Oh, the Places You'll Go!

Rating:
Summary: Oh, the Places You'll Go
Review: As I embark on yet ANOTHER new chapter of my life, I find I am constantly questioning my every move, encountering new crossroads and rebuilding my somewhat depleting self-belief. Last night my best friend Shannon called me on the phone asking if she could read me a bedtime story. It's been more than 20 years since someone asked me if they could read to me before bed but I instantly reverted to my childhood and out of habit curled up in bed and asked 'what's the book called' before she even opened a page. As the words flowed through her lips, I was dumbfounded at how closely it related to my own life ... it was like Dr. Seuss wrote ME a book. Oh, the Places You'll Go answered EVERY question I have been asking myself for months. All my 'what ifs' 'ands' or 'buts' are no more. All too soon, Shannon came to the end and closed the book, I was speechless and tearful but ironically, I had new zest and energy pumping through my veins ... I wanted to jump to my feet and scream 'I'm going to do it ... I'm going to climb to the top!!! Dr. Seuss makes reference to people in the 'waiting period' where so many of us stay out of fear ... I'm not scared any more!!! No matter how old one is when they pick up this book, it will reflect on their present life and put it into perspective. The next time you find yourself 'questioning', pick up Oh, the Places You'll Go, or better yet have someone read it outloud .. listen to the words, let them seep through your pours and I guarantee ... Dr. Seuss will inspire :)

Rating:
Summary: FORGET ABOUT MICE, MIDGETS, AND MISSING CHEESE
Review: If I were still in the corporate world and wanted one honest, from the heart, book to use to help my friends, employees, or co-workers when the time came for them to move on to something different in their lives or careers, I'd give them a copy of OH, THE PLACES YOU'LL GO! I think that it would be a lot more useful to get a positive feeling for what one can find out there, than to be told that finding the same old cheese in a different cheese box is the way to face the future.

When I am reached retirement age, I looked on Dr Seuss's book as a positive picture of what might still be in store for me. My cry was, "Bring on the future!"

Rating:
Summary: A Truly Unique Work of Inspiration
Review: I received this book as a gift from my sister when I graduated from school. And you know something? Not one of the many volumes of reference books I've read during college, nor one NY Times Bestseller's List novels I've picked up at the bookstore, has ever given me as much confidence and inspiration as this book. Though I may not have been part of the audience in mind for this book, that in itself is what makes it so much fun. I get to enjoy Seuss' rhymes and illustrations just as any child would. If anyone is ever looking for a truly unique work of inspiration for the recent graduate, or for someone about to enter a new phase in their life, this book is the perfect gift.

Rating:
Summary: Not just for kids!
Review: Many of us grew up with Dr. Seuss,but did any of us ever think of how much his stories could help us relate to the real world? Oh, The Places You'll Go!, does exactly that. It is an inspirational book for all ages from a child beginning his or her first day of school to the college graduate. Dr. Seuss's whimsical book takes an optimistic look at life and its ups and downs or as he puts it, "Bang-ups and hang-ups can happen to you." In this book, his lovable and memorable rhymes are encouraging as well as entertaining and tongue twisting. In the end, he makes us all believe that we will succeed and yes, "Kid, you'll move mountains!"

Rating:
Summary: Appropriate Confidence-Building for Children of All Ages!
Review: Researchers constantly find that reading to children is valuable in a variety of ways, not least of which are instilling a love of reading and improved reading skills. With better parent-child bonding from reading, your child will also be more emotionally secure and able to relate better to others. Intellectual performance will expand as well. Spending time together watching television fails as a substitute.

To help other parents apply this advice, as a parent of four I consulted an expert, our youngest child, and asked her to share with me her favorite books that were read to her as a young child. Oh, the Places You'll Go! was one of her picks.

This book describes a future filled with unlimited potential ('you can steer any direction you choose'), success ('you'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead'), set-backs ('you can get all hung up on a prickle-ly perch'), and overcoming obstacles ('somehow you'll escape all that waiting and staying').

Many will mischaracterize this book. Since it starts with the words, 'Congratulations! Today is your day.', some will see it only in the context of some special event. At one level, it could certainly be a graduation present for a high school or college grad. At another level, it can be given to those who are moving on from one school to another. You can also see it as a gift for any transition, even if from one grade to the next.

But, I think that the more important application of this book is in setting a standard of parental beliefs for your child about one's child's future life. Psychologists in book after book tell us that parents tend not to be supportive enough, and that teenagers and adult children feel that they have never lived up to their parents' standards. This book can play a very important role in conveying what those standards are and making them match up nicely with what will probably occur in your child's life. That's a tremendous resource, and one that all of us should avail outselves of! In particular, the end says, 'And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.). Notice, that the guarantee comes after faithfully pointing out that the path to success is never straight, that there will be setbacks, and that there will be self-doubt and delays. Hearing that guarantee in the context of the likely difficulties makes one realize that optimism and perserverance are what is being encouraged here. Also, setbacks and delays are merely that ... not failure or failing to meet parental standards.

Psychologists tell us that those who believe they can succeed will put up twice the effort of those who doubt their success.

So after thinking about it, I propose that the day to give this book to someone who has never seen it before is on the darkest day of their life, when all seems bleak and impossible. It may make all of the difference. The gift will be all the more meaningful if you (or someone else) read this book to them when they were younger.

With your children, the right time to introduce this book is as young as possible, so that the belief in their success and the realistic challenges of success will be grounded as soon and as deeply as possible.

So you may give this book as a gift to the same child many times in a lifetime. But don't leave out those who need it who are not your children! They need it even more if their parents did not read Oh, the Places You'll Go! to them as a child!

After you have read this book to your child or given it as a gift to someone else, consider the other ways that you can appropriately boost the self-confidence of that person. Telling a story about your own setbacks and how you overcame them may help. Making yourself more human will also bring you closer together!

Rating:
Summary: Great for young and old alike
Review: I was surprised that so many other reviews mentioned this book as a great graduation gift. I had never thought Dr. Seuss related to people other than children, but when the president of my senior class read this book as his graduation speech, it was a perfect fit. "Oh, the Places You'll Go" not only can be enjoyed by children, adults can find meaning in it as well as being entertained by it. Whether Dr. Seuss meant for the book to be so meaningful or not, it is. I loved it and bought a copy to keep for myself after hearing it at graduation. It's a great motivator and entertainer.

Rating:
Summary: A great book for building self-esteem!
Review: I absolutely love this book. It is about making your way through the world. This book deals with all of the situations that one goes through as he/she travels through life. It speaks of the many twists and turns, which idealizes the events and problems one encounters. However, it gives notice to the personal power that one has to overcome these obstacles in life. I find it very encouraging. It is a great book to give a senior, who is graduating from high school. I feel that this is a great book for people of all ages. It gives hope and peace to anyone, especially those who need some extra inspiration.

Rating:
Summary: It's not just for kids!
Review: I recently gave this book to a friend as a graduation present and it was just as topical as when you read it to a child. Seriously, this book sparks the imagination and captures the feeling of invincability that children have. Dr. Seuss is great anytime but this book is particularly wonderful because it gives children a chance to dream about themselves and their lives.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Farewell Book
Review: Every year at the school where I work teachers send off their students who are headed off to middle school with Oh the Places You'll Go, and frequently there isn't a dry eye in the house. It is a wonderful, emotional send-off to anyone embarking on something new.

Rating:
Summary: very optimistic
Review: Another classic by Dr. Seuss! We all should bottle the optimism that is contained in these pages. I like this book because of the sense of adventure it bestows on the theme of facing change in life. As with all Seuss, there are lessons to learn for young and old alike in this book. I recommend it.