~ Began as a writer for advertisements for such products as Flitt, a bug spray repellant
~ First book was turned down 43 times before being published
~ Began writing political cartoons in 1941 because he/she was concerned that American isolationism left America vulnerable. Although (he/she had no great interest in social issues, he/she said, “I always wanted the good guys to win.”
~ He/she is credited with “killing off” the Dick and Jane Books by creating the first I Can Read book in 1957.
The above information belongs to the infamous Dr. Seuss and today we wish him a Happy Birthday. Take a fresh look at some of his books and see his sentiments about some of his concerns of the day.
Yertle the Turtle is an anti-fascist tract.
The Sneetches is plea for racial tolerance.
The Lorax delivers an environmental message.
Horton Hears a Who was conceived from his experiences in Japan in 1954, with the theme of a person’s a person no matter how small— everyone counts.
The Butter Battle Book is his 1984 polemic for nuclear disarmament.
The Cat in the Hat’s red and white striped tower of a stovetop hat has become an American icon.
How did the Cat in the Hat come to be written?
In 1954 John Hersey wrote an article in Life Magazine “Why do children Bog Down on the First R?” Hersey concluded that “primers were bland, idealized and terribly literal, unable to hold youngsters’ attention” and that was the reason children bogged down on the First R.
This was the impetus for Dr. Seuss to agree to write a book using only 223 words that children would recognize. The Cat in the Hat uses only 223 words and was written to teach children how to read, which launched the Beginning Books series, followed by the I Can Read Books.
The Cat In the Hat took Seuss 1½ years to write and in his own words: “ Writing The Cat in the Hat experience was like being lost with a witch in a tunnel of love- only job I ever tackled that I found more difficult was when I wrote the Baedeker that Eskimos use then they travel to Siam.”
