If you don’t do anything else today, make a point of taking the time to read just one of Dr. Seuss’s more than 60 children’s books because March 2 is his birthday! Theodor Seuss ‘Ted’ Geisel was born 114 years ago today in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Geisel adopted the name “Dr. Seuss” as an undergraduate at Dartmouth College and a graduate student at the University of Oxford. He left Oxford without earning a degree in 1927 to begin his career as an illustrator and cartoonist for Vanity Fair, Life, and various other publications. He also worked as an illustrator for advertising campaigns, most notably for FLIT and Standard Oil, and as a political cartoonist for the New York newspaper PM.
Dr. Seuss published his first children’s book And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street in 1937. During World War II, he took a brief hiatus from children’s literature and worked in an animation department of the United States Army where he produced several short films, including Design for Death, which later won the 1947 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
After the war, Geisel focused on children’s books again, 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 become numerous adaptations, including 11 television specials, four feature films, a Broadway musical, and four television series.
The Cordova Public Library has 40 of Dr. Seuss’s 60 books on the shelf and just waiting for you to read, smile and enjoy. Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!
The Cordova Public Library is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, and noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Closed Mondays.
