Hop on Pop [Hardcover]

Dr. Seuss (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

"Combines phonics and word recognition, making sounds and letters recognizable. Highly recommended."—(starred) School Library Journal.  

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

First published in 1963, Hop on Pop remains a perennial favorite when it comes to teaching kids to read. Here, as in most of his extensive body of work, Dr. Seuss creates uncomplicated, monosyllabic rhymes to foster learning and inspire children to read. But what was radical about this little book at the time of publication (and what makes it still compelling today) is Seuss's departure from the traditionally dull pictures and sentences used in reading primers. In contrast, the illustrations here are wild and wonderful, and the accompanying language, while simple, is delightfully silly. For example, the rhyme "THREE TREE / Three fish in a tree / Fish in a tree? / How can that be?" is brought to life with a trio of plump, self-satisfied fish perched atop globular branches as two stymied hybrid dog-rabbit-humanoids look on in consternation. Hop on Pop does much more than teach children the basics of word construction, it also introduces them to the incomparable pleasure of reading a book. (Ages Baby to Preschooler)

Review

Dr. Seuss ignites a child's imagination with his mischievous characters and zany verses. The Express --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 72 pages
• Publisher: Beginner Books; First Edition edition (February 12, 1963)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 039480029X
• ISBN-13: 978-0394800295
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 0.5 x 9.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (120 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,072 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #81 in Books > Children's Books > Education & Reference
  • #82 in Books > Children's Books > Classics

More About the Author

"A person's a person, no matter how small," Theodor Seuss Geisel, a.k.a. Dr. Seuss, would say. "Children want the same things we want. To laugh, to be challenged, to be entertained and delighted."

Brilliant, playful, and always respectful of children, Dr. Seuss charmed his way into the consciousness of four generations of youngsters and parents. In the process, he helped millions of kids learn to read.

Dr. Seuss was born Theodor Geisel in Springfield, Massachusetts, on March 2, 1904. After graduating from Dartmouth College in 1925, he went to Oxford University, intending to acquire a doctorate in literature. At Oxford, Geisel met Helen Palmer, whom he wed in 1927. Upon his return to America later that year, Geisel published cartoons and humorous articles for Judge, the leading humor magazine in America at that time. His cartoons also appeared in major magazines such as Life, Vanity Fair, and Liberty. Geisel gained national exposure when he won an advertising contract for an insecticide called Flit. He coined the phrase, "Quick, Henry, the Flit!" which became a popular expression.

Geisel published his first children's book, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, in 1937, after 27 publishers rejected it.

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1984, an Academy Award, three Emmy Awards, three Grammy Awards, and three Caldecott Honors, Geisel wrote and illustrated 44 books. While Theodor Geisel died on September 24, 1991, Dr. Seuss lives on, inspiring generations of children of all ages to explore the joys of reading.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rhyming, Syntax, Humor, Reading and Improved Abs for Dad, July 27, 2000

By 

Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 109,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Hop on Pop (Hardcover)

This book was a favorite of our four children, especially in helping them realize that they might like to hop on Pop (which they did as much as Pop would let them). This book has really stayed with me, and I was interested to analyze why it is so appealing and effective.

What I discovered upon rereading it today is that the book packs a whallop in terms of providing learning opportunities for children. Long before Sesame Street was a staple for youngsters, this book picked up on some of the same learning techniques.

For example, you start with two rhyming words. The only difference may be one consonant (hop and Pop). This helps a child learn to read by seeing the role that a letter plays. Then the book uses the two words together to form a sentence, and puts an illustration in the reinforce the syntax (the difference between a house on a mouse, and a mouse on a house). After the simple syntax lessons are done, it goes on to give the child more rhymes and more complex sentences. "We like to hop on top of Pop." Here are where Dad's abs come in. The illustration shows how to hop on Pop without hurting him. Also, the book says not to, which will help Pop and the child learn that the subconscious in all people and all children pay no attention to negatives in sentences. So what is captured is an imperative to hop on Pop.

The story builds to a crescendo by letting the child know that there is more to learn. Children can learn small words like "if and it" while Father knows long words like "Constantinople and Timbuktu." The child is given a little quiz at the end about "seehemewe" and so forth and is given the hint that learning can continue tomorrow.

Also, this book provided me more pleasure in being a Father than any other that I read to and with my children. So if you are a Father, get with it. If you want to encourage a Father to be with his children more, get this book to him.

Overcome your stalled thinking about the limits of what can be learned by small children from an introductory reader by using this masterpiece!

. . . and practice tightening your abs!

Donald Mitchell

Coauthor of The Irresistible Growth Enterprise

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ed, Ned, Ted, and Red in Bed??, March 13, 2003

By 

M. Swinney "Marc My Words" (Flower Mound, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hop on Pop (Hardcover)

"Hop on Pop" and "Green Eggs and Ham" were the apex of Theodore Giesel's (Dr. Seuss's) creative genius. Hop on Pop is a rhythmic romp through the joys of reading, rhyme, and sight for babies, infants, toddlers, and parents alike. The work is both ageless and timeless. I read this book to my 4-month old and it never fails to get him squealing and wide-eyed in delight. Maybe he doesn't understand the subtlety and weirdness of three fish in a tree or a bunch of people in bed together but it was the sixties...besides their names rhyme, so there is fun to still be had in the PC 00's.

There are so many things to enjoy about this book, that it's hard to find a place to begin. The weird hybrid creatures, the creative rhymes and wordplay...my favorites are the thing that can sing a long long song. I break out in overblown Pavarotti-extravagance singing and the boy is sure to either laugh or look at me strangely...is this Dad or is this an alien? But the biggest joy of the book comes at the end when Seuss strings together endless rhymes with endless rhythm in the string of run-on words, "hethreemewepatpuppophethreetreebeetophopstop." It will be indelibly stamped on your brain and give your child the joy of reading as well as reminding you how truly fun words and pictures can be. Thanks for all times go out to the good Doctor.

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars not the full story, December 30, 2007

By 

S. Schmidt (Cape Cod, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hop on Pop (Bright & Early Board Books(TM)) (Board book)

We asked if these were the regular books and we were told they were, but they don't have the full story because they are the board books. It's disappointing.