Dr. Seuss is probably best known for his books to help children learn to read, such as One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, Green Eggs and Ham, and Hop on Pop, his cautionary tales including The Lorax, and the inspirational Oh, the Places You’ll Go!.

Dr. Seuss’s first published book, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street (1937), got good reviews but was not a best seller. Horton Hatches the Egg (1940) was the first of a string of best sellers, but it was probably his 1957 book The Cat in the Hat that made him a household name.

Dr. Seuss earned a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College in 1925 and did some postgraduate studies in literature at Lincoln College, Oxford , and at the Sorbonne, but he did not earn a doctorate. He then became an illustrator and humorist for magazines before landing a career in advertising .

Early career and first Dr. Seuss books

After graduating from Dartmouth College (B.A., 1925), Geisel did postgraduate studies at Lincoln College, Oxford, and at the Sorbonne. He subsequently began working for Life, Vanity Fair, and other publications as an illustrator and humorist. In addition, he found success in advertising, providing illustrations for a number of campaigns. Geisel was especially noted for his work on ads for Flit insect repellent. Some of his characters later appeared in his children’s works.

After illustrating a series of humour books, Geisel decided to write a children’s book, which was reportedly rejected by nearly 30 publishers. After his chance meeting with a friend who was an editor at Vanguard Press, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street was finally released in 1937. The work centres on a young boy who transforms his ordinary walk home from school into a fantastical story. Later, however, he describes only the facts of his walk to his father, who frowns on the boy’s imaginative nature. Geisel used the pen name Dr. Seuss, planning to publish novels under his surname; the Dr. was a tongue-in-cheek reference to his uncompleted doctorate degree. However, his first book for adults, The Seven Lady Godivas (1939), fared poorly, and thereafter he focused on children’s books, which he preferred. According to Geisel, “Adults are obsolete children, and the hell with them.”

After publishing several more children’s works, Geisel released Horton Hatches the Egg in 1940. With it, he introduced the features that would come to define his books: a unique brand of humour, playful use of words, and outlandish characters. It centres on an elephant who is duped into sitting on the egg of a bird who goes on vacation. Despite various hardships, Horton refuses to leave: “I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. An elephant’s faithful one hundred percent!” In the end, he is rewarded when the egg hatches, and a creature with bird wings and an elephant’s head emerges.