Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher. New York: Random House. ISBN: 0375822984.
This is a picture book biography of Theodore Geisel, also known as Dr. Seuss. It�s a partial biography ending with the first few months of Geisel�s professional career. Geisel is certainly a worthy subject, being one of the most beloved children�s authors of all time.
The facts about Geisel�s life are most likely accurate based on Krull�s reputation and the favorable reviews it received. Krull is known for her children�s biographies. School Library Journal called this book a �winner.� And Booklist called it a �delightful picture-book biography.� The most significant facts about Geisel�s early life are included. Krull talks about his love of doodling, wildlife and animals and how he turned these hobbies into a career. She doesn�t glorify him or only show the good parts of his life. She notes how he tended to over exaggerates, such as when he told everyone that the New York Post had promised to publish all of his cartoons. She also discusses how his childhood was sometimes hard because he grew up during World War II and neighborhood kids were mean to him because he was German. Sources aren�t cited.
The layout is logical. Krull tells this partial biography in chronological order from Geisel�s childhood to his early 20�s, after college. There are a few reference aids. There�s an addendum at the end that tells briefly about the rest of Geisel�s life. There�s alos a list of all the books he both wrote and illustrated and some other books that discuss more about Geisel�s life and things he was interested in, such as the Springfield Zoo.
The book is attractive. Any child who loves Dr. Seuss will see the title and be drawn to this book. The text has larger than usual font. There are full page illustrations representing parts of Geisel�s life, both good and bad. For instance, there�s a picture of him being taunted by neighborhood boys, but there�s also one of thim at the zoo, enthralled by the gorilla cage. The illustrations �provide nostalgic fullpage paintings that nicely recall illustrations of the period� (Horn Book Magazine). At the bottom of each page with text, there�s spot art from Geisel�s books.
The writing is interesting. Children will be fascinated to find out how Geisel became Dr. Seuss and what his childhood was like. Readers will finish this partial biography and be interested in finding out more about the rest of his life. They will also be interested in finding out about the time period and people mentioned in the book, such as Richard Nixon and World War II. The book includes just the right amount of information that children�s curiosity will be piqued, but they won�t get bored with it. The book is full of little known facts that will thrill readers, such as how Geisel got voted �Least Likely to Succeed� when he was in college (Krull 26).
This is a wonderful partial biography of a wonderful and beloved author.
Booklist. 2004. Booklist. In Books in Print [database online]. Available from
http://www.booksinprint.com/bip. Accessed 21 October 2004.
Horn Book Magazine. 2004. Horn Book Magazine. In Books in Print [database online]. Available
from http://www.booksinprint.com/bip. Accessed 21 October 2004
School Library Journal. 2004. School Library Journal. In Books in Print [database online]. Available
from http://www.booksinprint.com/bip. Accessed 21 October 2004.
