Theodore "Dr. Seuss" Geisel

When many people are posed with a question about naming important people who have made a difference, they tend to think of famous political leaders, scientists who have cured diseases, or celebrities. Not many people think of the author of children’s books. Theodore Geisel, more commonly known as Dr. Seuss, is a literary genius, finding room in the hearts and minds of so many children across the United States and the world. The simplicity and sheer brilliance of his rhyme-filled, colorfully illustrated children’s books has been a key point in the lives of children and families across the world.

The reason I chose to do my Making a Difference project on Dr. Seuss is because of all he has done for me. My mother was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, around the same time Dr. Seuss published his first book. My grandmother would purchase Dr. Seuss’s amazing books as they came out and read them to my mother and her sisters. As my mom grew older, she acquired these books from my grandmother and kept them until I was born. Hearing these stories read to me was one of the most memorable times of my childhood. Many of the rhymes and stories I remember from over a decade ago have stuck in my head. To this day I will pick up a Dr. Seuss story to read and pass the time.

In my life right now, I am about to graduate from high school and move on to college. One of the many things that have stuck with me throughout my entire life is my love for writing and books. I plan to use this love to write children’s books myself in my future. It is my dream to give the same wonderful memories I experienced with my parents to kids all over the world.

In Springfield, Massachusetts, in the year 1904, a literary genius was born. T

heodore “Dr. Seuss” Geisel was born to his father Theodore Robert Geisel, and his mother, Henrietta Seuss Geisel. Both Ted and his sister Marnie had wonderful childhoods, even during the turmoil of World War I. During the years of Ted’s childhood, his mother would sing him to sleep by “chanting rhymes.” Such rhymes became future inspiration for the many children’s books Dr. Seuss would write and illustrate. (http://www.catinthehat.org/).

After high school, Ted left Massachusetts and set off for Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. Theodore was a hardworking college student, but still got caught up in the typical, mischievous college actions. In the biography Dr. Seuss and Mr. Geisel, authors Judith and Neil Morgan wrote “Ted grew to respect the academic discipline he discovered at Dartmouth- not enough to pursue it, but to appreciate those who did” (Morgan 28). His passion for writing scored the spot of editor-in-chief for Dartmouth College’s humor magazine called the Jack-O-Lantern. Unfortunately, Ted’s position for the magazine was cut short when he was caught throwing an underage drinking party. Ted’s party broke the prohibition laws and the school’s policy. Even though Theodore was removed from his position on the paper, he continued to submit work to it. He submitted his writing to the Jack-O-Lantern under the pseudonym Seuss, his middle name. (http://www.seussville.com/).

After Theodore’s time at Dartmouth College, he needed to figure out what he was going to do after college. Ted announced that he was going to go travel across the Atlantic Ocean to attend school at Oxford University with intentions of becoming a professor. During his time at Oxford University, Ted was taking an Anglo-Saxon for Beginners class. One of his classmates, Helen Palmer, caught him drawing in class and told him he was a great artist and should become an artist, not a professor. Theodore took Helen Palmer’s advice and eventually asked her to marry him. (http://www.seussville.com/).

After his time at Oxford University, Ted returned to the United States. But before he could even consider marrying Helen Palmer, he needed to earn some money and make a living. Theodore used his skills as a cartoonist to submit his works to the Saturday Evening Post.

A little later on, Standard Oil came across Ted’s work and offered him a job doing advertising for them. As our country was faced with the turmoil of World War II, Theodore began to submit political cartoons to PM magazine. However, Ted didn’t feel these political cartoons were enough of a contribution to his dear country. Since he was too old for the draft, Ted joined forces with Frank Capra’s Signal Corps of the U.S. Army and made animated training videos. Theodore continued to contribute his work to magazines such as Life, Vanity Fair, and Judge. And, “Viking Press offered him a contract to illustrate a collection of children’s sayings called Boners” (www.catinthehat.org). Ted’s first few illustrations under Viking Press’s contract were given excellent reviews, giving Ted his first shot at children’s literature.

Theodore was faced with many challenges trying to get his first piece of children’s literature published. His first children’s book, titled And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, was rejected by many publishers almost 30 times. However, his persistence and love for writing and illustrating children’s literature landed him with Vanguard Press, who published And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street. It is said that the inspiration for And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street came from the obnoxious rhythm of a luxury cruise liner. While Ted and his wife Helen were traveling on the ship, Ted was extremely bothered by the engine of the ship. His wife urged him to base the story on the rhythm of the ship.

And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street received mixed reviews. Many were not interested in it, as seen in the nearly 30 rejections from publishing houses. But once Vanguard Press published the story, librarians and reviewers welcomed its charming and witty rhymes. For Theodore’s next piece of work, he was faced with a strange challenge. Houghton Mifflin and Random House both asked Ted to create a children’s book using 220 “new-reader” vocabulary words. Through many hours of dedicated work, Ted created one of the most well-known children’s stories in the world, The Cat in the Hat. Because of the great success of The Cat in the Hat, Theodore Seuss Geisel became the definitive author and illustrator of children’s literature. His ability to create such books with sheer simplicity and pleasure made his career explode.

Throughout Dr. Seuss’s career, he had written and illustrated 44 children’s books, such as And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Fox in Socks, On

e Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, and Horton Hears a Who!. (Morgan 243). The popularity of his books has been expanded to 15 different languages. But there are two books that not many people know about. Two of Dr. Seuss’s most controversial books, The Lorax and The Butter Battle Book, have undergone a lot of criticism from many people. The Lorax brings up many points about the growing environmental issues and what our actions are doing to the plant. The Butter Battle Book was released at the time of Reagan’s presidency. The Butter Battle Book was supposedly written “in response to the arms buildup and nuclear war threat during the Reagan administration.” (http://www.seussville.com/).

Theodore “Dr. Seuss” Geisel died on September 24, 1991. The sales of his immensely popular children’s literature sell more and more each year, with over 200 million books sold during the time of his death. After Ted’s death, a book titled My Many Colored Days was released. Other posthumous releases were made into animated specials, such as My Many Colored Days and Daisy-Head Mayzie. Dr. Seuss’s legacy lives on even now. In additio

n to the sales of his children’s books and the animated specials and movies made, many memorials have been erected in his name. At the University of California, San Diego, the school renamed their library to the Geisel library in honor of Ted. In 2002, in Dr. Seuss’s hometown of Springfield, Massachusetts, the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden was opened. The Memorial Sculpture Garden features sculptures of Ted and his many famous characters from his books. (www.catinthehat.org). And in 2008, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger inducted Theodore into the California Hall of Fame. The fantastic stories of Dr. Seuss are great memories from childhood. These stories are passed down from generations. A parent reading one of Ted’s stories to their children is a special time that will never die because the world of Dr. Seuss will always live on.

Theodore "Dr. Seuss" Geisel

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Making a Difference: Theodore "Dr. Seuss" Geisel

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