Theodore Geisel spent most of his life dreaming up fanciful creatures with tongue-twisting names. These creatures became lovable characters in storybooks by "Dr. Seuss." Theodore was born on March 2, 1904, in Springfield, Massachusetts. As a child, he was always drawing pictures of strange looking people and animals. He often went to the zoo with his father, who was a zookeeper, and drew the animals he saw there. After graduating from college, Geisel worked many years doing art work for advertising companies. In his spare time, he wrote and illustrated books for children. At first, no one would publish his books. Publishers thought no one would buy the silly books. Finally, in 1937, a friend published And To Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street. It is a story about an unbelievable street parade. It is the first book on which Geisel used his pen name, Dr. Seuss. Both children and parents loved it. Later came The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, Horton Hatches the Egg,and Yertle the Turtle. Altogether, 46 Dr. Seuss books were published. They have been translated into 20 different languages and sold worldwide. Geisel never had children of his own, but he loved to write books for children. He received many honors and awards for his unusual drawings and writing style. He was 87 years old when he died in 1991.
