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If I Ran the Circus (Classic Seuss) [Hardcover]

Dr. Seuss
4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)

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Book Description

October 12, 1956 5 - 9 yearsClassic Seuss
Young Morris McGurk lets his imagination run wild with his circus McGurkus. "Fun for the entire family."--Children's Book Center.  

Frequently Bought Together

If I Ran the Circus (Classic Seuss) + If I Ran the Zoo (Classic Seuss) + Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories
Price for all three: $33.75

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

If I Ran the Circus is a grand rhyming Seussian hymn to every child's grandest and wildest plans. Behind Mr. Sneelock's ramshackle store, there's an empty lot. Little Morris McGurk is convinced that if he could just clear out the rusty cans, the dead tree, and the old cars, he would have no further obstacles to using the lot for the amazing, the world-beating, Circus McGurkus. The more elaborate Morris's dreams about the circus become, the more they depend on sleepy-looking, innocent Mr. Sneelock, who stands outside his ramshackle store sucking on a pipe, oblivious to the fate that awaits him in the depths of Morris's imagination. He doesn't yet know that he'll have to dispense 500 gallons of lemonade, be lassoed by a Wily Walloo, wrestle a Grizzly-Ghastly, and ski down a slope dotted with giant cacti. But if his performance is up to McGurkian expectations, then "why, ladies and gentlemen, youngsters and oldsters, your heads will quite likely spin right off your shouldsters!" Welcome to the big top. (Ages 4 to 8) --Richard Farr

From the Inside Flap

Illus. in color. Young Morris McGurk lets his imagination run wild with his circus McGurkus. "Fun for the entire family."--Children's Book Center.  

Product Details

  • Age Range: 5 - 9 years
  • Hardcover: 64 pages
  • Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers; First Edition edition (October 12, 1956)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 039480080X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0394800806
  • Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 0.4 x 11.3 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,160 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#82 Overall (See top 100 authors)
#79 in Books
#79 in Books

Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars
(33)
4.9 out of 5 stars
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My daughter and I love love love this book. Steph  |  8 reviewers made a similar statement
Dr. Seuss' distinctive rhyming style is on full display throughout. Michael J. Mazza  |  6 reviewers made a similar statement
This is a great bed time book and my daughter declared that only I can read it to her. Mathew A. Shember  |  5 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Circus fun from the mind of Seuss January 29, 2001
Format:Hardcover
"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.

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Splendid book! Pull up a ringside seat. August 29, 1998
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
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.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Perhaps the most perfect Seuss! June 20, 1999
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
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.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
My 6-year-old son checked this out from the library a week ago. I'd never heard of it, but I adore the best Dr. Seuss books, and The Cat in the Hat has always ranked as my #1 book to read to a kid, so my hopes were high. Even with high expectations, though, I was blown away. I have yet to make it through this book without a mistake, but that's partly because it's harder to read tricky tongue twisters when you're grinning. The rhymes are so clever, the rhythms so natural - and it's so fun to read the carnival-barker patter in which young Morris McGurk describes the circus he'll build behind Mr. Sneelock's store - that I think the Cat in the Hat may have slipped to second place. This is just a fantastic book for any kid old enough (it's longish), and especially for any grownup who loves to read aloud. (And my son? He's asked for it every night since he got it, so I haven't had to beg.)
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars the potential in every thing April 4, 2006
Format:Hardcover
"If I ran the circus" starts off with a boy and an empty lot. I had a lot similar to this near my childhood home. This book played perfectly into my wild imagination of what one could make out of a seemingly uninteresting place. It made me see things in a different way, the possibility that was in every place and every thing. This book is wonderful. Calm Sneelock is worked into the plan. (Isn't it just typical that kids think of shopkeepers as friends?) This book is a big part of my childhood and now I am happy to share it with my kids to help them see the potential in everything. One just needs to use a bit of imagination -- a lesson for young and old.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, Imaginative Book!! August 15, 2007
By Steph
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
My daughter and I love love love this book. It is so creative and everytime we read it (which is seriously twice a day) she finds something new in one of the pictures. The cadence and flow of the sentences is almost mesmerizing. Really delightful to read!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars The remarkable foon! July 28, 2006
Format:Hardcover
I stumbled on this with my daughter one night and she quickly fell in love with it.

It's one of the lessor known books but I think it's a great story. Dr. Seuss did a great job with with his words as it easy to get into a flow while reading and it also allows the story teller to play ring master and have fun.

This is a great bed time book and my daughter declared that only I can read it to her.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars great kids book December 9, 2005
A Kid's Review
Format:Hardcover
this book is great for kids because they get to see whats at a crcus. it broadens their vocablary. its an easy book to read with great pictures and fun rhyming!

by:

laura r.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Daddy Son Reading Time
If you want a great bonding book to bring dads and kiddos together try this one out. It's an exciting adventure for the imaginative and great bedtime story. Read more
Published 25 days ago by ChiefCook&BottleWasher
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect Giant Book
Every year its a tradition to have all the guest at my daughters party sign something this year her party was a carnival theme so this was perfect. Read more
Published 2 months ago by jessica watson
5.0 out of 5 stars great book great everything
This was a childhood favorite and it came in an excellent condition and quite expedient. I am happy for this purchase.
Published 3 months ago by David
5.0 out of 5 stars The best Dr. Seuss book
This was one of my favorite books as a child and it is still fun to read. I think it is the best Dr. Seuss book.
Published 3 months ago by Shannon Hendrix
5.0 out of 5 stars If I Ran the Circus
Very satisfied with my purchase of this book. It was a gift and was enjoyed by our grandson very much.
Published 4 months ago by Barbara Rockwell
5.0 out of 5 stars My 4-year old daughter loves this book
It really inspires her imagination and makes her smile. This is one of the few books she can read over and over and still enjoy.
Published 5 months ago by J. Bergstrom
5.0 out of 5 stars It's Dr. Suess
Need I say more?!? A gift for my child, to remind him of childhood memories!! He still loves to read it today
Published 5 months ago by Warburton
4.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous Circus McGurkus!
Dr. Seuss is on the loose once again as he imagines what it would be like to be in charge of the circus. Not just any circus, either--it's the Circus McGurkus! Read more
Published 9 months ago by Beth
5.0 out of 5 stars Childhood classic
This is an excellent book for the young reader. Following in the same sing-song rhyming style of "Cat in the Hat", this book follows the grand ideas of young Morris McGurk as he... Read more
Published on June 14, 2011 by E. Woodford
5.0 out of 5 stars One our family favorites
I first read this book to my oldest child when he still couldn't read. He is now 40 and his children have a copy too.That original copy is long gone, so I bought a new one. Read more
Published on April 18, 2011 by Jack Crane
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