Comic Feature – Dr. Theodore Seuss

Theodor Seuss Geisel was an American children’s author, political cartoonist, poet, animator, screenwriter, filmmaker, and artist, best known for his work writing and illustrating more than 60 books under the pen name Doctor Seuss.

His work includes many of the most popular children’s books of all time, selling over 600 million copies and being translated into more than 20 languages by the time of his death.

Geisel adopted the name “Dr. Seuss” as an undergraduate at Dartmouth College and as a graduate student at the University of Oxford. He left Oxford in 1927 to begin his career as an illustrator and cartoonist for Vanity Fair, Life, and various other publications.

He published his first children’s book And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street in 1937. The book was reportedly rejected by nearly 30 publishers but after his chance meeting with a friend who was an editor at Vanguard Press, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street was finally released to rave reviews and pathing his path as a timeless children’s author.

He also worked as an illustrator for advertising campaigns, most notably for FLIT and Standard Oil. During World War II, he took a brief hiatus from children’s literature to illustrate political for the New York newspaper PM. from 1941-1943, Geisel, also known as Dr. Seuss, worked as the chief editorial cartoonist for the New York magazine PM, creating over 400 editorial cartoons.

As well worked in the animation and film department of the United States Army where he wrote, produced or animated many productions – both live-action and animated – including Design for Death, which later won the 1947 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

After the war, Geisel returned to writing children’s books, writing classics like If I Ran the Zoo (1950), Horton Hears a Who! (1955), If I Ran the Circus (1956), The Cat in the Hat (1957), How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1957), and Green Eggs and Ham (1960). He published over 60 books during his career, which have spawned numerous adaptations, including 11 television specials, four feature films, a Broadway musical, and four television series.

Geisel won the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1958 for Horton Hatches the Egg and again in 1961 for And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street. According to various reports, by the early 21st century more than 600 million copies of Dr. Seuss books had been sold worldwide. Geisel’s birthday, March 2, has been adopted as the annual date for National Read Across America Day, an initiative on reading created by the National Education Association.

Looking for more wacky Seuss fun?

Check out our Special Comic Feauture On Dr.Suess or  30 Inspiring Suess Quotes Kids Will Love.

SOURCES: WIKIPEDIA, BIOGRAPHY, LIBRARY DIGITAL COLLECTIONS, BRITTANICA