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“The Wonderful World of Dr. Seuss” Transcript
His words echoed through our childhoods: “I do so like green eggs and ham! Thank you! Thank
you, Sam-I-Am!”
His characters played in our imaginations: Horton the elephant, Yertle the turtle, the Cat in the
Hat, the Lorax. And his books connected us to a whimsical world of color and creativity. He is the
drew political cartoons that featured the same rhythmic cadence that readers have long
admired—a cadence much like the march of soldiers overseas.
Eventually, Geisel would bring the same cadence and spirit to his books. The Lorax—my
personal favorite—was so controversial because of its negative portrayal of the logging industry
that some towns tried to ban it. But Geisel knew he needed to make a statement for the
environment: “I repeat,” cried the Lorax, “I speak for the trees!” . . . “which you seem to be
chopping as fast as you please!”
Coupled with Geisel’s activist spirit was a focused determination. His first published work, To
Think that I Saw It on Mulberry Street, was rejected by publishers more than twenty times. But
Geisel pressed on and the book appeared in 1937 to critical acclaim.
