One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
.jpg) Front cover, designed by Dr. Seuss | |
| Author | Dr. Seuss |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Dr. Seuss |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's literature |
| Publisher | Random House, The Living Books Company (1998) |
Publication date | March 12, 1960[1] (renewed in 1988) |
| Publication place | United States |
| OCLC | 184473 |
| Preceded by | Happy Birthday to You! |
| Followed by | Green Eggs and Ham |
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish (stylized as One fish two fish red fish blue fish) is a 1960 children's book by Dr. Seuss. It is a simple rhyming children's book designed for beginner readers. As of 2001, over six million copies of the book had been sold, placing it 13th on a list of "All-Time Bestselling Children's Books" from Publishers Weekly.[2] The book is widely praised for its rhythmic language and imaginative characters, which help engage young readers and make early reading enjoyable and memorable.[3] Based on a 2007 online poll, the United States' National Education Association labor union listed the book as one of its "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children".[4]
Plot
[edit]The plot consists of short vignettes in which a boy and a girl describe fantastical creatures they have as friends and pets. The vignettes include short scenes featuring characters such as Ned, whose bed is too short for him, a mouse-like creature with a bird in his ear, and a character named Joe, who is unable to hear another phoning him due to a mouse cutting the wire.
Audio and video versions
[edit]Rik Mayall narrated this story as part of a HarperCollins audiobook that also includes The Lorax, Dr. Seuss's ABC and How the Grinch Stole Christmas!.
On video streaming services like YouTube, there are animated read-alongs that focus on the story's illustration on top of the sing-song nature of the rhyme and rhythm of the text.[5]
In other media
[edit]In the animated adaptation of Green Eggs and Ham, the titular fish are featured in the beginning of the episode "Train". When Sam, Guy, and the Chickeraffe make their escape from a car barreling down a cliff, the car lands in a lake where it promptly crushes a house belonging to a family of fish. Later in the episode as the mother checks on her own children, she specifically lists them off as "one fish, two fish, red fish and blue fish".
A 2D animated preschool series based on the book, simply named “Red Fish, Blue Fish” was released on September 8, 2025, on Netflix.[6] It was co-produced with Atomic Cartoons. An episode of the series was previewed as part of Netflix's Summer Playlist in June 2025.[7][8][9]
In the 2022 horror film adaptation The Mean One, based on How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, the red fish and blue fish made an appearance in a fishbowl at the hospital.[10]
Oceanhouse Media created an app on IOS named "One Fish Two Fish - Dr. Suess" that serves as an interactive platform for young children to learn the children's book.[11]
Theme park attraction
[edit]| One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish | |
|---|---|
 Entrance of the One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish ride at Islands of Adventure. | |
| Universal Islands of Adventure | |
| Area | Seuss Landing |
| Soft opening date | March 1999 |
| Opening date | May 28, 1999 |
| Ride statistics | |
| Attraction type | Water Ride |
| Theme | One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish |
| Vehicle type | Fish |
| Duration | 3 min |
 Universal Express available | |
The book was the basis of a theme park attraction located at the Universal Islands of Adventure in the Seuss Landing area of the park, called "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish".[12][13] Guests are able to ride a fish that spins and can move up or down to avoid water sprays from other fish while also listening to cues in the background music.[12] "Climb inside your very own Dr. Seuss flying fish. Its equipped with easy-to-use controls that let you maneuver up, up, up and down, down, down as you gently glide around an array of fountains that squirt water in time to a musical rhyme. Make sure you pay attention to the words and do what they say or you just might get wet."[13]
Selected translations
[edit]- Visje een visje twee visje visje in de zee (1972, Dutch, ISBN 9024002958)
- דברים מוזרים קורים בספרים (1980, Hebrew)[14]
- 一条鱼，两条鱼，红色的鱼，蓝色的鱼 (1992, Chinese (Simplified), ISBN 9573211246)
- Un pez, dos peces, pez rojo, pez azul (2006, Spanish, ISBN 1930332831)
- Eyn fish, tsvey fish, royter fish, bloyer fish (2007, Yiddish, ISBN 9780972693936)
- Poisson un, poisson deux, poisson rouge, poisson bleu (2011, French, ISBN 9781612430294)
References
[edit]- ^ "Book - Seussville". www.seussville.com. Retrieved 2025-08-30.
- ^ Roback, Diane; Britton, Jason; Turvey, Debbie Hochman (December 17, 2001). "All-Time Bestselling Children's Books". Publishers Weekly. 248 (51). Retrieved January 22, 2013.
- ^ neelysnews (2018-11-02). "Traditional Thursdays: One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish". Neely's News. Retrieved 2026-03-11.
- ^ National Education Association (2007). "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children". Retrieved August 22, 2012.
- ^ Dr. Seuss (2024-09-06). One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish | Full Episode | Official Animated Read-Along | Dr. Seuss. Retrieved 2026-03-09 – via YouTube.
- ^ Petski, Denise (March 15, 2022). "Netflix Orders Five Dr. Seuss-Inspired Animated Preschool Series & Specials". Deadline. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
- ^ "Watch Summer Playlist". Netflix. 2018-11-26. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
- ^ Lang, Jamie (June 11, 2025). "'Minecraft,' 'Clash of Clans,' 'Magic the Gathering' and 'Ghostbusters' Series Teased at Netflix Annecy Studio Focus". Variety. Retrieved June 11, 2025.
- ^ Milligan, Mercedes (June 18, 2025). "Netflix Lines Up a Lively Animated Feature and Series Slate Thru 2025". Animation Magazine. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
- ^ The Mean One (2022) - Trivia - IMDb. Retrieved 2026-03-09 – via www.imdb.com.
- ^ "One Fish Two Fish - Dr. Seuss App". App Store. 2025-12-30. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
- ^ a b "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish | Universal's Islands of Adventure". touringplans.com. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
- ^ a b "Universal Orlando". Universal Orlando Resort. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
- ^ The literal English translation of the Hebrew title is Strange Things Happen in Books.
