Published: May 28, 2008 05:55 pm            

DeKAY: Oh, the books you can read

“A person’s a person, no matter how small.”

— Horton, from “Horton Hears a Who,” by Dr. Suess

•••

My daughter is now 14. This weekend she went to see the movie “Horton Hears a Who,” a movie based on the children’s book of the same name, by Theodor ”Dr. Suess” Giesel. Keep in mind that my daughter is a teenager who finds most things bland, and boring, but not Horton. You see, she was raised on Dr. Suess, and his stories, as bewitching now as they were then, they still resonate in that supercharged, over-emotional, hyper-activated, skeptical-to-a-fault, not-easily entertained-teenage brain.

When one of my best friends in Chicago was laid off from a six figure job recently, she was given, of all things, a Dr Suess book called “Oh, the Places You’ll Go.” She read it, and told me it gave her confidence and courage. Getting confidence and courage from any book is a plus, but from a children’s book? “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And you are the one who’ll decide where to go.”

Dr. Suess, for those of you who have been living in a cave, or haven’t had the unadulterated pleasure of reading a Suess book; began his writing career shortly after graduating from Dartmouth College. Although he worked many jobs after Dartmouth; his big break came in 1937 with the publication of “And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street.”

His writing and publishing career would span 50 years, and 44 children’s books. His books have been published in 15 languages. At the time of his death in 1991, Dr. Suess had sold over 200 million books.

His appeal isn’t limited to children. Two of his books, “The Butter Battle” and “Oh, the Places you’ll Go,” have both been on the New York Times Best Seller list for adults. Many of the Suess books covered adult concerns, while still relating to the world of children. “Horton Hears a Who” is about valuing people; “Horton Hatches an Egg” is about diligence, stick-to-it-ness, and keeping your word; when Horton the elephant agrees to sit on the feckless Maisy Birds’ egg while she ‘takes a vacation,’ he sits on the egg through storms, trials and tribulations, always standing firm to his convictions saying, “I meant what I said, and I said what I meant, an elephants faithful, one hundred per cent!”

In “The Sneeches on the Beeches,” he talks about snobbery. An idea that was hatched after watching the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’ that the real-life Giesel said he observed while at his tennis club. The Butter Battle book is about nuclear war; Lorax talks about the environment, stating, “I am the Lorax who speaks for the trees, which you seem to be chopping, as fast as you please.”

As an illustrator, Suess became fascinated with fantastical buildings which were often depicted in his books. When his second wife, Audrey, took him to see the University of California - San Diego Library, Suess said, “Had I ever ventured off into architecture that is the kind of building I would have designed.” That building became the Giesel Library.

Bennett Cerf, the Random House founder and humorist, once bet Giesel that he couldn’t write a children’s book using only 220 words. The result was “The Cat in a Hat.” The list of 220 words used to write the book, were culled from a list of most often used words by children. It quickly replaced the See-Dick-and-Jane primers used in the classroom.

In 1974, his friend and journalist, Art Buchwald challenged him to write a political book. Giesel picked up a copy of his book, “Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now,” and crossed out each mention of the name Marvin K. Mooney, replacing it with the name Richard M. Nixon. The next day Buchwald reprinted the results in his syndicated column. Nine days later, Richard Nixon resigned the presidency.

Dr Suess is credited with the first use of the word ‘nerd’ which he used in his book, “If I Ran the Zoo.”

“And then just to show them I’ll send to Ka-Roo, and bring back an It-Kutch, a Preep and a Proo, A Nerkle, a Nerd and a Seersucker too.”

Perhaps his most famous book is “How the Crinch Stole Christmas” which was immortalized by a television cartoon special and a recent Jim Carey movie

At the ripe old age of 87, Dr Suess died of cancer. He died in his sleep at his home in La Jolla, California. His wife of 20 years, Audrey, was at his side. She is quoted in a video interview as saying, “What he left as a legacy is the fun of learning when you don’t know you’re learning ... .” I believe Giesel said it best, “I’ve had a wonderful life, and I’ve done what I had to do ... ,” and so you have Dr. Suess.

Sometimes, when I feel like we are short on heroes, and the world is a pretty unfathomable place, I can still pick up a Suess book, and know that things will work out just fine.

“The worth of a book is to be measured by what you can carry away from it.” — James Bryce



Thoughts from the Hungry Side of Daybreak are written by Peggy DeKay, business and freelance writer. She can be reached at DKcommunications@insightbb.com.

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.