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One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

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One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
Front cover, designed by Dr. Seuss
AuthorDr. Seuss
IllustratorDr. Seuss
LanguageEnglish
GenreChildren's literature
PublisherRandom House, The Living Books Company (1998)
Publication date
March 12, 1960[1] (renewed in 1988)
Publication placeUnited States
OCLC184473
Preceded byHappy Birthday to You! 
Followed byGreen 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 book for beginning 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] 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".[3]

Plot

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The plot consists of numerous vignettes in which a boy and a girl describe fantastical creatures that they have for friends and for pets. Interspersed among these vignettes are skits that feature characters unrelated to the main storyline, including a man named Ned whose bed is too short for him, a creature with a bird in their ear, and a man named Joe who is unable to hear another man phoning him due to a mouse cutting the wire.

Audio and video versions

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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!.

In other media

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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, it 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.[4] It was co-produced with Atomic Cartoons. An episode of the series was previewed as part of Netflix's Summer Playlist in June 2025.[5][6][7]

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.

Theme park attraction

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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
AreaSeuss Landing
Soft opening dateMarch 1999
Opening dateMay 28, 1999 (1999-05-28)
Ride statistics
Attraction typeWater Ride
ThemeOne Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
Vehicle typeFish
Duration3 min

The book was the basis of a theme park attraction located at Universal Islands of Adventure in the Seuss Landing area of the park, called "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish".

Selected translations

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  • Visje een visje twee visje visje in de zee (1972, Dutch, ISBN 9024002958)
  • דברים מוזרים קורים בספרים (1980, Hebrew)[8]
  • 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

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  1. ^ "Book - Seussville". www.seussville.com. Retrieved 2025-08-30.
  2. ^ Roback, Diane; Britton, Jason; Turvey, Debbie Hochman (December 17, 2001). "All-Time Bestselling Children's Books". Publishers Weekly. 248 (51). Retrieved January 22, 2013.
  3. ^ National Education Association (2007). "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children". Retrieved August 22, 2012.
  4. ^ Petski, Denise (March 15, 2022). "Netflix Orders Five Dr. Seuss-Inspired Animated Preschool Series & Specials". Deadline. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  5. ^ "Watch Summer Playlist". Netflix. 2018-11-26. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (June 18, 2025). "Netflix Lines Up a Lively Animated Feature and Series Slate Thru 2025". Animation Magazine. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
  8. ^ The literal English translation of the Hebrew title is Strange Things Happen in Books.
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