Finding a lost masterpiece in a dusty box sounds like the plot of a movie, but for the Seuss estate, it was just a Tuesday in 2013.
Well, maybe not just any Tuesday. Imagine Audrey Geisel, the widow of the legendary Theodor Geisel, cleaning out their La Jolla home. She’s sorting through old papers, probably thinking about remodeling, and stumbles upon a folder. Inside? A nearly complete manuscript titled What Pet Should I Get. It had been sitting there for over twenty years, silent and unread, while the rest of the world kept reciting The Cat in the Hat.
It’s wild to think about.
This isn't some "half-baked" sketch found on a napkin. It was a real, breathing Dr. Seuss book that somehow slipped through the cracks of history. When it finally hit shelves in 2015, it didn't just sell well; it became a cultural moment. People were hungry for that specific brand of Seussian chaos.
The Mystery of the Missing Manuscript
Why did Seisel hide it? Honestly, nobody knows for sure. Experts at Random House, like Cathy Goldsmith—who actually worked with Seuss before he passed in 1991—believe he wrote it somewhere between 1958 and 1962.
That’s a big deal.
That specific window was his "Golden Age." We’re talking about the same era that gave us Green Eggs and Ham. The characters in What Pet Should I Get are actually the same brother-sister duo from One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. Their names are Jay and Kay. They’re classic Seuss kids: wide-eyed, slightly overwhelmed, and stuck in a world that is much bigger than they are.
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Some think he set the project aside because he got distracted by One Fish, Two Fish. He might have felt the two books were too similar. Or maybe he just wasn't happy with the ending yet. Seuss was a notorious perfectionist. He would obsess over a single rhyme for weeks. If it didn't "snap" just right, into the box it went.
Why the Ending Still Bugs Some People
If you’ve read the book, you know it doesn't give you the "satisfying" answer you expect. Jay and Kay walk into the pet shop. They see the dogs. They see the cats. Then things get weird.
They start seeing imaginary creatures like the "Yent" that lives in a tent. The clock is ticking—they have to be home by noon. The tension builds. They finally make a choice. And then... the book ends with them walking out of the store with a basket.
You never see what’s inside.
For some readers, it’s a total "cliffhanger" moment that feels a bit like a letdown. But for Seuss fans, it’s basically the point. The book isn't really about the dog or the cat. It's about the agonizing, paralyzing, wonderful process of making up your mind.
The mantra "Make up your mind" repeats like a drumbeat. It’s a lesson in decision-making that feels surprisingly relevant for adults, too. Ever spent forty minutes scrolling through Netflix? You’re Jay and Kay in the pet shop.
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The Controversy of the "Pet Store" Setting
We have to talk about the elephant in the room. Or the Yent in the tent.
The book was written in the late 50s. Back then, "going to the pet store" was just what people did. Today? The conversation is different. We talk about "Adopt, Don't Shop." We worry about puppy mills.
When Random House published What Pet Should I Get, they knew this was a potential PR nightmare. They handled it by including several pages of "Editor’s Notes" at the back. These notes explain the history of the manuscript but also explicitly encourage readers to visit shelters.
It’s an interesting blend of preserving historical art while acknowledging that the world has moved on. Some critics felt it "sanitized" the Seuss spirit, but most agreed it was a necessary bridge for modern parents.
A Masterclass in Visual Storytelling
Visually, the book is a trip. Because the original sketches were black and white, Cathy Goldsmith had to decide how to color them. She chose a palette that felt "period-accurate" to Seuss's work in the early 60s.
The colors are vibrant but not digital. They have that slightly grainy, primary-color punch that makes you feel like you’re five years old again sitting on a rug in a library.
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One of the most striking pages shows the kids’ faces filling almost the entire frame. They look absolutely stressed. It’s a departure from the usual "happy-go-lucky" Seuss vibe. It captures that specific childhood anxiety of "If I pick the dog, I lose the cat, and what if the cat was better?"
It's high-stakes drama for the preschool set.
Lessons Learned from Jay and Kay
If you're looking to share this book with a kid (or just revisit it yourself), here are a few things that make it stand out:
- The Power of "No": To choose one thing, you have to say no to everything else. That’s a heavy concept for a picture book, but Seuss nails it.
- The Deadline Factor: The "be home by noon" rule adds a layer of urgency. It teaches that sometimes, a "good" decision now is better than a "perfect" decision that never happens.
- Imagination vs. Reality: The way the "real" pets (dogs, cats, fish) blend into the "imaginary" ones (tall creatures that fit under desks) shows how kids actually see the world. Everything is a possibility.
How to Experience This "New" Classic
Don't just read it as a "lost" artifact. Read it as a companion piece to One Fish, Two Fish. If you look closely, you can see the DNA of Seuss's later, more complex works starting to form here.
Your next steps: * Compare the Art: Take a copy of The Cat in the Hat and lay it next to What Pet Should I Get. Look at the line work. You can see how Seuss's hand changed over those few years.
- Check the Back Matter: Don't skip the editor’s notes. They include real photos of Ted Geisel and his actual pets (he was a big dog person). It adds a layer of humanity to the "Dr. Seuss" brand.
- Talk About Decision Fatigue: If you're reading this to a child, ask them what they would put in the basket. It’s a great way to see how their brain handles the "impossible" choice Jay and Kay had to make.
Ultimately, this book is a reminder that even the most famous creators have "junk drawers" full of genius. Sometimes, the things we set aside are exactly what someone else needs to find fifty years later.
Check your local library or a used bookstore; seeing the physical "Beginner Book" logo on a title released in the 21st century is a trip in itself. It feels like a glitch in the matrix in the best way possible.