Theodore Seuss Geisel used several different PEN NAMES.  Theo LeSieg, Rosetta Stone and of course Dr. Seuss.

He was born and grew up in Springfield, Massachusetts.  His family owned a brewery on his father's side.  His mother's family owned a bakery.  They were german immigrants.

Dr. Seuss loved to read and draw as a young child.  He only took one art class.  That was in high school.  It wasn't a very good experience.  He never took another.  His early drawings were mostly of animals.  The drawings did not look like real animals though he looked at real animals in the zoo as he drew them.

He became a cartoonist after college.  His first attempt at a children's book was rejected by many publishers.  Dr. Seuss continued to try to find a publisher even though he kept hearing the same thing from all of the ones he visited. 

Dr. Seuss was a jokster through out his life.  He was a master at playing with words, visual imagery, and interweaving these with important messages for a healthy world.

Dr. Seiss died in LaJolla, California in 1991.

Read Across America commemorates his birthday each year.