The Foot Book: Dr. Seuss’s Wacky Book of Opposites was published by Random House in 1968 as a Bright and Early Book (the imprint for readers younger than the Beginner Books audience) and has since sold millions of copies as one of the most popular board books in the English language. The Eye Book, published the same year under Seuss’s pseudonym Theo. LeSieg (Geisel spelled backwards) and illustrated by Roy McKie, takes the same minimalist approach to a different body part.
“Left foot, left foot, right foot, right. Feet in the morning. Feet at night.” The entire book is structured around opposites expressed through feet: wet feet, dry feet, high feet, low feet, slow feet, quick feet, trick feet, sick feet. The vocabulary is restricted to perhaps thirty distinct words, and the visual comedy — enormous feet in absurd situations — carries the book through multiple readings.
The conceptual simplicity masks sophisticated pedagogy: the book teaches opposites, left/right distinction, rhyme, rhythm, and early word recognition simultaneously, all while being genuinely funny.
First editions (Random House, New York, 1968): Small format pictorial boards. Bright and Early Books format.
Market values:
- The Foot Book, first edition, fine: $300–$800
- The Eye Book, first edition, fine: $200–$500
- Later printings: $5–$15
These books’ ubiquity as board books means first editions in good condition are genuinely scarce — most copies were destroyed by their intended audience.