Theodor Seuss Geisel, known to the world as Dr. Seuss, was an inspirational figure in the history of children’s books. He did more than just write books for kids, though he is known primarily for that. Dr. Seuss has been vilified for writing a few books that are portrayed as racist, but he created political cartoons during World War II, wrote and illustrated 45 children’s books, and generally encouraged children. Theodor Geisel’s family started his love for rhyming, drawing, and writing, which would become his lifelong pursuits. Janet B. Pascal states in the book Who Was Dr. Seuss?, “Ted grew up in a family that loved wordplay. His mothers family owned a bakery. As a child, she made up rhymes listing the pie flavors” (3). He grew up listening to rhymes, which got him thinking about them at an early age. His mother would sing rhymes to him to get him to sleep. Geisel also started drawing animals because he went to the zoo a lot; his dad worked there.
Dr. Seuss accomplished so much in his lifetime. Writing and illustrating 45 children’s books, many of them all-time bestsellers, is incredible. It took so much inspiration to pour his heart into books for people to read all over the world. Every one of Dr. Seuss’ books had hidden messages. He also knew how to catch people’s attention to motivate and encourage them. He cheered people on to keep going and to be themselves. Seuss writes in his book, Happy Birthday to You!, “Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” He is emphasizing the importance of being unique and embracing one’s own qualities–the ones that no one else has. The Cat in the Hat, The Lorax, Horton Hears A Who, and The Grinch are all examples of books that have been so beloved that they have been turned into films. Dr. Seuss made all of his books easy for children to understand and read at the start of their reading career; he did this with invented words, rhymes, and fun illustrations.
There are many reasons why we can see Dr. Seuss as a hero today. His family taught him to become an inspirational figure, and we still read his books, watch films based on those books, and discuss his work to this day.
