Dr. Seuss' Beloved 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' Sequel Ready for Release Before 2023 Holidays

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By Jo Anne Hubert , Parent Herald Mar 13, 08:58 pm

This all-time favorite holiday children's story has a sequel, and the hearts of fans are growing three sizes larger out of excitement.

A sequel of the beloved Dr. Seuss' "How The Grinch Stole Christmas is in the works and scheduled to hit the shelves on the fifth of September this year, as announced by Dr. Seuss Enterprises and Random House Children's Books last month, BBC reported.

"One of the most asked questions we receive from Seuss fans of all ages is 'What do you think happened to the Grinch after he stole Christmas,'" expressed executive editor of Random House Children's Books Alice Jonaitis in a statement.

Thus, they are finally answering this question with a second book entitled "How the Grinch Lost Christmas." It will pick up a year after the original story and will still teach the valuable meaning and the true spirit of Christmas.

'How The Grinch Lost Christmas?'

In the 1957 original story, Dr. Seuss' infamous character, the Grinch tried ruining Christmas for the people of Who-ville. He made off with all the holiday food, gifts, and decorations in the middle of the night, only to find out on Christmas morning that the Whos still gathered and celebrated the holiday with a song. He then realized that Christmas is not about the feast and the gifts but about celebrating with family and neighbors. It ended with Dr. Seuss writing that the Grinch's "heart grew three sizes that day."

In the sequel, because the Grinch has come to embrace Christmas, he now wants to show how much he loves the holiday, and he thinks that the only way to do this is to win Who-ville's Christmas Crown competition. He needs to create the "most spectacular Christmas tree ever seen," Dr. Seuss Enterprises revealed.

However, it did not go according to his plan. Thus, his heart, which grew three sizes, again went ice-cold, and he threatened to leave Who-ville, according to USA Today.

Good thing, Cindy-Lou Who, his friend, reminded him that Christmas is not about winning.

New author and illustrator

The sequel is not based on a newly unearthed manuscript by Seuss or Theodor Geisel, his real name. It will be written by a new author and illustrated by a new artist with previous experiences in the Dr. Seuss universe.

Alastair Heim will write the new book, an author who has already written Seuss-themed books - "If I Ran Your School" and "I Am the Cat in the Hat." Illustrations will be done by Aristides Ruiz, who has illustrated the Cat in the Hat's Learning Library books for more than 20 years.

According to Heim, he still could not "fully believe" that he was playing a part of the "amazing creative sandbox Dr. Seuss created" decades before.

As for Ruiz, he narrated how he immediately jumped at the chance and realized that working on the sequel was "difficult and daunting," especially since he is expanding an "esteemed and treasured part of the American Christmas canon." Yet, ultimately, the job was a great responsibility, he told the Associated Press via email, the Patch stated.