Dr. Seuss has to be one of the most beloved children’s authors of all time. The books are considered classics, and nearly every child has at least a few. They are favorites for reading aloud, and many are perfect for youngsters to learn to read on their own. In fact, did you know that some of the first books with controlled vocabulary for beginning readers were The Cat in the Hat and Hop on Pop?
Your child will love Seuss’s imaginative creatures, the rhyme and rhythm of his poetry, and the colorful illustrations. It’s only natural that app developers would latch onto this popularity and create ebooks and other types of apps that feature the familiar and lovable characters.
Nearly all of Seuss’s most popular books are available in app form, so I did not try to list them all. Just do a search for Dr. Seuss on your favorite platform, and you will find nearly two dozen. I’ve included some of my favorites and the favorites of children I know, as well as some Seussian apps that are not ebook-based. Enjoy!
Seussian Fun
Dr. Seuss Camera – The Grinch
Oceanhouse Media – Ninety-nine cents
This app puts you right into the world of Dr. Seuss! You can add Seussian characters from the Grinch to your photos, or you can even edit photos to make people look like the Grinch. Add borders, stickers, and even your favorite Dr. Seuss quotes to your artwork to give it just the right touch.
This app is a great way to create holiday cards and photos. You can put your face (or someone else’s face) into cut-out figures of characters from the story, and so much more! There are so many possibilities that it is tough to list them all.
Dr. Seuss Camera – The Cat in the Hat
Oceanhouse Media – Ninety-nine cents
This app opens up tons of possibilities. You can add favorite characters to your photos, or you can dress up your friends and family to look just like the famous cat, the Things, or even the kids from the story. There are also stickers, stamps, borders, and other tools to use to make your pictures really stand out.
The app includes 16 original cards featuring Dr. Seuss’s artwork. You can easily load images from your photo library, too. Best of all, share your creations with your friends or on social media.
Dr. Seuss Camera – Happy Birthday Edition
Oceanhouse Media – Ninety-nine cents
This app features 11 wonderful and whimsical cards with characters and artwork from Seuss’s book Happy Birthday to You! You can add photos from your own photo collection or from other files, as you wish.
You can enlarge, rotate, or do other simple edits with this app. You also can add borders, stickers, and quotes from the book to make your birthday card just right, then share it through email, text or social media.
The Cat in the Hat Builds That
PBS KIDS – Free
This app, based on the popular PBS KIDS television series, “The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That,” is a perfect introduction to science and STEM concepts for your kids. It features 5 science games, plus activities designed to promote conversation and hands-on experimenting in the real world.
This app helps children nurture and develop the skills they need for exploration, like organization, problem-solving, and planning. It covers measurement, physics, sounds, and colors to name a few areas.
Easy Reading Just for Beginners
Dr. Seuss’s ABC
Oceanhouse Media – $1.99
From Aunt Annie’s Alligator to the Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz, all of your child’s favorite Dr. Seuss ABC characters are here in this app. This ebook has all the best features of the medium. There are read-to-me and read-to-myself modes, interactive animations on each page, and all the usual bells and whistles. One cool feature is that there are several animations to trigger with the same hot spot, so your child will never know what will come up next on many of the pages.
The app also includes several alphabet learning games and opportunities to learn about new words. It has all the best features of ebooks and more. There is also a parents’ section where you can monitor how much time is spent with the app and other details.
The Cat in the Hat
Oceanhouse Media – $3.99
This fabulous ebook has all the bells and whistles you’ve come to expect from the Dr. Seuss family of ebooks from Oceanhouse Media. It’s got the standard highlighted narration, read-to-me and read-to-myself modes, and tons of interactions scattered throughout the story. Users can tap, swipe, tilt and more to get the most out of the app.
And The Cat in the Hat was actually one of the very first books written specifically for emergent readers. It’s perfect for your child who has mastered letters and sounds and can read a few words. Let them try their hand at reading this masterpiece!
The Cat in the Hat Comes Back
Oceanhouse Media – $3.99
If your child loves the Cat in the Hat, you won’t want them to miss this sequel. The ornery Cat is back and causing even more trouble for the kids. And the reading is still simple and just right for kids who are just learning.
This ebook features all the usual modes, like read-to-me and read-to-myself. It’s got lots of interactions and hidden learning games to keep your kids entertained. All in all, it’s a great example of what ebooks are intended to be.
Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss
Oceanhouse Media – $3.99
Rounding out the early literacy offerings from Dr. Seuss is this app: Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss. It offers read-to-me and read-to-myself modes, as well as great interactions on every page. In addition, there are hidden learning games throughout the book that will help your child build phonics and reading skills.
Hop on Pop is even easier to read than the Cat in the Hat, so it might be one to start your child out on the road to reading. While there’s not much of a storyline to keep track of, the words are so simple that most kindergarteners and even lots of preschoolers can feel successful with just a little bit of guidance from a favorite adult.
Favorite Dr. Seuss Story Apps
Dr. Seuss Treasury Kids Books – School Edition
Oceanhouse Media – $49.99
This set is a dream come true for Seuss fans! It includes 55 (count ‘em, 55!) books by Dr. Seuss with unlimited access forever. It’s far less expensive than purchasing print copies of these favorites, and many are not available as stand-alone ebooks, such as the 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins. The rhyming books are all here, and so are the more complex stories told in prose.
If you find the price tag a bit too steep, there is an alternative, as well. Check out Dr. Seuss Treasury Kids Books (a slightly different app). This one is free to download and offers a 30-day free trial. After that period, you can access all 55 books for a monthly subscription of $2.99, an annual subscription of $19.99, or purchase lifetime access to the treasury (like the app above) for $49.99.
Dr. Seuss Book Collection #1
Oceanhouse Media – $14.99
This app (and its other volume) offers 5 favorite Dr. Seuss stories. This volume includes the Cat in the Hat, One Fish Two Fish, The FOOT Book, Mr. Brown Can Moo, and Fox in Sox. Volume 2 offers Green Eggs and Ham, Dr. Seuss’ ABC, The Cat in the Hat Comes Back, There’s a Wocket in my Pocket, and Hop on Pop.
There’s even a third collection available on Google Play called Dr. Seuss’ Story Collection that includes favorites like Yertle the Turtle and the Sneetches. You can grab this one for $9.99.
Green Eggs and Ham
Oceanhouse Media – $3.99
This award-winning app will have your child rolling with laughter as the persistent Sam-I-Am tries to coax his friend into trying green eggs and ham. The book is great fun to read, and the interactions make it all the merrier. There are also learning games aligned with kindergarten Common Core standards that your child will love.
The ebook has all the standard features, like read-to-me and read-to-myself modes, plus it has countless Seussian jokes and drawings. Don’t miss it!
Fox in Socks by Dr. Seuss
Oceanhouse Media – $3.99
If you love tongue twisters, then this is the book for you! Can you make it through the entire book reading aloud without a slip-up? It became quite the competition at our house! Who can read the fastest and still not make any mistakes? I think I still have large chunks of the book memorized, 20 years later!
This book is fun for older readers, too. It really highlights the phonics skills related to word families and rhyming words, which is just what is needed in the early elementary grades. Plus it has all of the cool animations and surprises as well as the great learning games that are hallmarks of all of the Dr. Seuss ebooks.
One Fish Two Fish – Dr. Seuss
Oceanhouse Media – $3.99
Here’s another offering from Oceanhouse Media that is great for beginning readers. The ebook features highlighted text with narration, read-to-me, and read-to-myself modes, as well as the usual complement of hidden animations and effects. There are learning activities opened up each time your child finds and touches a star, too.
The app’s activities are aligned with kindergarten language arts standards, so the kids can learn while they play. It’s a great way to cement those early reading skills and give kids the practice they need to make progress toward complete literacy.
Mulberry Street – Read and Play
Oceanhouse Media – $2.99
Dr. Seuss’s very first book, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, has come a long, long way, baby, since its first publication back in 1937. You’d never know that the book was rejected dozens of times before it was finally published, and yet it launched the career of one of the most beloved children’s authors in the world. This ebook includes loads of interactions as well as 16 learning games that your kids will love.
There is also a parents’ section where you can keep tabs on the number of minutes your child reads, how many pages have been covered, and more. Be sure to add this one to your collection!
iOS the App Store / Google Play
Of course, there are literally dozens of other Dr. Seuss books that have been made into apps, and all by Oceanhouse Media, so you can rely on their quality. I hope you’ll explore every one of them!
