Today is the birthday of Theodore Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss – he would be 112 if he was still alive. Whether you’re only passingly familiar with The Cat in the Hat or someone who own the whole Seuss library, you surely recognize that he is one of the most influential children’s authors of all time.
Dr. Seuss has popped up before on this blog, with commentary ranging from my overthinking of certain stories to my extreme support of someone who tried to ban his books in Toronto (so extreme, in fact, that one might argue I was joking). And now I’m going to delve into even more detail about him.
Seuss is a literary mainstay in my household and many others throughout the world, with his books playing a huge role in children’s literacy. His books teach essential vocabulary and life lessons, and they do it in such a fun way that you don’t even realize how educational they really are.
The man’s bibliography goes as far back as 1931, when he illustrated The Pocket Book of Boners (get your head out of the gutter, people – “boner” used to mean something totally different), and his work is still coming out after his death, with What Pet Should I Get? hitting shelves in 2015.
An 80-year publishing career is nothing to sneeze at, especially since Theodore Geisel died almost 25 years ago. But that’s only scratching the surface of the man’s life. Here are some lesser-known facts about the life and deeds of Dr. Seuss.
Charlie Brooks 