1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Krull, Kathleen. 2004. THE BOY ON FAIRFIELD STREET: HOW TED GEISEL GREW UP TO BECOME DR. SEUSS. Ill. by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher. New York: Random House. ISBN 0375922989
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Everyone knows Dr. Seuss. He authored the best selling children’s books ever, with his books selling hundreds of millions of copies. But how did Dr. Seuss get to be Dr. Seuss? This informative and interesting book by Kathleen Krull begins, “Once upon a time, there lived a boy who feasted on books and was wild about animals.” The biography starts with the day Ted was born and describes his childhood growing up with loving immigrant parents. It continues with a description of his school years when Ted’s German background created hardships for Ted as the U.S. headed into war with Germany. Ted made it through college, his parents’ dream for their two children, but just never could seem to get serious about anything but his drawing and humorous quips. What was Ted going to do? “It wasn’t as if men could doodle for a living.” But when The Saturday Evening Post published a drawing of two tourists riding camels, with other offers from magazines soon to follow, Ted began signing his works “Dr. Seuss,” and at twenty-two, Geisel was off to New York to find his place in the world.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Most kids and adults know of Dr. Seuss, even if it is only for The Cat in the Hat or How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the power of TV and the major motion picture!) Because Dr. Seuss is a familiar author, many will find this biography thoroughly entertaining. Krull tells Ted Geisel’s story in fun details that help bring this legendary author to life. What child would not be thrilled to find that someone so famous got in trouble in school for doodling and not paying attention? The text is lively and full of information that is both interesting and engaging. The older reader who grew up with Dr. Seuss books close at hand may find that he or she knows nothing of Dr. Seuss’s beginnings, and finding out about the early years of this beloved storyteller adds to the charm of the long-loved tales.
The main text of the book begins when Ted Geisel is born and continues until he is 22 when he gets his first big break by selling the picture to The Saturday Evening Post. Following this, there is a section titled “On Beyond Fairfield Street” which picks up in a smaller font at Geisel’s move to New York when he was 22 and tells the rest of his story up to his death at the age of 87. Finally, the book ends with a list of great works written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss, a list of further reading (perhaps the bibliography for this book, but not specifically stated as such), and web sites. (Most of the web site addresses are no longer working addresses, but the http://www.seussville.com/ site is still operational as is the address for the Forest Park Zoo.) Interestingly, the publication information that usually occurs at the beginning of a book is found at the back along with the credits for illustrations taken from Dr. Seuss books.
The main illustrations for this picture book are paintings created by husband-and-wife team Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher. While the realistic pictures are beautiful, they are in sharp contrast to the art of Dr. Seuss himself, whose drawings are included on every page. Perhaps the paintings of Johnson and Fancher can help the reader see Ted Geisel as a real boy with real dreams, passions, and hard times – just like all children. But it is the drawings of Dr. Seuss himself that will have readers smiling with memories of their own favorite Dr. Seuss adventures. A photograph of a gray-haired Dr. Seuss is also included at the end.
4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
*Booklist: “Krull’s pithy text is extended by full-page paintings that glow with the memory of yesteryear and capture the mix of humor and poignancy that comes with trying to fit in.”
*Publishers Weekly: “Johnson and Fancher's (New York's Bravest) representational, nostalgic paintings effectively evoke both the period and Geisel's appealingly puckish personality. Featured in spot art, familiar Seuss characters frolic through these pages, thematically complementing the illustrations while reminding readers why Geisel's life is worth celebrating.”
5. CONNECTIONS
*Take a trip to the library and read books by Dr. Seuss. Kids can pick out their favorites or give a review of one they’ve never read before.
*Older students may want to find books written by Theo Lesieg (another pen name used by Geisel for books he wrote that were illustrated by someone else. Note that Lesieg is Geisel spelled backward). Compare Lesieg books to Seuss books. Which do you like best? Why?
*Students may continue enjoying Dr. Seuss by visiting http://www.seussville.com/.
Krull, Kathleen. 2004. THE BOY ON FAIRFIELD STREET: HOW TED GEISEL GREW UP TO BECOME DR. SEUSS. Ill. by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher. New York: Random House. ISBN 0375922989
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Everyone knows Dr. Seuss. He authored the best selling children’s books ever, with his books selling hundreds of millions of copies. But how did Dr. Seuss get to be Dr. Seuss? This informative and interesting book by Kathleen Krull begins, “Once upon a time, there lived a boy who feasted on books and was wild about animals.” The biography starts with the day Ted was born and describes his childhood growing up with loving immigrant parents. It continues with a description of his school years when Ted’s German background created hardships for Ted as the U.S. headed into war with Germany. Ted made it through college, his parents’ dream for their two children, but just never could seem to get serious about anything but his drawing and humorous quips. What was Ted going to do? “It wasn’t as if men could doodle for a living.” But when The Saturday Evening Post published a drawing of two tourists riding camels, with other offers from magazines soon to follow, Ted began signing his works “Dr. Seuss,” and at twenty-two, Geisel was off to New York to find his place in the world.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Most kids and adults know of Dr. Seuss, even if it is only for The Cat in the Hat or How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the power of TV and the major motion picture!) Because Dr. Seuss is a familiar author, many will find this biography thoroughly entertaining. Krull tells Ted Geisel’s story in fun details that help bring this legendary author to life. What child would not be thrilled to find that someone so famous got in trouble in school for doodling and not paying attention? The text is lively and full of information that is both interesting and engaging. The older reader who grew up with Dr. Seuss books close at hand may find that he or she knows nothing of Dr. Seuss’s beginnings, and finding out about the early years of this beloved storyteller adds to the charm of the long-loved tales.
The main text of the book begins when Ted Geisel is born and continues until he is 22 when he gets his first big break by selling the picture to The Saturday Evening Post. Following this, there is a section titled “On Beyond Fairfield Street” which picks up in a smaller font at Geisel’s move to New York when he was 22 and tells the rest of his story up to his death at the age of 87. Finally, the book ends with a list of great works written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss, a list of further reading (perhaps the bibliography for this book, but not specifically stated as such), and web sites. (Most of the web site addresses are no longer working addresses, but the http://www.seussville.com/ site is still operational as is the address for the Forest Park Zoo.) Interestingly, the publication information that usually occurs at the beginning of a book is found at the back along with the credits for illustrations taken from Dr. Seuss books.
The main illustrations for this picture book are paintings created by husband-and-wife team Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher. While the realistic pictures are beautiful, they are in sharp contrast to the art of Dr. Seuss himself, whose drawings are included on every page. Perhaps the paintings of Johnson and Fancher can help the reader see Ted Geisel as a real boy with real dreams, passions, and hard times – just like all children. But it is the drawings of Dr. Seuss himself that will have readers smiling with memories of their own favorite Dr. Seuss adventures. A photograph of a gray-haired Dr. Seuss is also included at the end.
4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
*Booklist: “Krull’s pithy text is extended by full-page paintings that glow with the memory of yesteryear and capture the mix of humor and poignancy that comes with trying to fit in.”
*Publishers Weekly: “Johnson and Fancher's (New York's Bravest) representational, nostalgic paintings effectively evoke both the period and Geisel's appealingly puckish personality. Featured in spot art, familiar Seuss characters frolic through these pages, thematically complementing the illustrations while reminding readers why Geisel's life is worth celebrating.”
5. CONNECTIONS
*Take a trip to the library and read books by Dr. Seuss. Kids can pick out their favorites or give a review of one they’ve never read before.
*Older students may want to find books written by Theo Lesieg (another pen name used by Geisel for books he wrote that were illustrated by someone else. Note that Lesieg is Geisel spelled backward). Compare Lesieg books to Seuss books. Which do you like best? Why?
*Students may continue enjoying Dr. Seuss by visiting http://www.seussville.com/.
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