The points of issue
First printing has a number line that includes the 1 on the copyright page; Hyperion Books for Children imprint; early-reader Elephant & Piggie format. Issued as a laminated pictorial hardcover without a separate dust jacket, so the first-printing boards carry no Geisel Medal seal (awarded 2008).
Is this the true first?
The US Hyperion hardcover of 2007 is the true first edition; it won the 2008 Theodor Seuss Geisel Medal. The first-printing covers predate the seal.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings add the Geisel gold seal to the front cover. Book-club issues are separate later printings and are not firsts.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of There Is a Bird on Your Head! (Elephant & Piggie) a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: First printing has a number line that includes the 1 on the copyright page; Hyperion Books for Children imprint; early-reader Elephant & Piggie format. Issued as a laminated pictorial hardcover without a separate dust jacket, so the first-printing boards carry no Geisel Medal seal (awarded 2008).
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. The US Hyperion hardcover of 2007 is the true first edition; it won the 2008 Theodor Seuss Geisel Medal. The first-printing covers predate the seal.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Later printings add the Geisel gold seal to the front cover. Book-club issues are separate later printings and are not firsts.
I have a first edition of There Is a Bird on Your Head! (Elephant & Piggie) — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.