Sunday, March 11, 2007

The Boy on Fairfield Street


The Boy on Fairfield Street: How Ted Geisel Grew Up to Become Dr. Seuss was written by Kathleen Krull and illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher.

This delightful book is a quick jog through the life of Ted Geisel. Who is Ted Geisel? Ted Geisel is the famous author Dr. Seuss.

Ted Geisel was a boy who loved animals, enjoyed drawing, and loved to have a good time. Unlike many of the other boys in the neighborhood, Ted didn't enjoy playing sports. Many of his friends gave him a hard time because of that.

In college, Ted wrote for the college newspaper. His articles were funny, witty, and would get him in hot water. In order to avoid the unwanted attention, Ted Geisel began to write under an alias. He began to use the name Seuss - his mother's maiden name and his own middle name.

After college, Ted sent drawings and stories to magazines in hopes of a sale. His first "official" sale was in July to The Saturday Evening Post. This encouraged him to draw more of his imaginary animals and creative settings. Soon he was sending them to all the magazines and papers. As he signed his work, he signed it as Dr. Theophrastus Seuss or just Dr. Seuss. Although he did not have a doctorate nor was he a doctor, he liked the sound of it.

MY THREE CENTS:
This is a delightful book and a welcomed read for anyone who has read a Dr. Seuss book. I now know that Dr. Seuss lived on Fairfield Street, that his real name was Ted Geisel, and that he was never a doctor.

AR QUIZ: 100%

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