Hooray for Diffendoofer Day!

by Dr. Seuss and Jack Prelutsky

Book Overview

Started by Seuss, finished by Prelutsky, and illustrated by Lane Smith, Hooray for Diffendoofer Day is a joyous ode to individuality. The story stars an unsinkable teacher named Miss Bonkers and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0679890084
• ISBN13: 9780679890089
• Release Date: April 1998
• Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
• Length: 64 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 8.2" x 11.1"
• Age Range: 3 to 7 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 2

Customer Reviews

Kid's Book

Arrived on time Good book

Hooray I say!!!

This book is too cute! very fun and easy read. Gives you a a little Seuss history too!

If Number 2 pencils make you cringe . . .

I loved Dr. Seuss as a kid, but I have to admit, I don't always like reading him aloud now that I'm a parent. Don't tell my kids, but I know how Green Eggs and Ham ended up behind the sofa. Mom and Dad hid it there after they'd been forced to read about boxes and foxes and sockses too many times in a row one night. This new book, based on notes and sketches found among Dr. Seuss's papers after his death, might escape the fate of Sam-I-am, at least in our house. There are some definite funny moments. Discussing the cafeteria workers, the narrator says, "They make us hot dogs, beans, and fries, / Plus things we do not recognize." Although the food may resemble that found in some educational institutions, the philosophy does not. Instead of teaching the students the traditional canon and rote memorization, the teachers at Diffendoofer teach an eclectic mix. Extolling the virtues of his teacher, Miss Bonkers, the narrator says: She even teaches frogs to dance. And pigs to put on underpants. One day she taught a duck to sing -- Miss Bonkers teaches EVERYTHING! Of all the teachers in our school, I like Miss Bonkers best. Our teachers are all different, But she's different-er than the rest. Most of all, the teachers teach their students how to think. This works great, until the day of the dreaded standardized test. If the students at Diffendoofer School don't pass with flying colors, they'll be forced to go to Flobbertown, where everyone does everything the same. Amazingly enough, the test covers all the things the Diffendoofer teachers have been teaching -- and for those questions on material they haven't covered yet, the students use their thinking skills to come up with the right answers. Lane Smith's illustrations pay tribute to Dr. Seuss. Several characters from Seuss books walk the halls of Diffendoofer School, along with Smith's more angular characters. The library is stocked with Seuss books. At the end of the book, there's the story of how this book came to be. After reading the original verses and studying the original sketches, I re-read the story and marveled at how Prelutsky and Smith took a small amount of material and fashioned Hooray for Diffendoofer Day.

Diffendoofer Day

I LOVED this book so much, I have read it again and againbecause it is so good. Dr. Seuss had started this book before he died,but never got to finish it. Jack Prelutsky and Lane Smith completed the book and did a TERRIFIC job at it. It is from the point of view of a student who goes to school at Diffendoofer. She describes each of the teachers and what they teach. But now the students of Diffendoofer school have to take a test, if they don't pass, everyone will be sent to another school, a dreary school. Read the book to find out what happens in the end, if Diffendoofer passes the test and keeps the school, or if the students fail and get sent elsewhere. I recommend this book to ANYONE!

It's gribbulous, it's grobbulous! A must-have!

If only there were a Diffendoofer School! I'd gladly send my children to a school where a sprited teacher named Miss Bonkers makes learning a delightful adventure everyday. ("She even teaches frogs to dance, and pigs to put on underpants.") I purchased this book with great enthusiasm because I was intrigued by the fact that Theodore "Dr. Seuss" Geisel never had a chance to finish the story; only a handful of rough illustrations and verses existed. After Dr. Seuss passed away in 1991, his editor of 11 years, Janet Schulman, passed on the rough draft to Jack Prelutsky (a wonderful children's poet) and Lane Smith (an amazing illustrator with a surreal style). This brave team stepped up to the enormous challenge of fleshing out Dr. Seuss's story.Prelutsky continues the Seussian tradition of wacky words and rhymes, a delight for the young and old. Children love the hilarious descriptions of all the folks who run Diffendoofer School, from the nurse, Miss Clotte, to the stressed-out principal, Mr. Lowe, whose "face is wrinkled as a prune from worrying so much." Parents will appreciate the not-so-subtle pun on high-stakes assessment tests. The Diffendoofer kids are positively thrilled when they see that the test has "questions about noodles, about poodles, frogs, and yelling...about other things we'd never seen or heard, and we somehow answered them, enjoying every word." Dr. Seuss, Prelutsky, and Smith have created a book that celebrates the creative mind and the joy of learning. The illustrations by Lane Smith are touched with a lighthearted surrealism. Each page is cotten candy for the eyes. In a touching and unique homage to Dr. Seuss, Smith included original Seuss drawings in many illustrations. It's fun to simply look at Smith's illustrations and try to remember in which books the Seuss drawings appeared. Another treat for the Seuss fan comes after the story. Schulman, Seuss's editor, wrote "How this Book Came to Be," which includes many of Seuss's original rough sketches and handwritten text. It's a rare opportunity for one to peer into the mind of a brilliant writer. I simply love reading this book to my children. Three cheers for Dr. Seuss, Jack Prelutsky, and Lane Smith!

A MUST-READ for teachers!

An wonderful book for the adult and child to share! Illustrations are incredible. For both student and teacher who are facing test anxiety. This book talks about two types of schools and the two schools of thought that they teach. One particular school, who is in the habit of using a "non-traditional" to teaching, and is in habit of teaching children "how to think" faces the BIG TEST DAY! and the principal is scared the children won't be ready for it...read it to find out the end!

A great gift for a master teacher

I am the principal of a non-traditional public high school; I received the book as a present from a first year teacher. It should be part of every beginning teachers opening-of-school packet. It is all about teaching kids how to think, and how to be successful in "different-er" ways.