Dr. Seuss ~ 1904-1991

"A person's a person no matter how small," Theodor (no, it isn't 'Theodore') Geisel, a.k.a. Dr Seuss,  would say. "Children want the same things we want. To laugh, to be challenged, to be entertained and delighted."

Brilliant, playful, and always respectful of children, Dr Seuss charmed his way into the consciousness of four generations of youngsters and parents. And in the process, he helped them to read.

Dr. Seuss was born Theodor Seuss (his mother's maiden name) Geisel in Springfield,  Massachusetts, in 1904. After attending Dartmouth College and Oxford University he began a career in advertising. His advertising campaigns, especially the "Quick Henry the Flit!" cartoons for a fly pesticide, became nationally famous. The "Boids and Beasties," which he drew for a series of Judge stories, were precursors of the strangely shaped, silly animals that were to become the beloved Loraxes, Whos, and Zooks of later stories. One story about the origin of the name "Dr. Seuss" states that he signed those early drawings "Dr. Theophrastus Seuss" to lend a scientific cachet to his goofy zoology. It evolved to become simply "Dr. Seuss" and he used it on his children's books from the beginning. 

His first children's book, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Stree, hit the market in 1937, and the world of children's literature changed forever.

By the time he put down his pen, he had written and illustrated 44 books, including such classics as Green Eggs and Ham, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Horton Hatches the Egg, and The Cat in the Hat. The creation of the last proved to be a landmark in the evolution of children's literature. In the then popular Life, the American novelist John Hersey had characterized school primers as antiseptic and pallid, uniform and bland. A best-selling critique of children's literacy was entitled Why Johnny Can't Read.  Prompted by this outcry, the director of Houghton Mifflin's educational division challenged "Dr. Seuss" to write a reading primer using a vocabulary of only 225 words that would nevertheless captivate young readers. The result was The Cat in the Hat, which became the prototype of the best selling Random House series, Beginner Books. In this popular collection, Dr. Seuss made reading fun by combining engaging stories, outrageous illustrations, and playful sounds to teach basic reading skills. Dr. Seuss became president of the Beginner Books division and remained with Random House for the rest of his career.

Dr. Seuss was granted doctorates in literature and fine arts by seven universities and awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1984. His 44 books have won virtually every children's book award, and many books have been made into animated television specials, videos, audiocassettes, and interactive CD-ROMs. Dr. Seuss's work in film won him two Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, and three Academy Awards.

What might amaze fans is that Geisel never had children of his own. He attributed his rapport with children to his early decision to "be a child" all of his life. He insisted on approaching kids with frankness and a healthy respect for their fantasies.

Dr. Seuss's magic survived his death in 1991. He continues to be the world's best-selling children's book author, and his characters, including the irrepressible Cat in the Hat, are considered among the most influential "media" personalities in young children's lives.

Link to the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden