SeussologySeussologyPresented byPresented by

Rhonda MuellerRhonda Mueller

Mother, Grandmother, Teacher Mother, Grandmother, Teacher and and

Self-Proclaimed Seussologist

Who Was Theodore Giesel

Not the Cat in the Hat• Theo LeSieg• Rosetta Stone• Dr. Seuss - to please his

father, did eventually earn a doctorate from Dartmouth

German Family in Springfield Mass.German Family in Springfield Mass.BrewersZooersGymnast and SwimmersShootersBakersGreat great Grossvater

BrewersZooersGymnast and SwimmersShootersBakersGreat great Grossvater

Artist and avid reader at an early age

Read the same book over and over again

Made friends by creating humorous drawings and

writing

Art Teacher Not Impressed

• Never break the rules

Early Years

• Wrote and edited for newspapers• The Mikado• Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night• Wrote his own play• Jazz musician• Director • Dartmouth• Oxford• Edited humor magazine

DartmouthDartmouthJewish - prejudiceLeast likely to succeed

Jewish - prejudiceLeast likely to succeed

EnglandEngland

Helen Draw

Helen Draw

Cartoonist

Boredom - not busy enough

Wrote his first children’s book - an ABC book with unusual animals.

And To Think I Saw It On Mulberry Street - 1936And To Think I Saw It On Mulberry Street - 1936

• Ship trip

• Chance meeting

• Vanguard

• Loved writing for children and Gus

• Ship trip

• Chance meeting

• Vanguard

• Loved writing for children and Gus

Kindergarten and First GradeKindergarten and First Grade

• What would you see on Elliott Street?• What would you see on Elliott Street?

Hats on the train

Infamous for Making Up Stories About Story Ideas

Stories came in many ways– Puzzling his puzzler– Thinking cap– Left field– Arizona desert– Why is it always rain ? Soldier in France– Horton, from Mulberry street, which came first the

Who or the Egg?

Generating Ideas

McElligot’s PoolMcElligot’s Pool

Found his own look Expensive to print Caldecott

Found his own look Expensive to print Caldecott

Finding Own StyleFinding Own Style

Bartholomew

One color

Caldecott

If I Ran the ZooIf I Ran the Zoo Caldecott

Gerald McBoing-Boing

» Animated» Oscar» CBS 13 episodes» Overall films a flop» Writing and illustrating

» Animated» Oscar» CBS 13 episodes» Overall films a flop» Writing and illustrating

From LaJollaFrom LaJolla

Sneetches Africa, think please Horton Hears Who Oh, The Thinks You Can

Think May 1954, Life article,

illiterate adults, TV and comics partly to blame

Sneetches Africa, think please Horton Hears Who Oh, The Thinks You Can

Think May 1954, Life article,

illiterate adults, TV and comics partly to blame

The year of the Grinch

The year of the Grinch

12 yearsOne week

One Work Through Time

One Work Through TimeGrinch

QuickTime™ and aH.264 decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

GrinchGrinch

QuickTime™ and aH.264 decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

GrinchGrinch

QuickTime™ and aH.264 decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

GrinchGrinch

QuickTime™ and aH.264 decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

GrinchGrinch

QuickTime™ and aH.264 decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

Year of the Cat• 1957 - new era in children’s books

• Life magazine criticized Dick and Jane

• Friend’s suggestion

• 223 easy to read words

• First two words on the list

• Schools didn’t buy

Beginner BooksBeginner Books

LeSieg didn’t author 50 dollar challenge

LeSieg didn’t author 50 dollar challenge

First Priority

Funny

Dictionary of animals helped in many books

Rhyme and His toughest Audience

FEAR of Public Speaking

WWII, laughing and training WWII, laughing and training

Always a JokesterAlways a Jokester

Fishing with VaterClass clownNaval OfficerBiggest Joke, His own children,

Chrysanthemum-Pearl

Fishing with VaterClass clownNaval OfficerBiggest Joke, His own children,

Chrysanthemum-Pearl

Pulitzer 1984Pulitzer 1984

Best Seller for Adults2 titlesButter BattleYour Only Old Once

Best Seller for Adults2 titlesButter BattleYour Only Old Once

WW IIIWW III

• Mouth cancer• Butter Battle Book, 1984• Test and treatments, Obsolete

children• Gone is the yellow-faced Chinaman• 1990 New York Times Best Seller,

for adults again

• Mouth cancer• Butter Battle Book, 1984• Test and treatments, Obsolete

children• Gone is the yellow-faced Chinaman• 1990 New York Times Best Seller,

for adults again

Other Famous WorksOther Famous Works

Cat in the Hat Audrey is UPSET Zax - political hardliner Horton Hears a Who - Atomic Bomb

Cat in the Hat Audrey is UPSET Zax - political hardliner Horton Hears a Who - Atomic Bomb

Post-humous

My Many Colored DaysDiffendoofer

Using Seuss in the classroom

Lists of Made Up Rhyming WordsAlliterationDifference Between Real and Make-BelieveBullying, Prejudice, Environmental Issues at

an Appropriate LevelSeussianaryThinksGlunks Increasing Comprehension Increasing Fluency

AT hatsGross grub on green - Green EggsDaisy HatsStar ArtFinishing the Lorax - what happens to the

seed I Won’t Be a Star Bellied Sneetch Not on any Beach If I Ran the Zoo - imaginanimalsSeussanaryTantilizing Tongue Twisters

More Uses - Even for Older Students

More Uses - Even for Older Students

Poetic Style Moral of the Story Underlying/Implied Meanings Visual Implications Accessing Imagination Generating Ideas Model For Own Writing Inspiration

Poetic Style Moral of the Story Underlying/Implied Meanings Visual Implications Accessing Imagination Generating Ideas Model For Own Writing Inspiration

High SchoolHigh School

Yertle the Turtle - Sympathy for the underdog, Yertle is Hitler

Sneetches - tolerance, civil rights Lorax - ecological awareness Butter Battle - nuclear arms race

Yertle the Turtle - Sympathy for the underdog, Yertle is Hitler

Sneetches - tolerance, civil rights Lorax - ecological awareness Butter Battle - nuclear arms race

Using Seuss at home

• Read• Teach• Learn• Laugh• Imagine• Play - YES PLAY, with words

Dr. Seuss Language

“Here”“You can’t be here, I am here.

You are there!”Playing with language

BUT don’t Underestimate the BEST Reasons to

Use Dr. Seuss

BUT don’t Underestimate the BEST Reasons to

Use Dr. SeussJUST FOR FUNJUST FOR FUN

University of California San Diego

AccomplishmentsAccomplishments

48 books More than 200 million copies 20 different languages Postage stamps Movies of his books Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden Geisel Library in LaJolla Oscar Pulitzer Caldecott

48 books More than 200 million copies 20 different languages Postage stamps Movies of his books Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden Geisel Library in LaJolla Oscar Pulitzer Caldecott

Greatest GiftGreatest Gift

W all need fun and laughter Your children hear what you say, what

can be better than saying it in an enjoyable setting?

Hold onto the magic of childhood

Words of Wisdom leftWords of Wisdom left

“Whenever things are a bit sour in a job I’m doing, I always tell myself: ‘You can do better than this.’ The best slogan I can think of to leave with the U.S.A. would be: ‘We can do and we’ve got to do better than this.’”

“Whenever things are a bit sour in a job I’m doing, I always tell myself: ‘You can do better than this.’ The best slogan I can think of to leave with the U.S.A. would be: ‘We can do and we’ve got to do better than this.’”

Belonged to the Lutheran Church

Missouri Synod

ResourcesOh, the Places He Went, by Maryann N. Weidt,

biographyDr. Seuss, Childhood of Famous Americans

series, by Kathleen KudlinskiDr. Seuss American Icon, by Philip NelThe Secret Art of Dr. Seuss, by Theodore Geisel

and Maurice Sendak

Seuss Related Websites

• www.eseus.com• www.randomhouse.com/seussville• www.seussville.com• www.catinthehat.org• www.infoplease.com/spot/seuss1.html• infoplease.com/spot/tonguetwister1.html• www.infoplease.com/spot/seuss2.html• www.nea.org/readacross/index.html• www.seuss.org• http://orpheus.ucsd.edu/speccoll/dspolitic• www.seussland.com

Contact

• Email rmueller@lps.org

• Website www.lps.org, elementary schools, Elliott Elementary, specialists

• Card at back