Beginner Books

Beginner Books is the Random House imprint for young children ages 3–9, co-founded by Phyllis Cerf with Ted Geisel, more often known as Dr. Seuss, and his wife Helen Palmer Geisel. Their first book was Dr. Seuss's The Cat in the Hat (1957), whose title character appears in the brand's logo. Cerf compiled a list of 379 words as the basic vocabulary for young readers, along with another 20 slightly harder "emergency" words. No more than 200 words were taken from that list to write The Cat in the Hat.  Subsequent books in the series were modeled on the same requirement.

Beginner Books had only four titles in their catalog in 1958. Two years later, they were earning 1 million dollars a year. Random House acquired Beginner Books in 1960 and was the largest publisher of children's books in the United States.

Early contributors

Authors
When Theodor Seuss Geisel illustrated his own stories, he wrote as Dr. Seuss. When others created the illustrations, he used either the pseudonym Theo LeSieg or Rosetta Stone. Other authors of early Beginner Books were Robert M. Lopshire, Bennett Cerf, Al Perkins, Helen Palmer Geisel who wrote as Helen Palmer, Philip Dey Eastman, Stan and Jan Berenstain, Benjamin Elkin and Marion Holland.

Illustrators
Early Beginner Books employed many famous illustrators, including the aforementioned Theodor Seuss Geisel, P. D. Eastman, Stan and Jan Berenstain, and Robert Lopshire. Roy McKie was also an illustrator.

List of Beginner Books

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left;"
|-
!ID
!Title
!Year released
|-
|B- 1
|The Cat in the Hat
|1957
|-
|B- 2
|The Cat in the Hat Comes Back
|1958
|-
|B- 3
|A Fly Went By
|1958
|-
|B- 4
|The Big Jump and Other Stories
|1958
|-
|B- 5
|A Big Ball of String
|1958 (later 35th anniversary edition released in 1993)
|-
|B- 6
|Sam and the Firefly
|1958
|-
|B- 7
|Going to the Moon (U.K.)/You Will Go to the Moon
|1959 (later revised edition in 1971)
|-
|B- 8
|Cowboy Andy
|1959
|-
|B- 9
|The Whales Go By
|1959
|-
|B-10
|Stop that Ball!
|1959
|-
|B-11
|Bennett Cerf's Book of Laughs
|1959
|-
|B-12
|Ann Can Fly
|1959
|-
|B-13
|One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish
|1960
|-
|B-14
|The King's Wish and Other Stories
|1960
|-
|B-15
|Bennett Cerf's Book of Riddles
|1960/1999 (part of Riddles and More Riddles)
|-
|B-16
|Green Eggs and Ham
|1960
|-
|B-17
|Put Me in the Zoo 
|1960
|-
|B-18
|Are You My Mother?
|1960
|-
|B-19
|Ten Apples Up On Top! 
|1961 (later 1998)
|-
|B-20
|Go, Dog. Go! 
|1961
|-
|B-21
|Little Black, a Pony
|1961
|-
|B-22
|Look Out for Pirates!
|1961
|-
|B-23
|A Fish Out of Water 
|1961
|-
|B-24
|More Riddles
|1961/1999 (part of Riddles and More Riddles)
|-
|B-25
|Robert the Rose Horse 
|1962
|-
|B-26
|I Was Kissed by a Seal at the Zoo
|1962
|-
|B-27
|Snow 
|1962
|-
|B-28
|The Berenstain Bears: The Big Honey Hunt (reissue)/The Big Honey Hunt
|1962
|-
|B-29
|Hop on Pop: The Simplest Seuss for Youngest Use
|1963
|-
|B-30
|Dr. Seuss's ABC (translations) 
|1963
|-
|B-31
|Do You Know What I'm Going to Do Next Saturday?
|1963
|-
|B-32
|Summer 
|1963 (later 2001 recolored and censored)
|-
|B-33
|Little Black Goes to the Circus
|1963
|-
|B-34
|Bennett Cerf's Book of Animal Riddles
|1964
|-
|B-35
|Why I Built the Boogle House
|1964
|-
|B-36
|The Bike Lesson (U.K.)/The Berenstain Bears: The Bike Lesson (reissue)/The Bike Lesson: Another Adventure of the Berenstain Bears 
|1964
|-
|B-37
|The Beginner Book of Things To Make: previously published as How to Make Flibbers, etc. (reissue)/How to Make Flibbers, etc.: A Book of Things to Make and Do
|1964
|-
|
|The Cat in the Hat Dictionary (U.K.)/The Cat in the Hat Beginner Book Dictionary
|1964
|-
|B-38
|Fox in Socks (reissue)/Fox in Socks: A Tongue Twister for Super Children 
|1965
|-
|B-39
|The King, the Mice and the Cheese
|1965
|-
|B-40
|I Wish That I Had Duck Feet
|1965
|-
|B-41
|The Berenstain Bears: The Bears' Picnic (reissue)/The Bears' Picnic 
|1966
|-
|B-42
|Don and Donna Go to Bat
|1966
|-
|B-43
|You Will Live Under the Sea
|1966
|-
|B-44
|Come over to My House
|1966 (later 50th anniversary edition released in 2016)
|-
|B-45
|Babar Loses His Crown
|1967 (later released in 2004)
|-
|B-46
|The Berenstain Bears: The Bear Scouts (reissue)/The Bear Scouts
|1967
|-
|B-47
|The Digging-est Dog 
|1967
|-
|B-48
|Hugh Loftings' Travels of Dr. Dolittle
|1967
|-
|
|The Cat in the Hat Songbook
|1967
|-
|B-49
|Hugh Loftings' Doctor Dolittle and the Pirates
|1968
|-
|B-50
|Off to the Races
|1968
|-
|B-51
|The Best Nest 
|1968
|-
|B-52
|The Berenstain Bears: The Bears' Vacation (reissue)/The Bears' Holiday (U.K.)/The Bears' Vacation 
|1968
|-
|B-53
|Ian Flemings' Story of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang! the Magical Car
|1968
|-
|B-54
|King Midas and the Golden Touch
|1969 (later special edition in 1973 by Scholastic)
|-
|
|My Book about Me
|1969
|-
|
|I Can Draw It Myself
|1970
|-
|B-55
|The Berenstain Bears: The Bears' Christmas (reissue)/The Bears' Christmas 
|1970
|-
|
|Some of Us Walk, Some Fly, Some Swim
|1971
|-
|B-56
|Tubby and the Lantern
|1971
|-
|B-57
|Tubby and the Poo-Bah
|1972
|-
|
|The Berenstain Bears in: The Bears' Almanac
|1973
|-
|B-58
|Autographs! I Collect Them (reissue)/My Amazing Book of Autographs
|1974
|-
|B-59
|Wacky Wednesday 
|1974
|-
|B-60
|The Berenstain Bears: The Bear Detectives: The Case of the Missing Pumpkin (reissue)/The Bear Detectives: The Case of the Missing Pumpkin
|1975
|-
|B-61
|Because a Little Bug Went Ka-Choo! 
|1975
|-
|B-62
|Oh, the Thinks You Can Think! 
|1975
|-
|B-63
|Please Try to Remember the First of Octember! 
|1977
|-
|B-64
|I Can Read with My Eyes Shut! 
|1978
|-
|B-65
|Oh Say Can You Say? 
|1979
|-
|B-66
|The Berenstain Bears and the Missing Dinosaur Bone 
|1980
|-
|B-67
|Maybe You Should Fly a Jet! Maybe You Should Be a Vet!
|1980 (later 40th anniversary edition released in 2020)
|-
|B-68
|It's Not Easy Being a Bunny 
|1983
|-
|B-69
|Spooky Riddles 
|1983
|-
|B-70
|What Do Smurfs Do All Day? 
|1983
|-
|B-71
|The Very Bad Bunny 
|1984
|-
|B-72
|I Want to Be Somebody New!: The Sequel to Put Me in the Zoo (reissue)/I Want To Be Somebody New!
|1986
|-
|B-73
|The Black Stallion
|1986
|-
|B-74
|I Am Not Going to Get Up Today! 
|1987
|-
|B-75
|The Cat's Quizzer 
|1976 (original)/1993 (reissue)
|-
|
|Beginning Readers' Yearbook 1994
|1994
|-
|
|The Big Blue Book of Beginner Books
|1994
|- 
|B-76
|Stop, Train, Stop! A Thomas the Tank Engine Story 
|1995
|-
|
|The Big Red Book of Beginner Books
|1995
|-
|B-77
|New Tricks I Can Do!
|1996
|-
|B-78
|Anthony the Perfect Monster
|1996
|-
|
|The Big Book of Berenstain Bears Beginner Books
|1996
|-
|B-79
|4 Pups and a Worm
|1996
|-
|B-80
|Honey Bunny Funnybunny 
|1997
|-
|B-81
|Come Down Now, Flying Cow!
|1997
|-
|B-82
|Can You Tell Me How to Get to Sesame Street? 
|1997
|-
|
|The Big Green Book of Beginner Books
|1997/2022
|-
|
|Put Me in the Alphabet!: A Beginner Workbook About ABC's
|1997
|-
|
|I Want to Count Something New: A Beginner Workbook About 123's
|1997
|-
|
|Pigs of a Feather
|1998
|-
|
|Match This, P. J. Funnybunny!: A Beginner Workbook About Matching and Sorting
|1998
|-
|
|What's Next, P. J. Funnybunny?: A Beginner Workbook About Sequencing
|1998
|-
|B-83
|Mercer Mayer's Critters of the Night: Roast & Toast
|1998
|-
|B-84
|Monster Munchies
|1998
|-
|B-85
|Babe the Sheep Pig: A Little Pig Goes a Long Way
|1999
|-
|B-86
|The Land Before Time
|1999
|-
|B-87
|Riddles and More Riddles!: Previously Published as Bennett Cerf's Book of Riddles and More Riddles 
|1960/1961/1999
|-
|B-88
|Flap Your Wings
|1969/2000 (reissue)
|-
|B-89
|The Berenstain Bears: That Stump Must Go!
|2000
|-
|B-90
|Paws and Claws
|2001
|-
|B-91
|Thomas and Friends: A Crack In the Track 
|2001
|-
|B-92
|Big Dog...Little Dog 
|1973/2003 (30th anniversary edition)
|-
|B-93
|Thomas and Friends: Go, Train, Go! A Companion Book to Stop, Train, Stop! 
|2005
|-
|B-94
|Fred and Ted Go Camping 
|2005
|-
|B-95
|Mrs. Wow Never Wanted a Cow 
|2006
|-
|B-96
|Fred and Ted Like to Fly 
|2007
|-
|B-97
|The Belly Book 
|2008
|-
|B-98
|Thomas and Friends: Trains, Cranes & Troublesome Trucks 
|2008
|-
|B-99
|Have You Seen My Dinosaur?
|2010
|-
|
|Fred and Ted's Road Trip
|2011
|-
|
|The Big Book of Berenstain Bears Beginner Books
|2011
|-
|
|My Big Book of Beginner Books about Me
|2011
|-
|
|The Big Purple Book of Beginner Books
|2012
|-
|B-101
|A Pet Named Sneaker
|2013
|-
|
|Thomas' Big Book of Beginner Books
|2013
|-
|
|Squirrels on Skis
|2013
|-
|
|The Big Orange Book of Beginner Books
|2015
|-
|
|The Big Aqua Book of Beginner Books
|2017
|-
|B-103
|DC Super Friends: Catch That Crook
|2018
|-
|B-104
|Dreamworks' Trolls: Too Many Cupcakes
|2018
|-
|B-105
|What Pet Should I Get?
|2015/2019
|-
|B-106
|Dr. Seuss's 123
|2019
|-
|B-107
|A Skunk in My Bunk!
|2019
|-
|B-108
|Can You See Me?
|2019
|-
|B-109
|Shut the Door!
|1993/2020
|-
|B-110
|If I Had Your Vote
|2020
|-
|B-111
|The Pink Book
|2020
|-
|B-112
|A Ticket for Cricket
|2021
|-
|B-113
|If I Ran Your School
|2021
|-
|B-114
|I Can Be Anything!
|2021
|-
|B-115
|It's Better Being a Bunny
|2022
|-
|B-116
|Busy Streets
|2022
|-
|B-117
|If I Were Saint Nick: A Christmas Story
|2022
|-
|B-118
|How to Love a Pony
|2023
|-
|
|The Big Violet Book of Beginner Books
|2023
|-
|B-119
|Bunny with a Big Heart|2023
|-
|B-120
|Dr. Seuss's If You Think There's Nothing to Do|2024
|-
|}

Book ClubGrolier Book Club Beginner Book SeriesScholastic Book Club Beginner Book SeriesEarly Moments Book Club Beginner Book SeriesBright and Early Books for Beginning Beginners
The following books are for younger children and are technically part of the series. The "BE" designation stands for Bright and Early.

Book ClubGrolier Bright and Early Book seriesScholastic Bright and Early Book seriesEarly Moments Bright and Early Book seriesBright and Early Board Books
Most, if not all, of these books are abridged versions of Beginner Books or Bright and Early Books. These books are not numbered.The Alphabet Book by P. D. Eastman, additional materials by Peter EastmanI'll Teach My Dog a Lot of Words written by Michael Frith, illustrated by P. D. EastmanBig Dog...Little Dog by P. D. EastmanAre You My Mother? by P. D. EastmanEres mi Mama? by P. D. EastmanGo, Dog. Go! P.D. Eastman's Book of Things That Go illustrated by P. D. EastmanVe, Perro. Ve! by P. D. EastmanFred and Ted Like to Fly by Peter EastmanThe Snowman illustrated by Raymond Briggs – Note: the only Bright and Early Board Book without any wordsWhat Time Is It? by P. D. Eastman (eBook only)The Berenstain Bears: Old Hat, New Hat by the BerenstainsSombrero Viejo, Sombrero Nuevo by the Berenstains (out of print)The Berenstain Bears: Inside, Outside, Upside Down by the BerenstainsThe Berenstain Bears: He Bear, She Bear by the BerenstainsSummer by Alice Low, illustrated by Roy McKiePut Me In The Zoo: A Book of Colors by Robert LopshireStop, Train, Stop! by Rev. W. AwdryPara, Trencito, Para! by Rev. W. Awdry (out of print)Blue Train, Green Train by Rev. W. AwdryDr. Seuss's ABC: An Amazing Alphabet Book! by Dr. SeussFox In Socks: Dr. Seuss's Book of Tongue Twisters by Dr. SeussHop on Pop by Dr. SeussTen Apples Up On Top! by Dr. Seuss (writing as Theo. LeSieg), illustrated by Roy McKie – Note: this book is a 1998 recolor edition.There's a Wocket in My Pocket! Dr. Seuss's Book of Ridiculous Rhymes by Dr. SeussOh, the Thinks You Can Think! by Dr. SeussMr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? Dr. Seuss's Book of Wonderful Noises by Dr. SeussThe Shape of Me and Other Stuff: Dr. Seuss's Surprising Word Book by Dr. SeussWould You Rather Be a Bullfrog? by Dr. Seuss (writing as Theo. LeSieg), illustrated by Roy McKieThe Many Mice of Mr. Brice by Dr. Seuss (writing as Theo. LeSieg), illustrated by Roy McKieThe Ear Book by Al Perkins, illustrated by Henry PayneHand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb by Al Perkins, illustrated by Eric GurneyThe Nose Book by Al Perkins, illustrated by Joe MathieuThe Tooth Book by Dr. Seuss (writing as Theo. LeSieg), illustrated by Joe MathieuThe Eye Book by Dr. Seuss (writing as Theo. LeSieg), illustrated by Joe MathieuThe Foot Book: Dr. Seuss's Wacky Book of Opposites by Dr. Seuss

Big Bright and Early Board BooksFast Train, Slow Train by Rev W. AwdryWould You Rather Be a Bullfrog? by Dr. Seuss (writing as Theo. LeSieg), illustrated by Roy McKieDr. Seuss's ABC: An Amazing Alphabet Book! by Dr. SeussThe Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Old Tree by Stan and Jan BerenstainOh, the Thinks You Can Think! by Dr. SeussMr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?: Dr. Seuss's Book of Wonderful Noises by Dr. SeussTrains, Cranes and Troublesome Trucks by Rev W. AwdryThe Many Mice of Mr. Brice by Dr. Seuss (writing as Theo. LeSieg), illustrated by Roy McKieFox in Socks: Dr. Seuss's Book of Tongue Twisters by Dr. SeussAre You My Mother? written and illustrated by P. D. EastmanHop on Pop: The Simplest Seuss for Toddlers Use by Dr. SeussGo, Dog. Go!: P. D. Eastman's Book of Things That Go by P. D. EastmanThe Big Box of Bright and Early Board Books About Me (The Foot Book: Dr. Seuss's Wacky Book of Opposites, The Eye Book, The Nose Book, The Tooth Book)The Eye Book by Dr. Seuss (writing as Theo. LeSieg), illustrated by Joe MathieuThe Foot Book: Dr. Seuss's Wacky Book of Opposites by Dr. SeussHand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb by Al Perkins, illustrated by Eric GurneyThe Tooth Book by Dr. Seuss (writing as Theo. LeSieg), illustrated by Joe MathieuThe Nose Book by Al Perkins, illustrated by Joe MathieuThere's a Wocket in My Pocket!: Dr. Seuss's Book of Ridiculous Rhymes by Dr. SeussThe Berenstain Bears: Inside, Outside, Upside Down by Stan and Jan Berenstain (Kohl's-exclusive)The Alphabet Book by P.D. Eastman, additional materials by Peter Eastman (Kohl's-exclusive)Put Me in the Zoo: A Book of Colors'' by Robert Lopshire (Kohl's-exclusive)

See also
 Ladybird Books

References

External links 

List of the first 50 Beginner Books at Children's Picture Book Price Guide
kids@Random (catalog download page)

Book publishing companies based in New York (state)
Companies based in New York City
Random House
Publishing companies established in 1957
Children's book publishers
Dr. Seuss
1957 establishments in New York City
American companies established in 1957