Dr. Seuss

There isn't a child in America that hasn't heard of Dr. Seuss. As one of the most famous authors of all times, he devoted himself to a life of making people happy through books. He used his extraordinary imagination to create masterpieces, even into his late eighties. Dr. Seuss was a very hard working, inspirational, and creative man that changed the way children learned to read.

He was born on March 2, 1904, in Springfield, Massachusetts. His full name is, Theodor (Ted) Seuss Geisel. It is pronounced, "Zoice". His dad was Theodor Seuss Geisel and his mother was Henrietta Geisel. Ted had an older sister named Margaretha, (Marnie). He also had a younger sister named Henrietta, who died as a baby. Ted had a fun childhood. His father helped run the zoo so Ted got special treatment when he went. After a fun day at the zoo, he would go home and draw animals on his wall. The characters he drew didn't look like the animals at the zoo so he would make up special names for them. Towards the end of his high school years, Ted and his family faced financial troubles. His father, who was the president of a beer company, lost his job due to Prohibition becoming the law. His parents promised him they would pay for his college even though they didn't have the money they once had.

"I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, and that enables you to laugh at life's realities."

He started his college years at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. He enjoyed writing for the funny school magazine, Jack-O-Lantern. After getting in trouble, he ended up attending Oxford University in England. This is where is discovered what he wanted to do for a living. He wanted to draw!

Although Ted did not finish college, he was a very hard working person. He didn't give up on his dream after he moved back home from Oxford. He sent his cartoons to many people, magazines, and newspapers. He also sent it to his friends. His hard work finally paid off when the Saturday Evening Post liked one of his cartoons. He signed this cartoon, "Seuss". His first real job was at a magazine called Judge. He wrote a column there. He signed the column, "Dr. Seuss" instead of just "Seuss". His name never changed. As the years went on, he wrote comics, magazines, and books for the soldiers fighting in World War 1. Dr. Seuss is a true hero because he changed the lives of so many people with this writings and illustrations.

Dr. Seuss was inspired by all of the memories he had as a child. Dr. Seuss's mother sang rhyming songs to him before bedtime. He loved rhymes. While riding on a ship to Europe, he was annoyed by the noise ship's engines made, "thump, thump, thump". He started adding words that went along with the noises he heard, "And that is a story that no one can beat. And to think that I saw it on Mulberry Street." He wanted to change lives; he wanted to entertain adults and inspire children to use their imagination to write. He knew learning to read was difficult for many children. He wanted to make learning to read exciting. His most memorable books came when he was asked to write an early reader book. Cat in the Hat was published in 1957. Although some teachers didn't like it, the children across America loved it and it has been a classic ever since. Dr. Seuss wrote incredible books. He was very creative, unlike anyone of his time. He was gifted at writing books for children because he wrote about things children loved. Not only was he able to create fun characters he also was creative in the way he wrote his children's books. One example is Green Eggs and Ham. The whole book only contains fifty words. Not just anyone could write a top seller using just fifty words. He made a difference in how children's books were written. He set a very high bar for other authors. Winning awards is one way to distinguish yourself from your peers. He received the Caldecott Medal, Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal, and the Regina Medal. Dr. Seuss wrote 44 books in all. He died on September 24, 1991 in La Jolla, California. Dr Seuss was very hardworking, inspirational, and creative. He never gave up on his dream even though he was rejected twenty-seven times.

"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...."