Theodor Seuss Geisel, or Dr. Seuss, often returned to the same motifs, images, and narratives throughout his writings. For example, 11 years before he wrote “Horton Hatches the Egg,’’ a book about an elephant who cares for an egg while its mother vacations in Palm Beach, he drew a cartoon for Life magazine about an obliging dachshund that hatches eggs for storks. Seuss’s affinity for recycling ideas allows readers to find older Seuss works that mirror his classics. Nearly every tale in the forthcoming “The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories’’ (Random House) can find an earlier counterpart, said Seuss expert Charles Cohen, who edited the collection and wrote the book’s introduction. “This stuff would get stuck in the back of his brain, and it would just pop up again,’’ he said.
1. If you like: “How the Grinch Stole Christmas’’
Try: “The Bippolo Seed’’
Both feature: An anti-materialism message
2. If you like:
“The Cat in the Hat’’
Try: “The Shirt Spot’’
Both feature: Events that spiral out of control
3. If you like:
“Oh, the Places You’ll Go!’’
Try: “The Great Henry McBride’’
Both feature: Visions about the future
