About Dr. Seuss

Theodor Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, spent his lifetime dreaming about many different creatures and silly ways to name them. At first, his main goal was to make people laugh and then he turned his talents toward teaching preschoolers to read.

Geisel was born in Massachusetts on March 2, 1904. When he was little, he used to draw crazy pictures on all of his schoolbooks. His parents worried that he had too creative of an imagination. He made it to high school, where he graduated and then continued his schooling at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. He wanted to be a professor, but he just couldn't get his mind off drawing. Geisel graduated, however, in 1925 and went to another school in England, where he met Helen Palmer, who would eventually become his first wife. When Geisel finished school and was ready to leave England, he had not wanted to leave Helen behind, so the two of them were married. Geisel then began looking for work in the United States. He soon found a job in advertising and worked in that business for 15 years. But Seuss grew frustrated with the advertising world and in his spare time he began writing and illustrating an alphabet book for children. Geisel thought the book was an exciting project, but when he showed it to the publishers they turned him down. He became so discouraged he did not write for years.  

In 1936, Geisel decided to travel. On his trip, he was influenced to write his first book: AND TO THINK I SAW IT ON MULBERRY STREET. He presented it to 43 different publishers who all rejected it. Finally, in 1937, he got a friend to publish it for him. This was the first time he used his pen name, Dr. Seuss (Seuss was his mother's maiden name).  

During World War II, Geisel joined the army and was sent to Hollywood. Captain Geisel would write for Frank Capra's Signal Corps Unit (for which he won the Legion of Merit) and do documentaries (he won Oscars for HITLER LIVES and DESIGN FOR DEATH). He also created a cartoon called "Gerald McBoing-Boing" which also won him an Oscar.  

In May of 1954, Life published a report concerning illiteracy among school children. The report said, among other things, that children were having trouble learning to read because their books were boring. This inspired Geisel's publisher, and prompted him to send Geisel a list of 400 words he felt were important. The publisher asked Geisel to cut the list to 250 words (the publisher's idea of how many words at one time a first-grader could absorb), and write a book. Nine months later, Geisel, using 220 of the words given to him, published THE CAT IN THE HAT, which was an instant success.  

Together with his wife Helen Palmer, Geisel launched a whole line of Beginner Books, some of which he wrote and illustrated. Sometimes he wrote under the name of Theo LeSieg (Geisel spelled backwards) and he let other artists write and illustrate some of the books as well. Altogether, Dr. Seuss published 48 books which have been translated into 20 different languages making him the best-selling children's author of all time.

Helen Palmer Geisel died in 1967 and in 1968 Theodor Geisel married Audrey Stone Diamond. Theodor Seuss Geisel died 24 September 1991 and Audrey Geisel still makes decisions about his estate. Geisel's wonderful legacy, which we're all lucky to share, is the body of terrific books he created. More than 60 years after his first book was published, Dr. Seuss titles are just as popular as ever. Captain Kangaroo, a friend of Geisel's, said, "He tried to emphasize strong values that not only children, but adults should have in this world."

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