Dr. Seuss

Hello there! My name is Theodor Seuss Geisel, but my friends called me Ted. You probably know me as Dr. Seuss! I was born on March 2nd, 1904, in a town called Springfield, Massachusetts. When I was a boy, my father helped run the local zoo. I spent hours there, drawing silly pictures of the animals with their long necks, floppy ears, and wiggly whiskers. I would take my sketchbook and fill it with creatures that came right out of my imagination!

I kept drawing all through school. When I went to Dartmouth College around 1925, I drew cartoons for the school's magazine and first started using my middle name, 'Seuss,' as my pen name. After college, I decided to become a writer and illustrator for grown-ups, but my heart was in creating stories for children. My very first children's book was called 'And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street.' It was published in 1937, but only after more than 20 different publishers said 'no thank you!' I'm so glad I didn't give up.

One day, a friend challenged me to write a book for brand-new readers using only a small list of simple words. It was tricky, but it sounded like fun! I looked at the list and the first two words that rhymed were 'cat' and 'hat.' And that's how, in 1957, 'The Cat in the Hat' was born! It was a new, fun way for kids to learn to read. I loved making up silly challenges for myself. In 1960, I wrote 'Green Eggs and Ham' using only 50 different words because of a bet! I also wrote about a grumpy green guy in my 1957 book 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas!'

I filled my life with rhymes and reasons, and I lived to be 87 years old. My greatest joy was creating worlds where anything was possible and making reading an exciting adventure instead of a chore. I hope my silly characters and tongue-twisting tales continue to make you giggle and show you that the best stories come from your own wonderful imagination.