The siblings from One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish return for a triumphant trip to the pet store in this newly discovered manuscript from the treasure troves of Dr. Seuss.
Instead of fish that have "a little star" or fish that drive "a little car," the denizens of the pet store that the boy narrator and his sister Kay visit include more realistic offerings: "a fine dog who shook hands," a cat that Kay pats, and a pup and kitten. Seuss goes to town with the phrase "Make up your mind," which appears on banners held by fantastical creatures with long necks, wings, hoofs and horns. After all, Dad will let them choose only one. "Oh, boy!/ It is something/ to make a mind up," writes Seuss. A palette of lemon yellow for the siblings' sweaters and teal planes of color that call to mind The Cat in the Hat's backdrops unite this addition with Seuss's previous works. Not to mention his signature rhyme scheme and scan--"It may be a fish/ is the pet that we wish!"-- and the riff on "But how could I make up/ that mind in my head?" Some more exotic pets make the choices even harder and link the themes back to the outrageous creatures of One Fish, Two Fish.
Seuss ends on a high note (" 'I will do it right now./ I will do it!' I said./ 'I will make up the mind/ that is up in my head' ") and lets readers decide what the children purchased at the pet store. --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness