One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish »

It s difficult to imagine the children s book landscape without Dr. Seuss, who is, almost half a century after The Cat in the Hat, the best-recognized children s book writer in the country. But until Dr. Seuss -- a.k.a. Theodor Seuss Geisel -- reinvented the genre with his colorful and exuberant Sneetches, Grinches, Zaxes, and Zooks, children s books were often little more than literal-minded lessons and cautionary tales intended to transform young readers into productive citizens.

This nonsensical romp through a gallery of imaginary creatures introduces beginning readers to a variety of rhyming letter combinations. Meet the Yink, who likes to wink and drink pink ink. Or the Yop, who hops from finger top to finger top. Then there is morose Ned who doesn't like his little bed. The short anecdotal poems have just the right combination of humor and the fantastic to enrapture readers.