If you are familiar with Horton (Figure 1), the elephant, then you might as well be familiar with some of his best quotes in the 2008 adaptation of Horton Hears a Who! such as “I will protect you with all of my heart because a person’s a person, no matter how small” or “I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. An elephant’s faithful, one hundred percent.” Or perhaps you are more familiar with Mister Grinch (Figure 1), a grinchy greenie-looking thing who hates Christmas and causes him to sneak into a Whoville to steal Christmas presents for children from every house!
Horton and Mister Grinch
Note. Taken from TMDB, 2008; TMDB, n.d.
The character Mister Grinch is very popular in the United States; so popular that I think he surpasses Santa Claus, the decades-long Christmas icon. Anyway, that was just an introduction to what I am going to write about: the man behind Horton, the Grinch, the Cat in the Hat, and even the Lorax, whose name is Theodore Seuss Geisel (Figure 2), who is famously known as Dr. Seuss.
Theodore Seuss Geisel
Note. Taken from Springfield Museums, 2017.
Young Theodore, or Ted, as his family and friends called him, loved to tell people that he observed life from the wrong end of the telescope and that he had an eye and an ear for seemingly silly details other people might miss (Peter, 2023). Born in 1904 in Springfield, Massachusetts, Ted was a loner and a perfectionist who loved nature and animals. His first teacher was his mother, who read children’s stories in a rhyme to him and his sister, using two different languages, English and German, every night before bedtime. Ted developed his passion for drawing during his college years at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, where he worked as a cartoonist and chief editor of the campus magazine (Peter, 2023).
In 1925, after finishing college, he went to England to continue his education at Oxford University. His dream at that time was to become a teaching professor. However, one year later, following advice from his classmate, who would later become his wife, after observing his class notes (Figure 3), he dropped out of Oxford and returned to the United States, where he pursued a career as a professional cartoonist and writer at a local humor magazine in Manhattan, New York.
Ted’s class notes from his time at Oxford
Note. Taken from Peter, 2023.
After a decade working for a media company, Ted finally wrote a children’s book, titled “And to Think that I saw It on Mulberry Street,” in December 1937 (Figure 4) by The Vanguard Press (Peter, 2023). Although the market reception was poor due to his strong rhyme-scheme writing, the book received a compliment from Beatrix Potter, the author of “Peter Rabbit.” Years later, Ted met with Bennet Cerf, the owner of Random House, a publishing company, who promised to publish every manuscript that Ted wrote. Their first collaboration was “Horton Hatches the Egg” in June 1940 (Figure 4).
“And to Think that I Saw It on Mulberry Street” and “Horton Hatches the Egg”
Note. Taken from Amazon.com, n.d.
After World War II, Ted and his wife, Helen, moved from New York to California, where he wrote his third children’s book, “McElligot’s Pool,” which was published in 1947 (Figure 5). The post-World War II period also marked a period of prosperity for American families and the arrival of the Baby Boomer generation. However, elementary school children at that time were having difficulty reading due to television distraction. That’s when Ted wrote a book, “The Cat in the Hat,” offering an unusual alternative for the children (Figure 5). The book, which was published in March 1957, became a national phenomenon. Since then, his books have been well received by the American market and, later, worldwide.
“McElligot’s Pool” and “The Cat in the Hat”
Note. Taken from Amazon.com, n.d.
Ted passed away in 1991 in his home in La Jolla, California. However, every year on his birthday, the children in America still celebrate Ted’s life by reading or listening to a story from Dr. Seuss’ books at school. Ted’s life message was simple and clear: “Climb the ladder of learning with Dr. Seuss and make learning to read fun!” (Peter, 2023).
Can you name an Indonesian children’s book writer who has had an impact on your life? Can you see yourself as one?
References
Khan, A. (2026). Take a look inside the California home where Dr. Seuss wrote his most beloved books. House Beautiful. https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/realestate/take-a-look-inside the-california-home-where-dr-seuss-wrote-his-most-beloved-books/ar
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Peter Jones Productions. (2023, Jun 2). Dr. Seuss A&E biography [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qkTLghT1xA
Springfield Museums. (2017). Theodor Geisel: A Portrait of the man who became Dr. Seuss. https://springfieldmuseums.org/program/theodor-geisel-portrait-man-became-dr-seuss/
TMDB. (n.d.). How the Grinch stole Christmas! https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/13377-how the-grinch-stole-christmas/images/posters
TMDB. (2008). Horton hears a Who! https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/12222-horton-hears-a who
