Oh, It's Dr. Seuss Day!
by Elizabeth Sexton
On the second of March, it’s a Dr. Seuss Day,
And a marathon on TV will give “The Cat” lots of play.
One-hundred and seven is the age he would be…
A long friend of yours, since the time you were three.
PBS Kids is helping viewers celebrate the 107th Birthday of Dr. Seuss by hosting a two-hour marathon of ‘The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That.” The show focuses on science education and is a modern twist on the old school favorite, “The Cat in the Hat.”
Although the stories from Dr. Seuss were written for children, many are thought to express his social and political views. Seuss, whose real name is Theodor Seuss Geisel, had once been a political cartoon writer during World War II, and also worked to help the American effort drawing posters for The Treasury Department and War Production Board. He even joined the army and worked on army training films and various propaganda pieces like a film about peace in Europe called “Your Job In Germany.”
Some of the issues addressed in his books are thought to include:
The Lorax: environmentalism and anti-consumerism
The Sneetches: racial equality
The Butter Battle Book: the arms race
Yertle the Turtle: Hitler and anti-authoritarianism
How the Grinch Stole Christmas: materialism and consumerism
Horton Hears a Who!: isolationism and internationalism
Dr. Seuss left the world with wisdom and rhymes which continue to inspire readers, young and old. As written in “I Can Read With My Eyes Shut,” “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”
Like his readers, his work went places, too. Seuss wrote seven television specials, for CBS, including “The Cat in the Hat,” “Halloween Is Grinch Night, “and “Pontofeel Pock Where Are You?” Jim Carrey starred as the Grinch in the feature film version of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”
There have been two Broadway musicals based on his work. Additionally, “The Cat in the Hat” live-action film featured Mike Myers as the main character. “Horton Hears a Who!” was made into an animated film, while other characters became puppets Jim-Henson style on “The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss” TV show.