Oh, the Places You’ll Go! begins with the narrator congratulating the protagonist, a young boy referred to as “you.” The boy is “off to Great Places,” and he confidently walks toward the right. The narrator pridefully acknowledges that the boy—and only the boy—can identify and arrive at his next destination: “You can steer yourself / any direction you choose.”
After strolling through some unpromising streets in a town, the boy decides to embark on a journey and arrives at an open landscape. After familiarizing himself with his new environment, the boy joins a hot-air balloon race. He surpasses his competitors until his balloon crashes into a tree. The narrator reflects on the boy’s sudden defeat: “Wherever you fly, you’ll be the best of the best. / Wherever you go, you will top all the rest. / Except when you don’t. / Because, sometimes, you won’t."
The boy’s surroundings change, and he is now in the middle of a dull-looking town with unmarked streets. The narrator claims that the boy is now in a “Slump,” a situation that paralyzes his ability to actively put himself back on a promising path. He suddenly sprints down a series of roads toward the most uneventful and “useless” place: The Waiting Place, a purgatory confining a sea of people and animals. The narrator explains that everyone in The Waiting Place is waiting for something, whether it be a haircut, a phone call, or “Another Chance.”
As the boy explores The Waiting Place, the narrator explains that The Waiting Place is unsuitable for the boy, as he is destined for “bright places.” The boy’s environment changes again: this time, it is a more colorful and lively space occupied by musicians cheerfully playing strange instruments. The boy proceeds to enjoy another triumphant period of his life, as he sits on top of elephants and plays outlandish games with others.
Soon, however, the boy plays basketball alone, which sends him down another challenging path. He transports to a frightening landscape: there is one street ahead of the boy, but there are dark, ghost-like creatures guarding the archway leading to the street. Scared, the boy halts under the archway; he doesn’t know if he should go down the road. The boy, however, does “go on,” which leads him to sail through a creek and calmly confront strange, menacing monsters. The narrator asserts his faith in the boy’s ability to “face up to [his] problems / whatever they are.”
The boy keeps moving forward, and he eventually pulls an entire mountain behind him. The narrator announces that the boy will succeed, and the book ends just as it started: the boy confidently walking toward the right against a blank background and, then, a wide-opened landscape. The narrator closes the book with one final celebratory observation of the boy’s opportunities: “Today is your day! / Your mountain is waiting. / So … get on your way!”
