Mickey's Musings

Dr Seuss

Happy Birthday Dr Seuss!

My favorite Seuss book is Green Eggs and Ham. This could have a lot to do with Nigel Bennett and John Kapelos rendition of Green Eggs and Ham ala "LaCroix" and "Schanke" from Forever Knight"

About Dr. Seuss Ted Geisel wore so many hats! In addition to his book illustrations, Ted Geisel often painted and was an accomplished artist. He often told young artists to "paint at least one picture a month that is just for fun."

Dr. Seuss believed gardening to be another form of art and enjoyed creating a relaxed, lush outdoor environment to share with his friends and family. He was concerned about the environment as a whole and wanted to make the world aware of the consequences of indifference to nature. The result of his concerns was The Lorax, published in 1971, a book that has inspired generations to practice conservation.

His mother, Henrietta Seuss Geisel, had worked in her father's bakery before marrying Ted's father, often memorizing the names of the pies that were on special each day and "chanting" them to her customers. If Ted had difficulty getting to sleep, she would often recall her "pie-selling chants." As an adult, Ted credited his mother "for the rhythms in which I write and the urgency with which I do it."

The American Heritage Dictionary credits Dr. Seuss as the originator of the word nerd, which made its first appearance in his 1950 book, If I Ran the Zoo. "And then just to show them, I'll sail to Ka-Troo And Bring Back an It-Kutch a Preep and a Proo a Nerkle a Nerd and a Seersucker, too!"

His books were originally considered too outlandish to appeal to children. His first, And to Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street (1937), was reportedly rejected by 28 publishers before it finally found a home at Random House. It was one of the company's most prophetic decisions; former Random House President Bennett Cerf once remarked, "I've published any number of great writers, from William Faulkner to John O'Hara, but there's only one genius on my authors list. His name is Ted Geisel."

At the time of Theodor Seuss Geisel's death in 1991, his 46 children's books had sold more than 200 million copies, and his last, Oh, the Places You'll Go! (1990), was still on the best-seller lists.

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Fun Fast Facts
Theodor Seuss Geisel, AKA: Theo LeSieg, Rosetta Stone

Date and Place of Birth: March 2, 1904 Springfield, Massachusetts

Date and Place of Death: September 4, 1991 La Jolla, California

Married to:
Helen Palmer Geisel, 1899-1967
Audrey Stone Geisel, 1921-

Education:
Spent one hour in a formal art class in high school in 1919.
B.A., Dartmouth College, 1925; Oxford University (no degree)

More on Dr. Seuss
Seussville.com

Posted by Mickey at March 2, 2004 10:15 AM