The Man, The Myth, The Legend, Dr.Seuss
When people hear the name “Dr. Seuss,” images of Loraxs and cats in hats spring to mind, but not many people know the story of his rise to fame. Theodor Seuss Geisel was a loving husband, a phenomenal story teller, and somehow had the ability to get kids to read and comprehend the words they are given. He did all of this while making whimsical characters, and giving his opinion about what was happening during World War II. Dr.Seuss is a brilliant mastermind because he didn’t give up on his calling of children's books, he made kids love to read, and all of his hard work made him very accomplished by the time of his death.
One fateful day, Ted was asked to illustrate a children’s book called Boners(“Bio.com”). The book didn’t sell very well, but the opportunity gave him some opening remarks in children’s literature(“Bio.com”). So young Ted wrote his first book , And To Think That I saw it on Mullberry Lane, but his book got rejected 27 times before a young editor came along and asked to buy a copy("Theodor Seuss Geisel - "Dr. Seuss" Biography"). The editor liked the book so much that he wanted his
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publishing company, Vanguard Press, to publish all of his books(Kudlinski). He took a break from children's books when WWII hit, he focused on political cartoons(Kudlinski). Skip a couple years ahead, and Ted is pretty successful. Then, Time magazine wrote an article mentioning the lack of reading skills in kids. So in response, Ted was told to write a book using 225 “new reader” words("Theodor Seuss Geisel - "Dr. Seuss" Biography"). The result was The Cat In The Hat("Theodor Seuss Geisel - "Dr. Seuss" Biography"). As the Wall Street Journal says, “In 1957, he published a book that became an immediate bestseller, turning him into a global publishing phenomenon." In just a short matter of time, he became an instant children’s hero!
He used his fame to come up with multiple benefiting holidays for children("Theodor Seuss Geisel - "Dr. Seuss" Biography"). Such as the Lorax’s earth day, teaching kids to be more wary of the earth around them("Theodor Seuss Geisel - "Dr. Seuss" Biography"). There is also Dr.Seuss day, which was created after the time of his death, and read across America day("Theodor Seuss Geisel - "Dr. Seuss" Biography"). His family deserves some credit as well(Kudlinski). As it states in the Dr.Seuss Biography, “Ted credited his mother with both his ability and desire to create the rhymes for which he became so well known("Theodor Seuss Geisel - "Dr. Seuss" Biography").”His first wife, Helen, also used to sit and listen to his stories and advised him on
them(Kudlinski). Because of his great success, he won many awards("Theodor Seuss Geisel - "Dr. Seuss" Biography"). He won two Academy Awards, two Emmys, a Pulitzer award, and a Peabody award("Theodor Seuss Geisel - "Dr. Seuss" Biography"). He is more popular than ever, not just because he was a fantastic author and illustrator, but because of the book to movie adaptations such as The Lorax, The Cat In The Hat, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, and Horton Hears a Who. The Lorax was the most popular with $1.1 billion worldwide. Theodor Seuss Geisel faced his fair share of roadblocks, but in the end he managed to accomplish his love of writing, educating kids, and becoming very accomplished because of his tireless passion. He constantly improved reading habits of kids, and didn't skip a beat when it came to world happenings. Most people say the journey is more important than the destination. His journey has been a fantastic adventure for both him, and his colleagues. But his destination is something that can be preserved and cherished. Even though he has passed, he has founded a business so strong to fill the love of reading into the hearts and minds of America’s youth for so many more years to come.
Theodor Seuss Geisel was born on March 2, 1904 in Springfield, Massachusetts. To Theodor Robert Geisel and Henrietta Seuss Geisel. His father was a successful brewmaster. All of his grandparents were German immigrants. His father managed the family brewery and later was a supervisor of Springfield’s public park system. The family brewery was closed because of the Prohibition his father had to get a different job he got the park system job from the mayor of Springfield, Massachusetts John A. Denison.
When Seuss was in high school, his art teacher told him he would never draw realistically. After one art lesson, he walked out of the class and never returned. Ted went to Dartmouth College, where he was an editor for Jack-O-Lantern, the college humor magazine. After getting in trouble for drinking gin in his room, Ted began to draw and write under different pseudonyms, including Seuss. Seuss himself claims that he used the name for his humorous essays and drawings, saving the name Geisel for his serious novels (MacDonald, 2004, p. 3). When Seuss became a magazine cartoonist, he began signing his work “Dr. Theophrastus Seuss” in 1927. He shortened that to “Dr. Seuss” in 1937 after his writings in Judge magazine (MacDonald, p. 5), and that is how Ted Geisel became Dr. Seuss.
Theodor Seuss was born in Springfield, Mass. on March 2, 1904 and died on September 24, 1991. He graduated from Dartmouth College. Dr. Seuss was a children's author who target young readers. His first book was "And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street" and was followed by many other famous stories such as, "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" and to one of his most famous books "The Cat in The Hat". Dr. Seuss is a well know author world-wide.
Dr. Seuss, also known as Theodore Seuss, has written many poems as well as short stories, and is considered one of the greatest children’s author in history. His silly stories are able to excite children in ways that make them want read. His Wife says,” Ted doesn’t sit down to write for children. He writes to amuse himself;” Little do children know that often, in his stories, there is a lot of political undertone, a few examples include The Lorax, Yertle the Turtle, The Sneethces, and The Butter Battle Book. If you were to really critique some of his books or poems, you might see that some of his themes wouldn’t seem to pertain to children.
Dr. Seuss has an interesting background that is often overlooked. Many fans do not know that the beloved children’s book author actually began his career drawing cartoons for magazines and advertisements (“The Advertising Artwork of Dr. Seuss”). In many of his advertisements and children’s books he has amazing elaborate machines that complete different tasks. This aspect of his artwork has many similarities to another famous cartoonist, Rube Goldberg. In this essay I will be comparing the artwork of Dr. Seuss to the artwork of Rube Goldberg.
It was a recent trip to the Kohl’s Department Store in Springhill, TN that declared what children’s author would be the best fit for writing a paper that addresses the best traits and limitations of such a person. Kohl’s Department Stores are currently featuring and selling four of award winning children’s author and illustrator Eric Carle’s books and plush animals in support of their program Kohl’s Cares, which gives 100 percent of their profit to support health and education initiatives in communities all over the nation. The books The Mixed-Up Chameleon, The Hungry Caterpillar, The Foolish Tortoise, and The Grouchy Ladybug, and plush chameleons, caterpillars, tortoises, and ladybugs can be purchased separately for five dollars each (“Kohl’s Cares,” 2011). On the inside flap of the featured books is a personal message from Carle stating how delighted he is for his books to be a part of the Kohl’s Cares program. He further states, “Thank you for your interest in my books and for sharing them with special people in your life.” Eric Carle’s books and merchandise makes over $50 million per year (Setoodeh, 2009). It was the award winning publication of Carle’s book The Very Hungry Caterpillar in 1969 that started the chain of events that is now an empire of merchandise in its own right (“Eric,” 2002). Carle’s family and friends have speculated to why and how one book could become so successful, and Carle remarks that “’it is a book about hope. If you’re an insignificant caterpillar, you can grow up to be a butterfly in the world’” (Setoodeh, 2009). Carle’s childhood was a difficult one filled with much tribulations due to World War II.
After he uncovers Teddy’s paper world, the uncle reacts in a manner of ignorance and derision, mocking him for his decision to occupy himself with paper dolls. The uncle dubs Teddy as a “great big lummox … playing with paper dolls”, insulting Teddy for his hobbies with a tone of amusement and hysteria. In spite of Teddy’s agitation, the uncle prefers to make a mockery out of Teddy rather than accepting his unique hobbies, suggesting the uncle’s belief that Teddy’s activities are unfitting of someone of his age. In addition, Teddy’s uncle further aggravates Teddy by continuously ridiculing him, leading him to eventually destroy his treasured paper world. Despite Teddy’s attempts at validating the reality of his paper dolls, the uncle “burst into laughter, his cheeks the colour of a tomato.” Teddy’s uncle persistence in mocking Teddy implies his disapproval of Teddy’s world, believing that his world is ludicrous and absurd for someone of his age to be occupied with. The sustained laughter of Teddy’s uncle is explicit and deliberate, intended to warn Teddy against his immature hobby, an evident symbol of society’s expectation of
The quote stated in the above paragraph is one of his many exact representation of his views on the world. Dr. Seuss is well known for writing many of the children's books my generation has grown up with, but is also known for inspiring and
The first theory to explain some of Ted's behavior is that of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs which focuses on describing the stages of growth in humans using the terms physiological, safety, belongingness, self esteem, self actualization and self transcendence. Ted had the necessities of life and shelter, and was therefore satisfied in his physiologi...
After a four week survey of a multitude of children’s book authors and illustrators, and learning to analyze their works and the methods used to make them effective literary pieces for children, it is certainly appropriate to apply these new skills to evaluate a single author’s works. Specifically, this paper focuses on the life and works of Ezra Jack Keats, a writer and illustrator of books for children who single handedly expanded the point of view of the genre to include the experiences of multicultural children with his Caldecott Award winning book “Snowy Day.” The creation of Peter as a character is ground breaking in and of itself, but after reading the text the reader is driven to wonder why “Peter” was created. Was he a vehicle for political commentary as some might suggest or was he simply another “childhood” that had; until that time, been ignored? If so, what inspired him to move in this direction?
Everyone is Important in Dr Seuss’ Horton Hears A Who and Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories
The animated life of Theodor Geisel is evident in his literary masterpieces. He was born on March 2, 1904 in Springfield, Massachusetts to Theodor and Henrietta Geisel (Ford 14). Geisel grew up speaking German and English, and his fascination with quirky words began at an early age due to his family. For example, his sister, Margaretha, called herself Marnie Ding Ding Guy, and his first creation was the Wynnmph with ears three yards long (Kaplan). During his childhood, Geisel read widely and often - developing his voracious reading habit at an early age. By the time he was six years old, Ted was already reading Charles Dickens and Robert Louis Stevenson (Kaplan). However, college education never interested him. Labeled “Least Likely To Succeed” by his fellow classmates at Dartmouth University, Theodor often got in trouble for partying and was forced to resign from the school humor magazine. This gave birth to numerous pseudonyms of Geisel, such as L. Burbank, Thomas Mott Osbourne, Ted Seuss, Seuss, Dr. Seuss, and Theo LeSieg (Hurst). In his adult life, Theodor created various political cartoons for Judge, a humor magazine, and PM, a noted political magazine. The illustrations in these early cartoons foreshadow the quirky illustrations found in his children’s books (Kaplan). Geisel turned to writing children’s books when creating numerous ads for the popular insecticide, Flit, left him with little to do during the winter months (Hurst). By 1990, Dr. Seuss had written over forty books, two of which were Caldecott Honor books, and won two Academy Awards for his documentaries (Krull 39). Unfortunately, battling glaucoma and cataracts became too much for Theodor; he died on September...
Everyone knows the tell all story, ‘Green Eggs & Ham By Dr. Seuss’. A story that claims to be about the trail of an unknown character who refuses to try the plate of, an aptly named, green eggs & ham, given to him by a character named ‘Sam-I-Am’. This ‘Sam-I-Am’ constantly pesters the poor man into submission till he finally tries the dish. To which we see in the end he completely enjoys. To the public eye, it is thought to be a book about trying new things, but “Green Eggs & Ham By Dr. Seuss” is much dark than that. To those who read in between the lines, unlike the sheeple we surround ourselves with, we can see more in this dark story. From the main characters, to the images represented. Even minor characters change the whole tone of the
Even though the first book of Dr. Seuss got published in 1937, that doesn’t mean his book didn’t have a good influence on people. In my opinion, the Dr. Seuss books made me want to write a book. A parade that happened at my elementary school, books that helped me rhyme, my certainly good teacher Mrs. Hannon taught me even more than I had known. All those things helped me with my education. The books had an effect on tons of people. It helps some kids learn how to read. It even helps the mentally disabled to read. Dr. Seuss’s books don’t only propose not random words and rhyming. His books have become tools to help learning. His books made an impact on this world. The books can manufacture a vivid story in your head. A story that will not fade.
In Dr. Seuss’s early life around the age of 18 he went off on his own and started to do a lot more for his self by himself like someone his age should. When Theodore was 18 he left home to go to Dartmouth College, there he became an author in chief of its humor magazine, Jack-O-Lantern. After a while Theodor