The Tim Ferriss Show #854: Tish Rabe — 200+ Children's Books, Dr. Seuss Legacy, Sesame Street, Songwriting, and More
Release date: February 18, 2026
Guest: Tish Rabe
Topics: Children's literature, creativity, Sesame Street, songwriting, Dr. Seuss, entrepreneurship, and literacy advocacy
Episode Overview
In this insightful and delightful episode, Tim Ferriss sits down with Tish Rabe, a prolific author and songwriter best known for writing more than 200 children’s books (selling over 11 million copies), carrying on the legacy of Dr. Seuss, and her instrumental work in children’s media (including Sesame Street and "321-Contact"). Tish shares her fascinating journey from aspiring opera singer to beloved children’s entertainer, her process for crafting memorable rhymes, the early creative chaos of Sesame Street, and her passionate mission to spread literacy and kindness.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
1. Tish’s Unexpected Journey to Children's Media
[00:39 – 04:20]
- Tish began as an opera singer, with a degree in opera and a minor in jazz, never intending to write children’s books.
- Serendipity struck when her high school music teacher, working for Sesame Street, asked if she could type—leading to her first job as music production assistant.
- Her initial task was hiring singers for Sesame Street’s Muppet recordings; her constant singing led to her first on-air performance with Oscar the Grouch.
Notable Quote:
“All I wanted to do was sing with Jim Henson’s Muppets... I sang all day. I sang when I typed and I sang when I filed... After a year, they said, would you like to sing on Sesame street with the Muppets? And I was, yes.”
– Tish Rabe [01:04]
2. The Early Days and Creative Energy of Sesame Street
[03:34 – 09:42]
- The environment was wildly creative but uncertain—staff believed the show might flop due to its diverse and unconventional format.
- Joan Ganz Cooney, the visionary creator, encouraged unrestricted creativity.
- Staff were solicited for story and book ideas—Tish’s first pitch was a childhood story that became her debut book for Sesame Street.
- Sesame Street pioneered incorporating educational research, blending fun and curriculum.
- A distinctive practice: writing story/song endings first, inspired by classic comedians (“write your last page first”). Tish applies this to her books:
“I always write my last page first. Always.” – Tish Rabe [08:50]
3. Creative Leadership: Jim Henson and Double-Level Humor
[09:42 – 11:35]
- Jim Henson was both relentlessly creative and genuinely kind to all staff.
- Muppeteers and writers constantly improvised, and Sesame Street was groundbreaking for its double-level humor, engaging adults as well as children—ensuring parents enjoyed the content and increased engagement.
Notable Quote:
“They wrote stuff that was funny for kids, but had all kinds of stuff in it for adults... Sesame street was so nuts that everybody loved it.”
– Tish Rabe [10:34]
4. Applying Music to Education
[12:27 – 15:12]
- Music was both a technical and creative challenge: Tish leveraged her musical background to help puppeteers time their performances, and recounted stories of high-pressure musical sessions with professional jingle singers.
- She highlighted how the musicality and rhythm inherent in songs and rhymes significantly aid children’s learning.
5. Breaking In and Breaking Through as a Writer
[19:38 – 23:29]
- Tish credits timing and luck for her entry—knocking on doors (or at least following her mother’s advice).
- At Random House, her unique position as both producer and proven author meant book assignments often came from casual hallway conversations.
- Wrote songs for "321-Contact" to better integrate science education, often tackling quirky topics like animal gestation with catchy musical hooks.
“Producers would come into my office and say, ‘We need a song... about the gestation period of different animals.’ I said, it’s singing for me already.” – Tish Rabe [23:20]
6. The Craft of Song and Rhyme
[25:41 – 32:16]
- Tish’s process: distills educational goals, establishes key lyric patterns (verse + B section), then crafts rhymes around core concepts.
- She learned from the greats: Joe Raposo’s “Being Green” (a song without end rhymes) broke tradition and was a creative leap.
- Dr. Seuss’s writing principles: strict adherence to rhythm and pure end-rhymes—except when inventing words to force a rhyme.
“If he was in trouble for a rhyme, he made up a word. So, you know, in the sleep book... he made up the vlex.”
– Tish Rabe [43:04]
- The importance of focus groups and research, ensuring content remained accessible for children without losing adults’ interest.
7. Taking On the Seuss Legacy
[32:16 – 41:14]
- Tish became the inheritor of Dr. Seuss’s Beginner Books science series because her own manuscript demonstrated mastery of Seuss-like rhyme and meter.
- She shares the process of writing "Oh Baby, the Places You’ll Go!" and the honor of referencing all 41 Dr. Seuss books in a single title, with direct input from Audrey Geisel.
“Never turn down a freelance tab. And they literally handed me Dr. Seuss... They said, can you have two books ready in four months?”
– Tish Rabe [36:18]
- Tricks like drawing on children’s library research for book material, and using made-up words to solve rhyme challenges are revealed.
8. Building a Business and a Literacy Mission
[49:51 – 61:18]
- At age 71 Tish launched her own publishing company to explore projects commercial publishers wouldn’t—like dialogic reading and stories prompting child-parent conversation.
- She designs her books with practical applications in mind (e.g., lullabies using public domain melodies in "Sweet Dreams").
- She passionately advocates for book access:
"There is nothing like giving a book to a child who doesn’t have a book. I am on this lifetime mission of trying to get free books to kids who don’t have any."
– Tish Rabe [60:44]
9. Special Projects: Serving Military Families
[61:29 – 68:41]
- Inspired by her father, a WWII POW, Tish wrote Sometimes Apart, Always in My Heart, a book for military kids separated from parents.
- United Through Reading, a nonprofit enabling deployed service members to “read” to their kids via video and book, was instrumental in distribution.
- Created a plush dog character, Alaska, to accompany the story, empathetically addressing the challenge of families leaving pets behind.
10. Writing for Community and Social Good
[68:41 – 85:27]
- Developed "Days Can Be Sunny for Bunnies and Money" for a bank’s financial literacy program and an upcoming book about Central Park, NYC, launched with a campaign to place free books in underserved boroughs.
- "Kindness is Caring, Friendship," a book with Rotary Clubs, will help spread empathy and kindness globally.
- Stresses careful selection of illustrators and book length to maximize child engagement.
11. Wisdom, Mindset, and Continuing Inspiration
[84:02 – 87:21]
- On what message she’d put on a billboard for all children:
“Remember, the children are our most precious gift...They are the future, they are the dreams of the future. And we must take good care of them.”
– Tish Rabe [84:02]
- Her closing advice: "Reading and writing both are so exciting. A book. We’ll write a story. Start right now." [87:06]
Memorable Moments & Quotes
-
On creative environments:
“Basically... they just made stuff up all day long... They were very worried that this show was going to bomb. You know, a six foot yellow bird, a monster that only eats cookies...” – Tish Rabe [04:27] -
On the secret to songwriting for kids:
"I always make sure that I have a verse and then what we call a B section. So the song goes somewhere and then comes back." – Tish Rabe [26:02] -
On breakthroughs and missed opportunities:
“I missed meeting [Dr. Seuss] by one year... They were so perfect when he showed up with them. So that was just always amazing that he could do both.” – Tish Rabe [36:21] -
On advice for aspiring children’s writers:
"If I get writer’s block...I stop. If I just say, ‘I cannot think one more minute about what Funny Ben spends his money on,’ I let it go and work on something else." – Tish Rabe [75:58] -
On the universality of song in child-parent bonding:
"The only voice your child wants to hear is yours. They want to hear you sing to them." – Tish Rabe [54:17]
Notable Timestamps
- 01:04 – Tish’s entry into Sesame Street and first Muppet project
- 08:50 – Writing endings first: the secret to strong children’s stories
- 10:34 – Evolution and impact of double-level humor in children’s content
- 23:20 – Creating “321-Contact” and the birth of science songs
- 28:11 – Story behind “Being Green” and rhyme conventions
- 36:18 – Becoming writer for Dr. Seuss Beginner Books series
- 43:04 – How to rhyme (or invent a word!) like Dr. Seuss
- 54:17 – Why every child wants to hear their own parent’s voice
- 61:29 – The origin and impact of Sometimes Apart, Always in My Heart
- 68:41 – Teaching financial literacy with bunnies and eggs
- 75:01 – The essential role of illustrators in children’s books
- 84:02 – The message Tish would put on a billboard for the world’s children
- 86:33 – Where to find Tish: tishrabibooks.com
Additional Resources & Where to Find Tish Rabe
- Official Site: tishrabibooks.com
- Central Park book and other new releases: available on her site
- Plush ‘Alaska’ dog and military families book: available for purchase/fundraising on her site
- Projects like literacy and crowdfunding for underserved communities featured on homepage
- Social Media links: in show notes at Tim Ferriss’s blog/podcast site
Tone and Language
The tone throughout was conversational, filled with warmth, humor, and hands-on craft insights, true to the inspiring yet practical style of both Tim Ferriss and Tish Rabe. The episode is brimming with stories, actionable advice, and encouragement—fitting for listeners who want to build creative careers, contribute to children’s well-being, or simply rediscover the magic of childhood learning.