Dr. Seuss
The Cat in the Hat is the title of a children’s book, which every child in America seems to know and enjoy reading. This immensely popular fictional story was written by a famous individual who goes by the name of Theodor Seuss Geisel or more known as Dr. Seuss. In most of his fictional stories Dr. Seuss always portrays a different message in each story on how children should act so that they can be molded into strong and virtuous individuals in the future. He was one of the more influential and successful writers of his time.
Theodor Seuss Geisel was born on March 2, 1904, in Massachusetts. Once Dr. Seuss reached the age of 18, he went to study at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, majoring in English. After graduating he continued to pursue his education at the University of Oxford to obtain his PHD and one day be a professor. However, Geisel did not pull through with this goal and ended dropping out in 1927. His career began as a cartoonist. Geisel cartooned loads of articles and illustrations for books as well as many magazines. Over time his practice continued to increase in skill, eventually allowing him to obtain a job in the New York weekly judge. During WWII Gisel played a significant role in producing political cartoons for the media and propaganda posters throughout the war. Giesel also worked for 15 years in an advertising department for standard oil. Throughout this time of his life, he was trying out different career options and jobs being offered to him to see what had suited him the most.
Moreover, at one-point Giesel was proposed to illustrate a collection of children’s books by the title of Boners. Although the book did perform poorly it had been Giesel’s introduction to working with kids’ literature. His first book was called And to Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street represented how valuable children’s imaginations are and should not be oppressed. The book, after being declined 27 times due to the racial stereotypes which are depicted throughout the novel, was finally published in 1937. Nowadays this book along with If I Ran The Zoo, McElligot’s Pool, and a few others are banned from being published ever again due to racial stereotypes portrayed throughout the children’s book. Over the course of Geisel’s new beginning in creating children’s literature he has written and published well over 60 books. Some including Horton Hears a Who, The Lorax, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and many more all including beautiful messages for young and old audiences. A wide variety of these published books have been turned into either movies or shows. From all this arduous work Dr. Seuss was able to obtain three Emmys and Grammys along with the 1984 Pulitzer Prize and the Caldecott Honor.
One of Dr. Seuss’ most influential children’s books goes by the name of Horton Hears a Who. This book portrays a particularly important message for its audience being “a person’s a person no matter how small.” Throughout this book the message is said repetitively to drill it to its audience. Although repetition is one of the major tools used throughout the book there is also a good amount of rhyming imbedded. However, the rhyming used is not basic, the terminology included is advanced for your average reader. This sort of rhyming adds more interest in children to continue reading the book because they are so used to basic kinds of rhyming, but Dr. Seuss rhyming was unique and advanced, somewhat of a challenge for children. This challenge allowed readers to be more invested and motivated to read the book. Most of Dr. Seuss’ publishing’s were picture books; in Horton Hears a Who the elephant (Horton) faces a lot of challenges throughout the book to keep the safety of a race possible. The books’ illustrations work coherently with the story being told. Whatever emotions or actions such characters portray, the pictures which go along with them fit perfectly. Moreover, throughout the story children do not only learn about the good virtues of an individual. But they also learn about elephants and such abilities which they have, one of the main ones being incredible hearing mainly because of their tremendous ears. The story itself ties in with this because no one was able to hear the people living on the spec and the noise they made besides Horton until they shouted louder and louder. This children’s book was one of the few that turned into a major motion picture in 2008.
Another of Giesel’s famous children’s picture books was Horton Hatches the Egg published in 1940 displayed the meaning of love’s capacity for transformation, together with commitment and responsibility. Similarly, to Horton Hears a Who this novel also has a lot of advanced rhyming and repetition throughout the book. One quote in particular being “I meant what I said, and I said what I meant an elephant’s faithful one hundred per cent!.” This story along with Horton Hears a Who portrays a lot of dialogue, one of the many skills which Dr. Seuss is great at and incorporates in all his books. Without such dialogue, and if the book was only narrated, then all interest would be lost by the audience. For all his books Giesel makes sure he incorporates magical thinking and imagination into each of them so that readers can still be engaged at the end of the book just as much as at the beginning. For this novel in particular the magical thinking was a creature which hatched out of the egg was half elephant and bird. The illustrations throughout the book are very precise and on point with the story. Some illustrations depict Horton’s size in comparison to the job the bird (Mayzie) is asking him to complete which seem very Un accomplishable like what is being said. Additionally, the fact that the tree which Horton was taking care of the egg on for many months was magical thinking as well. Mainly because it is difficult to believe that such a small tree could withstand the weight of a large elephant for that duration of time even if supporting branches were placed under. The actions which Horton displays throughout the book teach young readers how to be reliable, faithful, and determined.
Dr. Seuss’ legacy continues to live on today, his books and movies continue to be read today by young children of all ages. His legacy will remain forever because of how influential all his books were to his audience. Sadly, his life ended on September 24, 1991, he left behind a load of books but no children that may have continued his legacy.
Citations:
https://www.biography.com/writer/dr-seuss
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Horton-Hatches-the-Egg
https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/02/us/dr-seuss-books-cease-publication-trnd
