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

Dr. Seuss
4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 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) + The Sneetches and Other Stories
Price for all three: $29.14

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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 (32 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,501 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.

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#41 Overall (See top 100 authors)
#41 in Books
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Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars
(32)
4.9 out of 5 stars
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Dr. Seuss' distinctive rhyming style is on full display throughout. Michael J. Mazza  |  6 reviewers made a similar statement
My daughter and I love love love this book. Steph  |  7 reviewers made a similar statement
As soon as I sit down, they grab a book and jump in my lap. Gordon D. Morrison  |  4 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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Most Recent Customer Reviews
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 1 month 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 2 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 2 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 3 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 4 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 4 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 8 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 23 months ago 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
4.0 out of 5 stars fun book
My son's principal just read this to them after they visited the Shriner circus. They did compare and contrast activities which they loved. Read more
Published on February 21, 2011 by Yvonne Vonderweidt
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