Dr. Seuss

Pulitzer Prize and Academy Award-winning writer/illustrator Dr. Seuss (1904-1991) a.k.a. Theodore Geisel created some of the most popular and enduring children's books of the 20th century. After attending Dartmouth and Oxford University and working for a time in advertising, he published his first book, 1937's And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street, which introduced his charming illustrations and creative yet easy-to-read rhymes. Over the course of over 40 other books, Seuss told whimsical modern-day fables and explored social issues such as the environment in The Lorax, discrimination in The Sneetches and equality in Yertle The Turtle. One of his most popular stories, 1957's The Cat In The Hat, began Random House's "Beginner Books" series, which mixed vibrant illustrations with playful stories and sounds to teach basic reading skills. Similarly, many of Seuss' favorite books were translated into animated TV specials — including The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs & Ham, Horton Hears a Who and How the Grinch Stole Christmas — as well as audiobooks and albums such as The Cat In The Hat Songbook/If I Ran The Zoo and Fox In Socks/Horton Hatches The Egg. Even after his death in 1991, Seuss remained one of the best-selling and most revered children's authors in history.