Tuesday, March 2 , 2010, was the 106th anniversary of the birth of an author, composer, and artist affectionately known as Dr. Seuss.  He was born in 1904 as Theodor Seuss (mother's maiden name) Geisel.  While a student, Geisel was forbidden to continue writing for the college newspaper, due to an episode with gin, but he did so, using the pseudonym Seuss.

His first book was published in 1937 when he was 33:  And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street.  He was then assigned the task of writing specifically for early readers, using 220 basic words they should recognize and keeping the length to 1700 words.  The task took him nine months.  The brilliant, timeless outcome was The Cat in the Hat.

"Writing children's books is murder--every word has to count!" he stated.

Geisel wrote "children's" books that had an adult subtext. Read Marvin K. Mooney, Will You Please Go Now! and think Richard M. Nixon....  Yertle the Turtle literally portrays the oppression of people under Adolph Hitler.

On Friday, March 5, Northside School celebrated the sublime silliness of Dr. Seuss from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. where Dr. Seuss was on the loose with all his Seussville friends.  Book characters began appearing onstage at 6:15," under the guidance of Denise Batterton, Title I Reading instructor. There were prizes, games, cotton candy, and more.

Photos by Marta Bender, thecity1.com