Saturday, August 21, 2010

Theodor SEUSS Geisel by Donald Pease

I think this book would have been more successful if it focused on either presenting a straight biography of Dr. Seuss or giving a critical reading of his books. Merging the two strains, in this instance, read like an attempt to use the books of Dr. Seuss to diagnose his own childhood traumas (much like the people who want to diagnose characters and historical figures with various conditions after the fact). I thought it was enjoyable to read--but at times, the biography skipped around, so I was left a little confused as to what happened when, and how the life fit together. It did provoke me to think more deeply about the books themselves, and the ways in which they make reading both possible and fun for children.

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