Dr. Seuss

Hello there. My name is Theodor Seuss Geisel, but you probably know me by my other name, Dr. Seuss. My story begins on March 2nd, 1904, when I was born in a town called Springfield, Massachusetts. When I was a boy, my world was filled with wonderful sights and sounds. I loved visiting the zoo, where I would stare at the animals for hours, sketching them in my notebook. But instead of drawing them exactly as they were, I would give them silly long necks, extra humps, or floppy ears. Back home, my mother had a wonderful way with words. She would sing rhymes to me, and her funny-sounding songs filled my head with a love for language and rhythm. Those early days of drawing quirky animals and listening to playful rhymes were the beginning of everything for me.

When I grew up, I went to Dartmouth College. I spent a lot of my time drawing cartoons for the school’s humor magazine. I had so much fun making people laugh with my pictures. In 1925, I got into a little bit of trouble and was told I couldn't work on the magazine anymore. But I didn't want to stop, so I came up with a secret name to sign my cartoons with. I chose my middle name: 'Seuss.' It was around this time I met a wonderful woman named Helen Palmer, who later became my wife. I was planning on becoming a professor, but Helen saw my drawings and told me I should be an illustrator instead. She really believed in me. I added 'Dr.' to my name as a little joke for my dad, who had always hoped I would become a real doctor.

With Helen’s encouragement, I wrote and illustrated my very first book for children, called 'And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street.' I was so proud of it and thought everyone would love it. But getting it published was much harder than I ever imagined. I took my book to publisher after publisher, and each one said 'no.' One after another, 27 different publishers rejected my story. I felt so discouraged that I was walking home, ready to give up on being an author entirely. But then, something amazing happened. In 1937, I ran into an old friend from college right there on the street. He happened to work for a book publisher, and he asked to see what I had. He liked my story and decided to print my book. That moment taught me to never, ever give up on something you truly believe in.

In the 1950s, many people thought the books used to teach children how to read were very boring. They were filled with simple but dull sentences. An editor challenged me to write a book for young readers that was exciting and fun, but there was a catch: I could only use a list of 236 simple words. It was a very tricky puzzle, but I love a good challenge. I worked and worked, and finally, I came up with a story about a mischievous cat in a tall, striped hat. My book 'The Cat in the Hat' was published in 1957, and it was a huge success. It showed everyone that learning to read could be an adventure. Soon after, I wrote 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas!' and in 1960, I wrote another book, 'Green Eggs and Ham,' using only 50 different words.

My goal was always to make reading an adventure, not a chore. I wanted every person, no matter how small, to feel important and to see that words and pictures could take you to amazing places. I wrote and drew for many years and lived to be 87 years old. Today, my stories and characters are still shared all around the world, from the Grinch to the Lorax and the Cat in the Hat. I hope they continue to show you that reading is one of the most wonderful and magical things you can do.