Who Was Dr. Seuss?

Who Was . . . ? Series

by Janet B. Pascal

Ted Geisel loved to doodle from the time he was a kid. He had an offbeat, fun-loving personality. He often threw dinner parties where guests wore outrageous hats! And he donned quirky hats when thinking up ideas for books- like his classic The Cat in the Hat. This biography, with black-and-white illustrations throughout, brings an amazingly gifted author/illustrator to life.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Childrens, History, Middle Grade, Chapter Books, Biography Memoir

114 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Janet Pascal, author of many YA biographies and Viking’s senior copy-editor, lives in New York, New York.

Reviews

[Mischenko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who Was Dr. Seuss is a perfect chapter book for kids and others to learn about Dr. Seuss and his life. It includes lots of facts and illustrations, including a time line in the back of important dates. 4****

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who Was ...? biography series for middle grade brings the captivating figure of Dr. Seuss who became an illustrator and author and changed children’s books forever.

Theodor Seuss Geisel was born on March 2, 1904, in Springfield, Massachusetts. He loved to hang around the zoo. He was also known for exaggerating when telling stories. He liked writing jokes for the school paper. At Dartmouth College, he became editor-in-chief as the students loved his stories and drawings.

After college, he got a job as an illustrator. And later, started writing for Judge magazine. He introduced his strange and playful creatures. He signed the column, “Dr. Seuss.” Doctor because he didn’t get the doctorate degree and disappointed his father.

He became very successful as an illustrator. It led him to illustrating children’s books. And later to also write and illustrate stories. The Cat in the Hat was published in 1957, and became one of his most popular stories.

With time, in his writings, he touched on subjects of environment and on not taking action when wars broke out in Europe. There was some opposition to it, but he stood up for what he believed in. He was writing for humanity. He received a Pulitzer Prize, which was never given to a children’s book writer before.

In 1990, he published his last book, Oh the Places You’ll Go, describing all the challenges and adventures facing a young person starting out on the road of life.

He died in 1991, at the age of eighty-seven.

The story illustrates a man who never took himself too seriously, stayed true to his heart, and spoke up when he felt it was right.

This illustrated biography series for young readers, ages 7-10, is presented in a relatable way, with simple sentences and enriched with insightful inserts.

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who Was Dr. Seuss? by Janet B. Pascal is an excellent story that answered so many questions I had about the man and then some! How did he get his name? Why did he write kid books? What got him started with the silliness? It is explained so well in this book. Why the DR.? Great book, loved it and love/loved Dr. Seuss!

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great summary on the person of Dr Seuss, the creator of many books we have all enjoyed. His books many of us learnt to read through, This book is a must-have for anyone interested in the life of Dr. Seuss I could not stop myself from reading it absolutely wonderful!

[Shaikhah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading about Dr. Seuss and It made me feel want to read his books as I think I only read one book.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Seuss is a much more interesting man than I ever would've known. I'm glad I read this account of his life!

[Madeline · Rating 4 out of 5]

10 stars!!!!

Dr. Seuss was a truly remarkable man!

If you enjoy reading his books, I highly recommend this short story on his life!

Now, I want to run out and buy all of his books!

An interesting quote: "I may doodle a couple of animals. If they bite each other, it's going to be a great book."

One of my favorite quotes:"A person's a person no matter how small."

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!!!

[Laima · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up reading many books written and illustrated by Dr.Seuss and then re-read them with my own children. They are classics. The Grinch and The Cat in The Hat are probably my favourite characters.

Theodor Seuss Geisel was an American author and illustrator who spoke English and German. He was called Ted by his family and friends but everybody knew him simply as Dr. Seuss.

He led a very interesting life and had many achievements. This short biography includes mention of his 2 Oscar wins, a Pulitzer prize and a stint in the army producing training films for soldiers.

I also didn't know that he was part of the group that published Beginner Books. In the 1950's reading books for American school children were dull and repetetive. When Dr. Seuss came along he changed the idea that children's books had to be serious and boring. His books became popular with young children because they were fun and interesting to read.

When he passed away in 1991 there was no funeral, no grave per his wishes.
The teachers and students at his alma mater, Dartmouth, held a 24 hour sit and read on the campus to remember him.

I really enjoyed the story of the life of Dr.Seuss.

[Sammy Holthaus · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it. I found out so many things about Dr. Seuss and about the books he has written. I would have to say this is one of my favorite non-fiction books I've ever read. The topic suited my personality perfectly. First of all I like to draw and use my imagination. And second of all, the obvious one Dr.Seuss is the best author!!!! As a kid I always read Dr. Seuss. In fact my baby cousins room theme is Dr. Seuss. If you like drawing and being creative this is just the book for you. It is also a good choice for one of your non-fiction books.

[Cole G · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this book because I grew up reading his books. I think 3rd graders should read this book. If you liked who was Steve Jobs you will like this book. D.R Seuss became one of the most famous book writers in the world.

[Debbie Reiber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who is Dr. Suess? by Janet B. Pascal is a biography of the life of the children’s book writer Dr. Suess. The age group this book is intended for is intermediate to advance. The book described a little about Theodor Suess Geisel’s aka Dr. Suess’s childhood. But it really described how Dr. Suess started writing children’s literature and why he was so good at it.
I really think Pascal did an excellent job with the detail and explaining some history of Dr. Suess’ era to help children understand the war and depression. The illustrations are black and white and look like a comic. The story is in chronological order of Dr. Suess’ childhood, schooling, careers, and marriage. The book was very insightful and I learned a lot I didn’t know about Dr. Suess. He seemed like a very playful man and a fun guy to be around. He lived a very fulfilling life. I would recommend this for young readers because the book shows you that you don’t have to decide right out of high school what to do with your life. You have time to make mistakes and try different things and eventually you will find your passion.

[Mari Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I almost hate to admit that this short and sweet biography made me tear up a little. What a wonderful life he had and what a wonderful author. This easy to read biography is perfect for anyone but is really great for grades 3-6!

[Brenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting book. My son and I both enjoyed learning about Dr. Seuss and his writings. It was interesting to read about what was going on in the world at the times of each of his most popular kids books. It’s amazing all that goes into these “simple” kids books. Parts about one of his inappropriate books could have been written a little different since it seems this book is written for kids. However- this is kind of the perk about reading books like this aloud to my child who can read, but not as fast as I can summarize and turn the page. Ha!

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a very interesting book because Theodore Seuss Geisel had a very sad and aventeruos life because his mother died even before he became a children’s writer and his wife died then Theodore got remarried to Audrey Dimond and then Audrey started to do the things that Helen ( Teds old wife) did like reading over his lines before they were published.And Ted always thought that a book that he realest was terrible and awful but Helen and now Audrey helps Ted through out those very rough times that Ted was going through at the time like the death of his father Ted’s father was 83 when he passed away.

[Kayla H. Hoard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Theodor Seuss Giesel was born in Springfield Massachusetts on March 2, 1904. As a boy, he loved to go to the zoo and draw silly animals. Ted's parents came from Germany and during WWI, he was bullied at school for being a German-American. Ted didn't pay a lot of attention to his schoolwork and mainly focused on writing jokes and drawing for the school newspaper, so when it came time for him to decide on which college to go to, He chose Dartmouth in New Hampshire. When he got there he discovered the school humor magazine. He spent a lot of time writing for the newspaper which caused him to slack in actual schoolwork. He decided that he wanted to go to Oxford in England. There, he met his future wife Helen, who was studying to be a teacher. She graduated before Ted, so he decided to quit college and move back home to America with her. He scored a job with the famous bug killer company and he would write ads for them. This job actually didn't allow him to do a lot of drawings for other people, and that is how he came to write children's books (because it was one of the few things that his contract actually allowed him to do). Eventually he signed on to write children's books for a company called Random House who said that they would publish anything that he wrote. Soon after, WWII had started and Ted found himself interested in drawing political cartoons encouraging people to participate in the war effort. After the war was over, he got back into writing children's books. In 1954, Ted read an article in Life magazine that talked about how children did not enjoy reading because the books were so tedious and boring. One of Ted's friends told him to write him a book that first graders wouldn't be able to put down and gave him a list of words that he could use. Ted tried really hard to write a book with the words that he was given but he just couldn't make anything good. He read the list and said that if he found two words that rhymed then he would write his book based around those two words. This is how the CAT in the HAT was born. The book was such a success that Ted decided to make a series of books called beginner books. For years to follow, he wrote the well known books such as: Green Eggs and Ham, Horton Hears a Who, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. He wrote a book called The Lorax which focused on saving the environment. Ted's last book was called Oh, the Places You'll Go which was a book that pretty much summed up his view of his life. Dr. Seuss died on September 24, 1991.

This book was a great biographical book. It told the life of Dr. Seuss in a very simplistic manner. In my opinion, biographical books aren't meant to create excitement, but this one was very unique and I always was ready to learn what would happen next in the life of Theodor Seuss Giesel. There was an illustration on almost every page which helped me get a visual idea of what the story was about as well. I also loved the cover art because it was very chlid-like. It was Dr. Seuss drawn as what appeared to be a characiture drawing his most famous book The Cat In the Hat. I would suggest this book to a third grader just because it was a chapter book and because by that age, Dr. Seuss is a very common name to them and they would easily be able to recognize his work.

[Anthony Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The term truth is stranger than fiction applies to this wonderful biography/picture book/chapter book about Theodor Suess Geisel a.k.a. Dr. Seuss. This man's life was as interesting and colorful as the characters in his books. Ted was born in 1904,in Springfield Massachusetts to German immigrants. His mother owned a bakery and his dad was president of a brewery. Ted believed his love of verse came from memories of pie poems his mom taught him. Ted was shy and it was hard for him to get up and speak in front of people, due to a bad encounter with President Theodore Roosevelt at an awards assembly,as a child in the Boy Scouts. This lead to him often speaking in rhyme when he had to give a speech in front of people.
After meeting his wife during his graduate studies at Oxford,and later dropping out so he could support her,Geisel became a columnist and cartoonist for a magazine called JUDGE. He took the name of Dr. Seuss, and added the Dr. because he disappointed this father by dropping out of Oxford.

I read this book because I wanted to learn about the genius behind Dr. Seuss. On page 74, the circumstances that led to 'Green,Eggs, and Ham ' are described as a bet between the Geisel and the staff at Beginner books that he couldn't write a book using only fifty words. Green,Eggs,and Ham is still ranked as the fourth best selling children's book of all time. Geisel made 'The Cat in the Hat' in order to promote the cause for elementary literacy in the U.S.. He felt there should be more entertaining and fun material for beginner readers. 'Cat in the Hat' was published in 1957 and is still one of the top selling children's books of all time.

My classroom connection would be to have my students name their favorite Dr. Suess books and list them in alphabetical order during the week of Dr. Suess's birthday, which is March 2nd.

Interest level is Grade 3. Grade level equivalent is 5.4 A fifth grade student by the month of February should be able to read this book independently.

[Kristina Maines · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who was Dr. Seuss is a great book! I myself learned a lot from it. It contained a lot of information going from his young childhood through his death. Although this information didn't go into great detail at times, it still held my interest.

It would be a great read aloud for K-2. This age students are typically the ones most interested in Dr. Seuss books. Reading the biography about him is a great way to introduce him as an author. Students would be able to see where Dr. Seuss was coming from when writing his books. When looking at it for grades 3-5, it might not be quite as interesting for these students. Who was Dr. Seuss, is broken up well enough to where you can pick a chapter or 2, read it to the students, and it still all make sense.

Although this is a biography, there are still morals that can be picked out from the book. It talks about loss of loved ones, failure, bullying, and most importantly-do what you love to do. It also focuses a lot on how Dr. Seuss often had difficulty writing his books. This is a great way, especially for struggling writers, to see that even famous and successful authors struggle with ideas and need assistance and guidance.

Overall, I thought this was a great story with a lot of potential in all grade levels.

[Madison]

Dr. Seuss was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. He grew up in a family who loved wordplay. His mom worked at a bakery where she sung poems. His favorite place was the zoo. He loved the lions and tigers. He also loved telling and writing stories. Dr.Seuss was a very creative kid. When he grew up, he became an author and illustrator of children books. Dr. Seuss in my opinion is the best children book writer. I really liked this book because the author informed me about Dr.Seuss's life.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never known much about the man behind the books. This book with it's wonderful line drawings and plethora of unflinching information was a wonderful look into the life of a favorite author of mine (and of most people!).

[Madissen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked that book because I always was intresting in him so I really wanted to learn about him I learneds a lot about him

[Laurie B · Rating 4 out of 5]

In light of the recent controversy surrounding Dr. Seuss and some of his books, I appreciated reading a biography that described his important contributions to children's literature. Some critics who want to completely write him off because of certain stereotypical images of a different era ignore the commendable and valuable things he did. I don't think we should put people on pedestals, as nobody is without flaws. It's ok to admit that even people we admire are not perfect. But I don't think anyone's life should be boiled down to their mistakes, especially when they have made positive contributions.

To its credit, this biography does not shy away from the fact that Seuss drew negative illustrations of Japanese and Japanese-Americans during WWII, but it also explains how he traveled to Japan in the 1950s and "got past this prejudice," coming to appreciate the people there. Around the same time, he published The Sneetches, which is all about not judging people based on physical differences. Others of his books, including Horton Hears a Who, The Lorax, and The Butter Battle Book, also contained valuable messages. But even without any of those, he would be an important figure for making beginner books fun so that children enjoyed learning to read. That legacy, which continues today, should not be discounted.

I also appreciated that the author pointed out how Seuss, as the child of a German family, experienced discrimination and bullying himself during WWI. It also described how, as an adult, he often struggled with self-doubt regarding his work, but that he always pulled through. That's encouraging for all kids, not only those who may be interested in creative pursuits. So there's much to like here.

One thing that was glossed over was Seuss' relationship with his first and second wife and his first wife's death. I don't think elementary readers need to have all the troubling details, but it probably could have been a bit more transparent and still done in an age-appropriate way. It's a bit odd that this topic was brushed under the rug since the author had no qualms about including the fact that Seuss had illustrated an adult book with naked women early in his career. So it wasn't as if this author was afraid to raise some eyebrows.

Overall, I enjoyed this look at such an iconic children's writer and illustrator and I learned a few new things, as I usually do with this series. It will be interesting to see if this title ends up being revised to mention how six of his books have now been pulled from publication. If that happens, I will want to revisit it to see how that topic is handled.

[Verania Wolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who is Dr.Suess

Who is Dr.Suess by is 5 out of 5 stars because of how inspirational this book is. For example Dr.Suess was voted least likely to succeed but ended up extremely successful loving what he did. He proved everyone wrong and did what he loved. That’s alone is very inspiring. But also the fact that he has gone through many dark and depressing times in. He started working at 12 for his family which also shows how far he’s gone in life. Also the illustrations help visualize each moment and help portrait each detail the book shares. This book helps you look into his life seeing what he’s gone through. Which some things you would never guess. This is why I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars.

[Genevieve · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very interesting book about Dr Seuss. Not knowing much about him besides the obvious that he wrote children's books I found this book very interesting and learned a lot about the man who wrote so many famous children's books.

I really enjoyed reading how different characters were formed and what Dr Seuss wanted to say in his books. I hadn't realized that he had written cartoons for joining WW II trying to encourage USA to join and wrote a book against the Cold War. Or that he wrote trying to help black people get rights in the 60s all through his books and cartoons.
This was a well written book and very interesting.

[Lou Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really, really loved this book.

This book is of course about the fellow Dr. Seuss and his history and about the books that he wrote.

I really loved this book because of the history, and what happened to him and how they put it in the book. Not gonna lie I really loved his books though. The Cat in the Hat was the first full book I have ever read by myself. That is why I 💕 the books he made.

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I believe everyone has read at least one book by Dr Seuss. It was fascinating to read about the man behind writing & illustrating those books. They appear to be simple books, but Dr Seuss put his heart & soul into each one.

[Joseph Alvarado · Rating 5 out of 5]

OK, let's get to the point how do you get one of the biggest awards ever by a children book, well you could according to Dr. Seuss. I could relate to him besides the Author part but the way I do is that I’m also shy in way. Either way In my opinion in would that Dr. Seuss is better than any other Author.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book but parents might want a heads up that this discusses Seuss writing a book full of pictures of naked women.

[tristin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Racist

[AMY · Rating 4 out of 5]

103 pages. Great biography. I learned a lot of new things about this great American children's writer. Highly recommended Gr. 4-5.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good! I learned a lot!