March 2nd is Dr. Seuss’ birthday – he would be 112 this year! It can be hard to imagine what children’s books would look like today without the incredibly creative and inspiring books of Dr. Seuss. He wrote stories that are hard to put down, and he created characters that are impossible to forget. Memorable characters such as the Cat in the Hat, the Grinch, Thing 1 and Thing 2, Horton the Elephant and the Lorax are still popular after many decades. To help celebrate such an icon of literature, I have listed some little known fun facts about Dr. Seuss himself:
- Dr. Seuss’ real name is Theodore Seuss Geisel. Theodore Geisel operated under many pseudonyms, including Dr. Seuss, Rosetta Stone, and Theo LeSieg. LeSieg is Geisel spelled backwards!
- He gave credit for “Seussian” rhymes and rhythms to his mother, who recited poems and read him bedtime stories.
- Seuss’ first children’s book, “And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street” was rejected 27 times before it was finally accepted to be published in 1937.
- Seuss was shy of crowds and fearful of public speaking.
- Even though he was too old to enlist in the army during World War II, Seuss still wanted to lend his hand in any way he could. His job was to create instructional cartoon videos for soldiers and promotional videos for the citizens back home.
- He firmly refused all efforts at franchising Dr. Seuss, whether toys, T-shirts or theme parks.
Come check out our Dr. Seuss display at the Children’s Desk at the Columbia Public Library on March 2! We will have coloring sheets, stickers and bookmarks celebrating Seuss’s characters. In the afternoon, you may even catch a glimpse of the Cat in the Hat himself.
Author information from: “Geisel, Theodor Seuss (“Dr. Seuss”).” The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives. Ed. Kenneth T. Jackson, Karen Markoe, and Arnold Markoe. Vol. 3: 1991-1993. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 2001. 207-209. Biography in Context. Web. 27 Feb. 2016.
Photo Credit: Geisel in 1957, holding The Cat in the Hat, which inaugurated his Beginner Books via Wikipedia.org (license).
