grandparents, I immediately thought of a gift for the baby - my own (now grown) kid's very favorite: If I Ran The Circus. I read it so many times to them that I could recite long stretches by memory. This edition has great color (my original is now quite faded) and I am sure will be treasured by the newbie, as well as his parents.What a Classic!

I always loved Dr. Seuss as a child. Now I want my grandchildren to enjoy them. I plan on having a substantial Seuss library for when the grandkids visit, so of course I am not nearly finished collecting. So I will just continue to enjoy my Seuss expansion.

A standalone picture book for youngsters with dreams and thoughts of circuses.My TakeAuthors should check out the title and dedication page, if only to enjoy how Seuss laid it out. Very clever and very cute.The colors in the images are in primary colors: red, white, yellow, and blue. As for the graphics, they’re quite simply complicated and will make you laugh. I did love the pink lemonade “container”. And yes, there are pages more of clever and fun.Hmmm, speaking as one of those kids with “big” ideas, I’m really impressed with Morris McGurk's fantastical thoughts…as well as all those circus wagons, lol. Oh, lordy…that organ…rofl… Think of a circus with all the acts you suspect, feed ‘em steroids, and go all Seussian with some mindwarping ideas.Better watch the kids before they take up your brooms and — not to tidy their rooms! — but to go roust-about-jousting.Oh, man, you will absolutely adore how beautifully Seuss gets complex ideas across in his rhymes, and you can’t help but get caught up in his racing, fun rhythms.The StoryAh, yes, young Morris McGurk has great plans and is counting quite heavily on Sneelock’s good graces.Whatever did poor Sneelock ever do to McGurk?The CharactersMorris McGurk is a young lad with wonderful plans for the……Circus McGurkus with its horn-tooting apes who could get a gig anywhere in the world with those two or three tongues. Rolf the Walrus has marvelous balance. The Drum-Tummied Snumm is quite musical. The Remarkable Foon and his taste for pebbles from the moon. The Wily Walloo has quite the rope trick. The Hoodwink is most intriguing [to me] for his levitating hood.I suspect the Blindfolded Bowman from Brigger-ba-Root is not going to please ol’ Sneelock. The Juggling Jott sounds more like a writer to me! There’re all those creatures in the circus parade followed later by To-an-Fro Marchers who march in those layers. The dentist’s dream is the Spotted Atrocious and so many more.The Cover and TitleThe cover has a yellow background with a light red curtain sprinkled with orange stars, overhanging it on the right. On the left are three Seussian creatures balancing one atop the other starting with a pale pink ball to pale pink balloons. The title is in white outlined in black while the author’s name is in black.The title is Morris’s dream of If I Ran the Circus.

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