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). Cerf compiled a list of 379 words as the basic vocabulary for young readers, along with another twenty 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 a million dollars a year and Random House was the largest publisher of children's books in America.
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.
Early Beginner Books employed many famous illustrators including the aforementioned Theodor Geisel, P.D. Eastman, Stan and Jan Berenstain, and Robert Lopshire. Roy McKie was also an illustrator.
The Cat in the Hat Beginner Book Dictionary (1964, Dr. Seuss and P. D. Eastman)
The Cat in the Hat Songbook (1967, Dr. Seuss) - NOTE: This book was re-released in 1993, and Beginner Books was removed.
The Little Black Pony Races (1968, Walter Farley)
My Book about Me (1969, Dr. Seuss and Roy McKie)
Some of Us Walk, Some Fly, Some Swim (1971, Michael Frith)
The Bears' Almanac (1973, Stan and Jan Berenstain)
My Amazing Book of Autographs/Autographs! I Collect Them (1974/1990, Michael Frith)
The Cat's Quizzer (1976, Dr. Seuss) - NOTE: This book was reprinted in 1993 into B-75.
Beginning Readers' Yearbook 1994 (1993)
The Big Blue Book of Beginner Books (1994) Put Me in the Zoo/A Fly Went By/Are You My Mother?/Go, Dog. Go!/The Best Nest/It's Not Easy Being a Bunny
The Big Red Book of Beginner Books (1995) I Want To Be Somebody New!/Sam and the Firefly/Stop That Ball!/Robert the Rose Horse/The Digging-est Dog/The Very Bad Bunny
The Big Book of Berenstain Bears Beginner Books (1996/2011) The Big Honey Hunt/The Bears' Picnic/The Bear Scouts/The Bears' Christmas/The Bear Detectives/The Missing Dinosaur Bone/The Bike Lesson/The Bears' Vacation/Bears in the Night/The Spooky Old Tree
The Big Green Book of Beginner Books (1997) Great Day for Up/Would You Rather Be a Bullfrog?/I Wish That I Had Duck Feet/Wacky Wednesday/Maybe You Should Fly a Jet!/I Am NOT Going to Get Up Today!
Pigs of a Feather (1998, Tish Rabe and K. Klimo)
My Big Book of Beginner Books about Me (2011) The Foot Book/The Eye Book/The Ear Book/The Nose Book/The Tooth Book/The Knee Book
The Big Purple Book of Beginner Books (2012) Sam and the Firefly/Snow/I'll Teach My Dog 100 Words/Flap Your Wings/Big Dog...Little Dog/Fred and Ted Go Camping
The Big Book of Thomas the Tank Engine Beginner Books (2013) Stop Train Stop/A Crack in the Track/Go Train Go/Blue Train Green Train/Trains, Cranes and Troublesome Trucks/Fast Train Slow Train
Dr. Seuss's Beginner Book Collection (2015) The Cat in the Hat/One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish/The King's Wish/Green Eggs and Ham/Hop on Pop/Fox in Socks
The Big Orange Book of Beginner Books (2015) Ten Apples Up On Top!/In a People House/Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now!/The Shape of Me and Other Stuff/Because a Little Bug Went Ka-Choo!/Hooper Humperdink...? Not Him!
Grolier Book Club Beginner Book Series
Bright 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.
Bright and Early Board Books
Most, if not all, of these books are abridged versions of Beginner Books or Bright and Early Books for Beginning Beginners. These books are not numbered.
The Alphabet Book by P. D. Eastman
I'll Teach My Dog a lot of Words written by Michael Frith, illustrated by P. D. Eastman
Big Dog... Little Dog by P. D. Eastman
Are You My Mother by P. D. Eastman
Eres mi Mama? by P. D. Eastman
Go, Dog. Go! by P. D. Eastman
Ve, perro. Ve! by P. D. Eastman
Fred and Ted Like to Fly by Peter Eastman
The Snowman by Raymond Briggs
What Time Is It? by P. D. Eastman (out of print)
Old Hat, New Hat by the Berenstains
Sombrero Viejo, Sombrero Nuevo by the Berenstains (out of print)
Inside, Outside, Upside Down by the Berenstains
He Bear, She Bear by the Berenstains
Summer by Alice Low, illustrated by Roy McKie
Put Me In The Zoo by Robert Lopshire
Stop, Train, Stop! by Rev. W. Awdry (out of print)
Para, Trencito, Para! by Rev. W. Awdry (out of print)
Blue Train, Green Train by Rev. W. Awdry (out of print)
Dr. Seuss's ABC's by Dr. Seuss
Fox In Socks by Dr. Seuss
Hop On Pop by Dr. Seuss
Ten Apples Up On Top! by Dr. Seuss, illustrated by Roy McKie
There's a Wocket in My Pocket! by Dr. Seuss
Oh, The Thinks You Can Think! by Dr. Seuss
Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? by Dr. Seuss
The Shape of Me and Other Stuff by Dr. Seuss
The Ear Book by Al Perkins, illustrated by Henry Payne (out of print)
Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb by Al Perkins, illustrated by Eric Gurney
The Nose Book by Al Perkins, illustrated by Joe Mathieu
The Tooth Book by Dr. Seuss, illustrated by Joe Mathieu
The Eye Book by Theo LeSieg, illustrated by Joe Mathieu
The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss
Big Bright and Early Board Books
Fast Train, Slow Train by Rev W. Awdry
Would You Rather Be a Bullfrog? by Dr. Seuss, illustrated by Roy McKie
Dr. Seuss's ABC's by Dr. Seuss
The Spooky Old Tree by Stan and Jan Berenstain
Oh, The Thinks You Can Think by Dr. Seuss
Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? by Dr. Seuss
Trains, Cranes and Troublesome Trucks by Rev W. Awdry
The Many Mice of Mr. Brice by Dr. Seuss, illustrated by Roy McKie
Sleepy Time with Aurora by Andrea Posner, illustrated by Sue DiCicco
Bath Time with Ariel by Andrea Posner, illustrated by Sue DiCicco
The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone, illustrated by Michael Smollin
Fox in Socks by Dr. Seuss
Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman
Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss
Go, Dog. Go! by P.D. Eastman
The Big Box of Bright and Early Board Books About Me (The Foot Book, The Eye Book, The Nose Book, The Tooth Book)
The Eye Book by Dr. Seuss, illustrated by Joe Mathieu
The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss
There's a Wocket in My Pocket! by Dr. Seuss
The Shape of Me and Other Stuff by Dr. Seuss
Inside Outside Upside Down by Stan and Jan Berenstain
Old Hat New Hat by Stan and Jan Berenstain
Ten Apples Up on Top! by Dr. Seuss, illustrated by Roy McKie
One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss
