By Devyn Briones
Staff Writer
A newly discovered Dr. Seuss' book was revealed by Random House Children’s Books. The company was the first to share the news of the never-before-seen book, “Sing the 50 United States!”, according to Publishers Weekly.
This newest edition features the nostalgic and iconic Cat in the Hat character as he takes readers through each state in rhymes. “Sing the 50 United States!” will also be a part of the Cat in the Hat collection, and features original, unpublished text by Seuss along with new illustrations inspired by his famous sketches, according to Random House.
A publisher’s note at the end of the book will reveal how the project began, including photos of the original text and sketches by Ted Geisel, better known as Seuss. If readers remove the book’s dust jacket, they’ll discover a complete map of the United States.
There will be 500,000 prints of the book, and the company plans to partner with the nonprofit educational network, First Book, for a backpack build. This will give students a copy of the newest book along with other works of Seuss. There are also plans to celebrate the book in Washington, D.C. next year, and a song based on the book is to be released around the same time of the book.
Back in April, three editors from Random House Children’s Books flew to California. Alice Jonaitis, Cat Reynolds and Sara Sargent were determined to uncover new sketches from Seuss. And so, the three spent eight hours at Enterprises UCSD, which held about 20 boxes of Seuss’ personal materials.
However, after jumping from Whoville to Thneedville, they had finally found the manuscript for “Sing the 50 States!” in numerous forms.
“There were a few handwritten notes and one final version where there weren’t any edits,” Reynolds said. “We could see the evolution of Ted Geisel’s creative process.”
Both the manuscript and box were found undated, and the editors did not find any evidence that indicated Seuss shared the idea.
“It was just all his handwriting,” Jonaitis said. “No letters to editors or agents about the project, just the manuscript and the few sketches.”
Tom Brannon, whose work is seen in other books like Sesame Street, Muppet Babies, Playhouse Disney and other Seuss’ books, will contribute to any missing or needed illustrations.
“He’s done our By the Cat in the Hat Beginner Book series, including ‘If I were St. Nick’ by the Cat in the Hat,” Reynolds said. “He has such a knack for recreating Ted Geisel’s unique art style.”
“Sing the 50 United States!” will be published on June 2, 2026, right before America’s 250th anniversary. Eager readers or Seuss enthusiasts can preorder the book from sites like Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Target and many more.
In the meantime, readers will have to patiently wait with a grin ‘til the next tale begins.
