As a child, Geisel practiced sketching at the local zoo, where his father was superintendent. He went on to graduate from Dartmouth College in 1925. He spent 15 years in advertising before joining the army and making two Oscar-winning documentaries, "Hitler Lives" and "Design for Death".

He started writing the verses of his first book in 1936. And to Think that I Saw It on Mulberry Street was published a year later. (After 27 publishers rejected it) Admired among fellow authors and editors for his honesty and hard work, he perfected the art of telling great stories with a vocabulary as small as 53 words. He helped to teach kids that "reading was a joy and not a chore." Miles Corwin of the Los Angeles Times declared, "He has had a tremendous impact of children's reading habits and the way reading is taught and approached in the school system."

Caldecott Honor Award: 1948, for McElligot's Pool, 1950, for Bartholomew and the Oobleck, and 1951, for If I Ran the Zoo.

Peabody Award: 1971, for animated cartoons "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and "Horton Hears a Who"

Emmy Award: 1977, for "Halloween Is Grinch Night"

"Dr. Seuss Week" proclaimed by State Governors, March 2-7

Pulitzer Prize: 1984, for his "special contribution over nearly half a century to the education and enjoyment of America's children and their parents"