New York Times Article Explores the Birthplace of Dr. Seuss, Inspiration for His Books
In the New York Times article "Mulberry Street May Fade, but 'Mulberry Street' Shines On," journalist Michael Winerip visits Springfield, Massachusetts, the childhood home of author Theodore Geisel (better known as Dr. Seuss!), in honor of the 75th anniversary of the publication of And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street. Winerip writes, "Dr. Seuss has sold 600 million books, so I figured there had to be something going on Mulberry Street. Springfield is where Ted Geisel was born in 1904 and thought his formative thoughts, before going off to Dartmouth in 1921 and becoming Dr. Seuss. ...Dr. Seuss books aren’t primarily schoolbooks. They’re read-to-your-children-in-bed books. Christin LaRocque, a librarian at the Central branch in downtown Springfield, says Seuss books need to be replaced more often than any others — they wear out or disappear. Dr. Seuss is good for most anything that ails a child. To paraphrase Sylvester McMonkey McBean: He’s heard of your troubles, he’s heard you’re unhappy, but he can fix that all up, he’s the Fix-It-Up Chappie."
To read the article, click here.
On ReadingRockets.org, you can watch a video interview with Audrey Geisel, Theodore Geisel's wife, in which she talks about meeting her husband, their life together, and his books. Click here to watch the interview.
