08 April,2010 09:28 AM IST | | Urmimala Banerjee
Dr Seuss might be a legend in American children's literature, but we hardly know anything about Theodor Geisel, the man who wrote under the pen name of Dr Seuss. Professor-writer Donald Pease is all set to explain the evolution of Theodor Giesel's creative persona in his latest book 'Theodor Seuss Giesel'. CS catches up with him:
Between the lines
He was the man who got generations of American kids interested in reading. Every child in the US who loves literature owes it to Dr Seuss. My book tells the story of the transformation of Theodor Giesel into Dr Seuss and why he adopted that pen name. I had been planning on writing this book right from my college days. As a child, I remember reading out his books to my younger siblings.
I read every interview of Dr Seuss I could lay my hands upon. Besides, I went to the California University and read all his biographies, manuscripts and letters. As most of his friends had died, I could not get first hand information about him. Though, I was able to meet up with Audrey Giesel, his widow to know more about the man.
Read on
Dr Seuss might not be as popular in India, but maybe the kids here can experiment with his books. Well, children in India love the Internet. They can start off by reading Dr Seuss books on the web. When they start enjoying the stories online, they can be introduced to the actual books. When you want to inculcate reading habits in kids, give them something that they would like to read. Reading should be a fun activity and not a chore for kids. Once, they discover the joy of reading, introduce them to alternative reading options.
Author's pick
Romance is my favourite genre. I find it very absorbing whether it's a Harlequin romance or something with a lot of depth as Tagore's poetry. Writings about ancient US history also interest me a lot.u00a0
Dr Seuss' profile...
>>u00a0Dr Seuss published over 60 children's books. His most celebrated books include Green Eggs and Ham, The Cat in the Hat.
>>u00a0In school Geisel was caught drinking gin with friends. So, the school insisted that he resign from all extracurricular activities, including the college humor magazine. In order to continue his work on a story without the administration's knowledge, he began signing his work with the pen name Seuss.
