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Becoming Dr. Seuss Theodor Geisel and the making of an American imagination

"The definitive, fascinating, all-reaching biography of Dr. Seuss: Dr. Seuss is a classic American icon. Whimsical and wonderful, his work has defined our childhoods and the childhoods of our own children. The silly, simple rhymes are a bottomless well of magic; his illustrations timeless favor...

Full description

Main Author: Jones, Brian Jay (Author)
Format: Books Print Book
Language: English
Published: New York, New York : Dutton, [2019]
Subjects:
Seuss, > Dr.
Authors, American > 20th century > Biography.
Illustrators > United States > Biography.
Biographies.
Summary: "The definitive, fascinating, all-reaching biography of Dr. Seuss: Dr. Seuss is a classic American icon. Whimsical and wonderful, his work has defined our childhoods and the childhoods of our own children. The silly, simple rhymes are a bottomless well of magic; his illustrations timeless favorites because, quite simply, they make us laugh. The Grinch, the Cat in the Hat, Horton, and so many more are his troupe of beloved and uniquely Seussian creations. Theodor Geisel, however, had a second, more radical side. It is there that the allure and fascination of his Dr. Seuss alter ego begins. He had a successful career as an advertising man and then as a political cartoonist, his personal convictions appearing, not always subtly, throughout his books--remember the environmentalist in The Lorax? Geisel was a complicated man on an important mission. He introduced generations to the wonders of reading while teaching young people about empathy and how to treat others well. Agonizing over word choices and rhymes, touching up drawings sometimes for years, he upheld a rigorous standard of perfection for his work. Geisel took his responsibility as a writer for children seriously, talking down to no reader, no matter how small. And with classics like Green Eggs and Ham and One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, Geisel delighted readers while they learned. Suddenly, reading became fun. Coming right off the heels of George Lucas and the bestselling Jim Henson, Brian Jay Jones is quickly developing a reputation as a master biographer of the creative geniuses of our time."--Dust jacket.
Physical Description: 483 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 24 cm
Bibliography: Includes bibliographical references (pages 435-474) and index.
ISBN: 9781524742782
1524742783
Author Notes: Born in Kansas and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Brian Jay Jones has a degree in English from the University of New Mexico, which he immediately parlayed into a brief career as a manager of a comic book store before getting into politics and writing. For nearly ten years, he worked as a policy advisor in the United States Senate. He has also served as an associate state superintendent of education for the state of Arizona, a chief of staff for a think tank in Washington, DC, and as a legislative aide for several elected county officials.

Brian currently lives in Virginia with his wife and dog, where he serves as the associate director of the Great Lives biographer speakers program at the University of Mary Washington.

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