'The best books, reviewed with insight and charm, but without compromise.'
- author Jackie French

Sunday 2 October 2011

Dr Seuss Fun Facts

Real name: Theodor (Ted) Seuss Geisel

He was an American of German immigrant parents.

His father ran a brewery.

Whilst attending Dartmouth College, he was caught drinking gin with friends and was suspended from all extra-curricular activity, including work on the college magazine. To continue working for the Jack-O-Lantern magazine, he began using pen name 'Seuss'.

Ted went to Oxford University in England but never completed his degree.

And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street was originally a poem inspired by the rhythm of the ship's engines on a return voyage to Europe in 1937.



Ted was not only an author, he was also a cartoonist, animator, book publisher and artist.

He was a literacy champion.

He wrote under many pen names including Dr. Seuss, Theo LeSieg (Geisel spelled backwards), Rosetta Stone and Theophrastus Seuss.

He married twice - Helen Palmer (from 1927 - 1967) and Audrey Dimond (from 1968 to 1991).


His most famous books are The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, Fox in Socks and Horton Hears a Who!

Dr Seuss never had children of his own.

Seuss Landing is an homage to Seuss, located at the Islands of Adventure theme park in Orlando, Florida.

Seuss wrote most of his books in a style using the 'anapestic tetrameter', a poetic meter using four rhythmic units of two weak beats followed by a strong beat.

Geisel's early artwork used shaded pencil and watercolour, but for his children's books, pen and ink using black and white and just one or two other colours, was his prefered choice.

He liked to use motion lines in his artwork, which he also used to show thought, emotion and the senses.


Geisel also painted and sculptedIn 1997, The Art of Dr Seuss project was launched where collectors could see and buy lithographs, serigraphs and sculptures reproduced from his original drawings and paintings.

The books of Dr Seuss have sold over 222 million copies and have been translated into 15 languages.

One of the trademarks of his artwork is 'no straight lines'.