Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss: 7 Facts You Didn't Know About The Author

By Margaret Bristol for Bookish

Theodor Seuss Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss, wrote more than 60 children’s books, many of which became must-haves for every kid’s library before his death in 1991. Most recently, fans got to read one more posthumous release: Seven short works originally published in '50s magazines were released as an anthology last fall called "The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories." In honor of the latest Seuss-to-screen adaptation, "The Lorax," hitting theaters this weekend, we've dug up seven fun facts about Seuss that may surprise you.

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Comments

[Gronkie]

04:01 PM on 03/05/2012

I loved Dr. Seuss when I was a kid, and I REALLY enjoyed reading them out loud to my son when he was young. The Horton stories (I love to do it with various voices), the Lorax, The Sleep Book, The Sneetches were some of our favorites. I still jump at the chance to read Dr. Seuss out loud whenever I can.

[DocWylie]

01:52 AM on 03/05/2012

In the very early 60's as a young boy I had the good fortune to attend a children's art show at Lytton Savings in Palo Alto CA. that featured a reading of " The Cat in the Hat" by Dr. Seuss himself dressed AS the cat in the hat.
I remember him being very animated and enthusiastic and obviously enjoyed himself in the role.

[Mindy Czech]

12:50 AM on 03/05/2012

I have a book of the political cartoons Dr. Seuss wrote during the WWII era, and it was really fascinating. Some of it played on ethnic and racial stereotypes, but his cartoons and points were really amazing. He was one heck of a talented guy, and his books are still among my favorites.

[SeriousReally]

11:05 PM on 03/04/2012

Funny that the author didn't mention Seuss' personal paintings and sculptures. It's pretty cool stuff. "The Secret Art of Dr. Seuss" ISBN 0-679-43448-8

[leskataus]

08:48 PM on 03/04/2012

His name was pronounced incorrectly. It actually rhymes with "voice".

[BIGBADWOOF]

07:02 PM on 03/04/2012

He was a drinking buddy of Raymond Chandler's when they both lived in La Jolla, CA! Oh, to have been a fly on the wall then and there.

[no1homeboy]

06:49 PM on 03/04/2012

"Too Many Dave's"...my favorite.

[GuiltyUndertaker]

05:58 PM on 03/04/2012

His father owned a brewery.

[livesimply]

03:56 PM on 03/04/2012

Dr. Seuss Enterprises sure makes a ton of money! He was an amazing person and continues to share his great imagination, fun reading tools, and great illustrations with children of all ages. But I went into a gallery in Menlo Park, CA and his "prints" were being released in limited quantities for several thousand dollars. These are basically posters made with quality ink on art paper. There were some wall plaques too. One was $20,000 as I recall. Very cute kitsch copy. Since he has no children, his widow is extremely wealthy and continues to collect vast wealth. I hope she does something worthwhile with it.

[antigaychristianssuck]

12:09 PM on 03/04/2012

Forget the Bible. Read Doctor Seuss. Morality with none of the poison.

[Clarabell]

12:07 PM on 03/04/2012

Gee -- I wonder why the trolzzzzzzzz are all over Tina Fey!

[Clarabell]

12:09 PM on 03/04/2012

I have no idea how this post ended up here -- sorry! -- I was on the cruise ship thread!!!

[MamacitaOfLove]

11:56 AM on 03/04/2012

Favorite author.

[Aaron Watkins]

04:34 AM on 03/04/2012

I've seen the ethnocentric porn movie called "The Cat In The Sack".

[MsMarchHare]

07:06 PM on 03/03/2012

I and my boys loved The Sneetches, Fox in Sox, To Think that I Saw it on Mulberry Street, and I Can Read with My Eyes Shut.

[GraceNotes]

01:37 PM on 03/03/2012

When my niece was about 5, she really enjoyed having adults read Hop on Pop to her. It was funny to hear adults trip over the tongue twisting phrasing in that one!