Dr Seuss was born March 2, 1904 in Springfield, Massachusetts. His actual name was Theodor Seuss Geisel, and he is best known for his beloved children's books, such as The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, Horton Hears a Who, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and The Lorax. In fact, he wrote over 60 children's books, many of which he also illustrated. Because of his mark on early childhood literacy, March 2nd has now become known as Read Across America Day in an effort to promote the importance of reading to younger generations.
Here are some little known .. or unknown facts about Theodor Seuss Geisel:
- Although, Mr. Geisel was married two times, he did not have any children and was quoted as saying "You have 'em, I'll entertain 'em". And entertain them he did with some of his most famous and best selling stories including Green Eggs and Ham, The Cat in the Hat, and One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish.
- Dr. Seuss' wrote and illustrated many of his own books. For the ones that were illustrated by someone else, Geisel went by the pen name Theo LeSieg, which is Geisel spelled backwards. Examples of this include The Tooth Book, which was illustrated by Joe Mathieu.
- At the beginning of his career, Geisel was rejected by multiple publishers. His work was said to be "too outlandish to appeal to children". His first book And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street was reportedly rejected by more than 20 publishers. Luckily, for the fans of Dr. Seuss, he didn't give up.
- The last book published before his death in 1991 was, Oh, the Places You'll Go, which is often a book given to young adults upon graduation.
- Of the many places you can go and remember Dr. Seuss are The Dr. Seuss Memorial in Springfield, Massachusetts, The Seuss Landing in Orlando, Florida, and online at Seussville.com.
Of course, one of the best ways to introduce preschoolers to Dr. Seuss is by reading one of his many "outlandish", but very creative stories. Which one is your favorite?
Some of my favorite quotes are from Dr Seuss:
"Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you."
"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."
"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."
"You're off to great places, today is your day. Your mountain is waiting so get on your way."
"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose."
So celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday on Friday, March 2nd by reading a few Dr. Seuss books with your children. Also check out some fun crafts and activities on my Pinterest page.
