Transcript
Introduction
"Dr. Seuss is a classic American icon. Whimsical and wonderful, his work has defined our childhoods and the childhoods of our own children. The silly, simple rhymes are a bottomless well of magic. His illustrations are timeless favorites because quite simply, they make us laugh. The Grinch, The Cat in the Hat, Horton and so many more are his troop of beloved and uniquely Seussian creations.
Theodor Geisel, however, had a second more radical side. He had a successful career as an advertising man and then as a political cartoonist. His personal convictions appearing not always subtly throughout his books. Geisel was a complicated man on an important mission. He introduced generations to the wonders of reading while teaching young people about empathy and how to treat others well. Agonizing over word choices and rhymes, touching up drawing sometimes for years, he upheld a rigorous standard of perfection for his work. Geisel took his responsibility as a writer for children seriously, talking down to no reader, no matter how small, and with classics like Green Eggs and Ham and One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, Geisel delighted readers while they learned. Suddenly, reading became fun."
That was on the back cover of the book I'm going to talk to you about today, which is Becoming Dr. Seuss: Theodor Geisel and the Making of an American Imagination, and it was written by Brian Jay Jones. So, this is another example of a book that I didn't even know existed, and shame on me for that because Brian Jay Jones actually wrote one of my favorite books that I've read for the podcast, and just in general, it's the biography of George Lucas. It's called George Lucas: A Life. I think I covered it back maybe on Founders #35, in case you haven't already listened to that. Fantastic book, I highly recommend reading it as well.