Dr. Seuss Biography By: Miss Kabaci 2nd Grade Norvelt Elementary

Hurray! for Dr. Seuss

Springfield, Massachusetts. Dr. Seuss was born March 2, 1904 in Springfield, Massachusetts.

His real name was Theodor Seuss Geisel. Theodor was the name of his father. Seuss was his mother’s maiden name.

“Dr. Seuss” wasn’t the only pen name that Theodor Seuss Geisel used. He sometimes signed his books with the name “Theo LeSieg”. Where does it come from? “Theo” is short for Theodor and “LeSeig” is Geisel spelled backwards! Geisel

As a child, Seuss learned to love rhyme and rhythm from his mother. She worked at a bakery where they made many different kinds of pies. She made up chants to remember their names.

In 1950 Seuss publishes If I Ran the Zoo, a tribute to his father who was a zookeeper.

Seuss’s first children’s book, And to Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street, got its name from a real street in Springfield, Massachusetts, where Seuss grew up. Many of the pictures in the book came from things he saw in his town as a kid.

A book company once asked Seuss to write a story that would teach children to read 220 different words. It wasn’t easy, but he did it. That story is The Cat in the Hat!

Another time, a friend bet him that he couldn’t write a story using 50 words or fewer. That wasn’t easy either, but Seuss did it again with the book Green Eggs and Ham.

Seuss had a closet full of funny hats to help him think and write. Wearing something silly got him in the mood to write silly stories.

Common Things in Dr. Seuss’s books: He used lots of rhymes Made-up animals with silly names Bright colors outlined with black These things make up his style of writing.

Dr.’s Orders! (Advice from Dr. Seuss) “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” “Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if you only try!”

On September 24, 1991 Dr. Seuss died at the age of eighty-seven. They have been translated into fifteen languages. He wrote forty-four books. Over 200 million copies are found around the world!

Why do we love Dr. Seuss? He made up silly words and names like Yertle, yop and nerd. He drew funny animals like a camel with 7 humps. The pictures are bright. He liked to be silly. When you read his books, you feel the rhythm and can guess the rhyme. Anything is possible in his fantasy world.

Some of Our Favorites

Timeline of Dr. Seuss's Life   *1904--Theodore Geisel is born in Springfield, MA. *1922-25--Geisel takes pen name Seuss while writing for Dartmouth's Jacko- Lantern to avoid scrutiny by the dean. *1926--Seuss adds Dr. to the pen name upon dropping out of college so that his father would think that he had gotten his doctorate degree. *1927--Seuss marries Helen Palmer on November 29. *1927--Seuss begins to sell cartoons to a variety of magazines as well as do advertising work. *1937--Seuss publishes his first book for children, And to Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street. *1943-1946--Seuss serves in Army and wins Legion of Merit for his educational and informational films. *1946--Seuss wins a Best Documentary Short Subject Academy Award for Hitler Lives? (Your Job in Germany). *1947--Seuss wins a Best Documentary Feature Academy Award for Design for Death, a history of the Japanese people co-written with his wife, Helen.

1950--Seuss publishes If I Ran the Zoo, a tribute to his father who was a zookeeper.   *1951--Seuss wins an Animated Cartoon Academy Award for Gerald McBoing-Boing. *The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T is released *1957--Seuss publishes How the Grinch Stole Christmas! and The Cat in the Hat. *1958--Seuss becomes president of Beginner Books.

1960--Seuss publishes One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish and Green Eggs an Ham.   *1967--Helen Palmer Geisel dies on October 23. *1968--Seuss publishes Hop on Pop and The Eye Book (Theo Lesieg) first of the Bright and Early Books are published. *1971--Seuss wins a Peabody Award for his television specials, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Horton Hears a Who. *1972--Seuss wins Critics Award at International Animated Cartoon Festival and Silver Medal at the International Film and TV Festival. *1976--Seuss wins the first ever Outstanding California Author Award presented by the California Association of Teachers of English. *1977--Seuss receives and Emmy for Best Children's Special for Halloween Is Grinch Night.

1981--Governors of several states declare Dr. Seuss 77th birthday Dr *1981--Governors of several states declare Dr. Seuss 77th birthday Dr. Seuss Day.   *1984--Dr. Seuss wins the Pulitzer Prize. *1991--Dr. Seuss dies on September 24 at the age of eighty - seven.