The Story and Life of Dr. Seuss

The son of a baker's daughter and a second generation brewmaster, Theodore Seuss Geisel was born in Springfield, Massachusetts on March 2, 1904.

Dr. Seuss credits his mother's pie-selling chants of his youth for the rhythms of his later writings.

It was during his time at Dartmouth -- as editor of the humor magazine Jack-O-Lantern -- that Dr. Seuss began going by the pseudonym "Seuss" (both his middle name and his mother's maiden name.)

Following Dartmouth, Dr. Seuss continued his schooling at Oxford where his doodling caught the eye of his future wife Helen Palmer. It was her suggestion that he persue a career in art.

Dr. Seuss spent over 15 years in advertising -- mostly at Standard Oil -- where he began developing his distinctive style. During World War II, Dr. Seuss began with a series of political cartoons before becoming involved in the production of animated training films for the U.S. Army.

After 27 publishers rejected his first children's book And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, an old Dartmouth friend was able to get his book published by Vanguard. But it was his next work, The Cat in the Hat, that would bring him fame. Written as a reading primer that was fun for children, The Cat in the Hat was immediately popular by both parents and children alike.

Links to The Works of Dr. Seuss

Classics

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