Cerf did notice the line, and the poem was changed to the following: 'My father / can read / big words, too. Con Stan Tin O Ple, Tim Buk Too / Con Tra Cep Tive, Kan Ga Roo.' Geisel had included the contraceptive reference to ensure that publisher Bennett Cerf was reading the manuscript.
One of Geisel's manuscript drafts for the book contained the lines, 'When I read I am smart / I always cut whole words apart. 5 Goofs, Errors, Corrections and Differences.
