On Month Three and Day Two, what a surprisal! The first day on Earth for Theodor Seuss Geisel! ‘Twas 111 years ago (no less or more) when he was born on March 2, of 1904. He began life in Springfield. (The state? Massachusetts!) His name became famous, instead of a “Whozits?” He signed college art “Seuss”…to hide his true name. (He’d been caught drinking gin – in those days quite a shame!)

He traveled to England, to learn English lit. But advice from Helen Palmer caused him to quit. He went back to drawing, his English hopes buried. With success in New York, he and Helen were married. He drew advertisements, and the money was fine. But his life’s truest calling was still down the line. In 1936 (with a Europe trip planned) he took a sea voyage, with time on his hands. The book that he wrote there would prove rather neat: “And to Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street.” It was based on a real street in his New England hometown. The sales were so-so, but he would soon find renown. Have I left something out? Is my memory loose? Oh yes! This was the first book he signed “Dr. Seuss.”

Then came World War II, and Geisel stayed busy…with political cartoons. (Politics?? Are you dizzy?!) He stood against Hitler, and took his stance firm. (Even old Charles Lindbergh couldn’t cause him to squirm.) He joined up with the Army, and made films for the war…and after we’d whipped ‘em, turned to kids’ books once more.

“The Cat in the Hat.” “If I Ran the Zoo.” “Green Eggs and Ham.” “Horton Hears a Who.” He wrote ‘em and drew ‘em, a famous one-two. (The “Cat” book taught reading, but the kids never knew.) He wrote more than 60, and sold a whole CLEFTUS!* Then in 1991, he laid down and left us.

His art and his writing, folks haven’t forgotten. As long as kids read, they’ll stay fresh (and not rotten). One lesson he stood on: To yourself be true. (No matter the cost, only you can be you.) It’s a lesson quite fitting, for this part’s the truth-iest: Out of all of the Seusses, Dr. Seuss was the Seuss-iest.

* 1 cleftus = 14 hoodzinks (or about 600 million copies)

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