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The text and illustrations for What Pet Should I Get? were found nearly complete. Geisel traditionally completed his black-and-white line art illustrations first, with color to be filled in later.
Dr. Seuss's former art director, Cathy Goldsmith, now vice president and associate publishing director, Random House Books for Young Readers, is overseeing the meticulous editorial and creative process of preparing What Pet Should I Get? for publication. Goldsmith is the one remaining publishing executive at Random House to have worked directly with Geisel during his lifetime, including spending time with him in La Jolla when he was finishing Oh, the Places You'll Go!.
"We believe that he wrote and illustrated What Pet Should I Get? somewhere between 1958 and 1962, as the brother and sister in the book are the same as those in his bestselling Beginner Book One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish which was published in 1960," says Goldsmith. "My connection to Ted remains as vital as it was when we worked closely together years ago. I know he is looking down, watching over the process, and I feel a tremendous responsibility to do everything just as he would have done himself."
What Pet Should I Get? captures the excitement of a classic childhood moment—choosing a pet—and features the brother and sister characters that Dr. Seuss introduced in One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish.
"To be able to share this newly discovered Dr. Seuss book that was created during a most prolific period in his career marks a special moment in children's book publishing," says Barbara Marcus, president & publisher, Dr. Seuss Enterprises, L.P. "The millions and millions of children and adults who have learned to love reading because of Dr. Seuss can now look forward to adding this treasure to their beloved collections."
The discovered materials will be kept at UC San Diego, where the Dr. Seuss Collection is housed within the Geisel Library.
