Your mountain is waiting... Oh, the Places You'll Go!

Dr. Suess transcends the children's section with his book, Oh, the Places You'll Go! which begins:

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!

And concludes:

Your mountain is waiting.
So...get on your way!

In between, Oh, the Places You'll Go! is a field guide of sorts to remind you of the tools you posess to navigate life with all its ups and downs, written in Suess's inimitable style, and complete with those familiar and indentifiable Suess-tastical illustrations. It's simplistic, but full of insight and wisdom. 

Oh, the Places You'll Go! imparts a positive and encouraging "can do" message, although Suess doesn't forget the path you choose is not always easy to find, or once you do, isn't always easy to follow. Reading this book can be a comfort and inspiration to anyone embarking on a new phase of their life to acknowledge uncertainty or fear and reinforce what every parent wants to instill in their child --- the keys to success are yours and all you have to do is use them.

How does Oh, the Places You'll Go! accomplish this? Through the use of a second person narrative, and protagonist, a young boy referred to as "you" with whom readers identify. Future tense complements the sense of adventure Oh, the Places You'll Go conveys.  And, like any other Suess creation, with figurative language and imaginative artwork.  For example, I love the line "With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you're too smart to go down a not-so-good street." And later, "Out there things can happen and frequently do to people as brainy and footsy as you." Enriched of course with those fantastical Suess illustrations.

I think this book is a must have for any home library and I would encourage you to read it to your young children early, and often. Suess never fails to hold their attention or delight! I think this book is a useful tool for parents to read to children who may be excited or even apprehensive about beginning a new chapter...nest to pre-school, kindergarten to first grade (sunnyglitter, for your daughter perhaps?) And when they're too old or too cool for you to read to them, just maybe they'll read it on their own.

My parents included this, inscribed, with my college graduation gift and my dad read it to me. Or tried. (my mom had to finish it for him, and then we were all in tears) It's a wonderful gift to commemorate a high school or college graduation or simply a new/ different stage of life following a significant event.

If you haven't read Oh, the Places You'll Go, it's definitely worth a look. Your mountain is waiting and maybe you won't have to move it, but you certainly have the tools to climb it!