Author Spotlight: Dr. Seuss

    Dr. Seuss was one of the world's most beloved children's authors, known for such works as The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham. He published over 60 books throughout his lifetime, many of which were turned into movies.  In this post we're going to take a closer look at Dr. Seuss and learn more about the man behind the books.

    Theodor Seuss Geisel was born March 2, 1904 in Springfield Massachusetts to Theodor Robert Geisel and Henrietta Seuss Geisel. His father managed the family brewery and later went on to become the Supervisor of Springfield's Public Parks.  Seuss studied at Dartmouth College, where he became editor of the humor magazine, Jack-O-Lantern, but was later kicked off the magazine due to a drinking infraction. After graduating from Dartmouth in 1925, Seuss went on to study at the University of Oxford in England with plans of becoming a professor, however, he dropped out in 1927.  Seuss then returned to America where he began his career as an illustrator, finding success in  advertising, most notably for the Flit insect repellant company.

    Seuss' first children's book was not published until 1937 and was rejected by at least 27 publishers before a chance encounter with an old friend from Dartmouth finally led to the book's publication.  The book was titled "And to Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street" about a boy who turns an ordinary walk home into a great adventure. Over time, Seuss' books became known for "their nonsense words, playful rhymes, and unusual creatures" (Dr. Seuss).  Dr. Seuss went on to publish over 60 books throughout his career, including classics like The Lorax, Horton Hears a Who and How the Grinch Stole Christmas, as well as beginning readers like The Cat in the Hat and One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish. 

    

    Seuss married Helen Palmer in 1927 and they were married until her death in 1967. In 1968 he married Audrey Dimon who he remained married to until his death.  Seuss died of cancer on September 24, 1991 at his home in San Diego. He was 87 years old. Although never having any children of his own, Dr. Seuss is likely one of the most well known children's authors in the world.

“I don't write for children, I write for people. Once a writer starts talking down to kids, he's lost. Kids can pick up on that kind of thing.”

                                                                            —Dr. Seuss

Fun Facts About Dr. Seuss:

-Dr. Seuss Enterprises, the organization that owns the rights to the books, films, TV shows, stage productions, exhibitions, digital media, licensed merchandise, and other strategic partnerships, announced on March 2, 2021, that it will stop publishing and licensing six books. The publications include And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street (1937), If I Ran the Zoo (1950), McElligot's Pool (1947), On Beyond Zebra! (1955), Scrambled Eggs Super! (1953) and The Cat's Quizzer (1976). According to the organization, the books "portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong" and are no longer being published due to racist and insensitive imagery. (Dr. Seuss)

-During the 1930's Seuss created a collection of 18 taxidermy sculptures using animal parts he received from his dad who ran the Springfield Zoo.

Pictured here are the Seasick Walrus (below) and the Goo-Goo-Eyed Tasmanian Wolghast (right).  "Shortly after Ted created this unique collection of artworks, Look Magazine dubbed Dr. Seuss “The World’s Most Eminent Authority on Unheard-Of Animals.” To this day, Ted’s Collection of Unorthodox Taxidermy remains as some of the finest examples of his inventive and multidimensional creativity." (Dr. Seuss Art)

-In 1984 Geisel received a special Pulitzer Prize “for his special contribution over nearly half a century to the education and enjoyment of America’s children and their parents.” The honour underscored the immense popularity of his works, which were perennial best sellers. According to various reports, by the early 21st century more than 600 million copies of Dr. Seuss books had been sold worldwide. (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Dr-Seuss/The-Cat-in-the-Hat-How-the-Grinch-Stole-Christmas-and-other-classics)

-Dr. Seuss promoted environmentalism before it was popular with his book The Lorax, where a businessman is destroying the forest of Truffula trees and the Lorax is forced to speak up on their behalf, as they cannot speak up for themselves.

-The Cat In The Hat is the book that helped cement Seuss' place in children's literature. He wrote it when Houghton Mifflin and Random House asked him to write a children's primer that used 220 vocabulary words.  The book was described by one critic as a 'tour de force'.

-"Dr. Seuss has been in Forbes' list of the world's highest-paid dead celebrities every year since 2001, when the list was first published." (Wikipedia)

Dr. Seuss Quotes

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

“Why fit in when you were born to stand out?”

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

“It is fun to have fun but you have to know how.”

“Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment, until it becomes a memory.”

“Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you.”

“A person’s a person, no matter how small.”

“Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one.”

To check out our Dr. Seuss collection, click here.