Dr. Seuss Left A Last Creation Mayzie Mcgrew

NEW YORK - The Cat in the Hat is back - with a book in a nook. A 20-year-old manuscript by Dr. Seuss, the beloved children's author, was discovered after his death, his publisher said yesterday.

Audrey Geisel, the widow of author Theodor Geisel, found the script in the bottom of a drawer as she was preparing to renovate her house in La Jolla, Calif.

Narrated by Seuss' The Cat in the Hat, "Daisy-Head Mayzie" is the story of a girl who suddenly finds a daisy growing from the top of her head. She is taunted by schoolmates, chased by bees and scrutinized by those eager to solve her "problem."

After an agent talks her into cashing in on her notoriety, Mayzie discovers the perils of overnight success and concludes that love means more than fame and glory.

"It is adorable," Mrs. Geisel said of the book. "It's about the most darling daisy in the world. It quivers, it shakes, it shows fear, it has all the emotions of anybody. I have never known a daisy like this one."

"Daisy-Head Mayzie" will be published next winter by Random House, and Hanna-Barbera Cartoons will make a television cartoon.

Seuss, who died in 1991, wrote and illustrated 48 children's books that together have sold more than 200 million copies.

For those who can't wait, here are the opening lines of "Mayzie:"

"It's hard to believe such a thing could be true

And I hope such a thing never happens to you

But it happened, they say, to poor Mayzie McGrew."