Dr. Seuss
American children's author and cartoonist (1904–1991)
Dr. Seuss: from cartoons to children’s books
Drawing before books
Theodor Seuss Geisel studied at Dartmouth, where he used the name Seuss, and later worked as a cartoonist and advertising illustrator. His magazine drawings and commercial campaigns came before the children’s books that made his invented creatures familiar to generations of readers.
A new kind of picture book
His first children’s book, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, appeared in 1937. After wartime cartoon and film work, he returned to publishing. Horton Hears a Who! followed in 1954, and The Cat in the Hat in 1957 made constrained vocabulary feel playful rather than restrictive.
An enduring visual language
Books such as Green Eggs and Ham and The Lorax carried his rhythmic writing and extravagant illustrations to new audiences. His pictures were more than decoration: unusual animals, bold shapes and comic movement connected his editorial cartoons, commercial art and children’s stories across a long career.