# UK/American versions of Dr Seuss book? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 9, 2002, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-american-versions-of-dr-seuss-book/113152 "2002-06-09T23:48:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2002, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-american-versions-of-dr-seuss-book/113152/1 "2002-06-09T23:48:35Z")
I am a huge Dr Seuss fan, his books having represented a fair bit of my childhood reading tuition; I am including the books in my own daughter’s reading time. I have _The Cat In The Hat Comes Back_; the cat wipes the spot off the tub with a dress, then off the dress onto the wall, then off the wall onto a pair of shoes described in my copy as “Dad’s £7 shoes” - the “£7” doesn’t appear to quite align with the rest of the text (although this may just be because numbers and symbols are typset differently) and I’m wondering if American copies of this book have something else in that place (I would guess $10 rather than 7 or something because of the syllable difference between £ and ). I’ve also noticed that towards the end of the book, where little cat Z makes an appearance, although obviously the primary (and best) rhyme is against Z as ‘Zee’, it still almost rhymes (albeit with a different, but workable rythm) if you use the English “Zed”; particularly here: > [@](#): > > “Look close! In my hand > I have little cat **V** > On his head are cats W, > X, Y and **[Zee]**.” Or > [@](#): > > “Look close! In my hand > I have little cat V > On his **head** > are cats W, > X, Y and **[Zed]**.” and > [@](#): > > …Why, Voom cleans up anything > Clean as can **be**! > Then he yelled > "take your hat off now, > Little cat **[Zee]**! > Take the Voom off your head… or > [@](#): > > …Why, Voom cleans up anything > Clean as can be! > Then he yelled > "take your hat off now, > Little cat **[Zed]**! > Take the Voom off your **head** … Certainly the author was clever enough to have devised these sort of things, but do you think this instance was intentional or purely coincidence? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2002, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-american-versions-of-dr-seuss-book/113152/2 "2002-06-09T23:49:41Z")
Implied, of course, but not mentioned, for those of you who don’t know me, I’m English. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2002, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-american-versions-of-dr-seuss-book/113152/3 "2002-06-10T11:14:44Z")
Surely someone out there has a US-published copy of this book? ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2002, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-american-versions-of-dr-seuss-book/113152/4 "2002-06-10T11:39:33Z")
Just so happens I or more accurately China Bambina has a copy of The Cat in the Hat Comes Back! Dad’s $10 shoes The above quotes are the exact same in my book. I think Dr. Suess or his editor was clever enough to do a double rhyme, especially since this was the second book and I’m guessing that the original Cat in the Hat was already selling well in Commonwealth countries by that time. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2002, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-american-versions-of-dr-seuss-book/113152/5 "2002-06-10T11:53:07Z")
Wow! I thought so. Thanks ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2002, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-american-versions-of-dr-seuss-book/113152/6 "2002-06-10T12:19:04Z")
I haven’t seen a Dr. Suess in Chinese yet though. Wonder what exchange rate they would use on the shoes. I mean seven pounds equivalent to ten greenbacks??? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2002, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-american-versions-of-dr-seuss-book/113152/7 "2002-06-10T12:25:41Z")
Interestingly, £7 is about $10 at the moment, but it wouldn’t have been when the book was written; I think he was more concerned about scansion than price. ---
**Author:** ![Hemlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Hemlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hemlock)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2002, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-american-versions-of-dr-seuss-book/113152/8 "2002-06-10T13:21:55Z")
I’m impressed with the way he made it rhyme using both “zee” and “zed”. That’s clever, thoughtful and cool. (The Germans probably have a word for it.)