Short Form (All Genres)

Alisha Reid
Title: Dr. Seuss Author: Dana Meachen Rau

Illustrator: Dana Meachen Rau Publisher/Year: Childrens Press 2003

Genre: Biography

Summarize the content of the book

A. For Nonfiction Genres Explain the information given, how it is shared-what design
Dr. Seuss is a biography about the author Dr. Seuss. The book begins with familiarizing
readers with his work when it asks, Are you familiar with the Sneeches or the Grinch? It
goes on to explain where he was born and that his birth name is not Dr. Seuss but Theodore
Seuss Geisel. He was born in 1904 in Massachusetts and his parents called him Ted. Ted went
to college in New Hampshire where he wrote for his schools magazines and newspapers.
When he was done with college he started to draw for magazines and ads. Dr. Seuss wrote his
first book in 1936 while he was on a ship. In the 1950s Dr. Seuss wrote The Cat in the Hat
which changed the way people began writing childrens books. Dr. Seuss wrote his last book
for adults called, Youre Only Old Once. He passed away in 1991 in California when he was 87
years old. This information is given in the form of a story. On each page there is either a
picture of Dr. Seuss or from his life, or a drawing of his or his books.
Explain how the book appeals to children, their interests, developmental levels, fun
illustrations etc. Give specific examples from the book:

The story begins by introducing work from Dr. Seuss that children may be familiar with. Are
you familiar with the Sneeches or the Grinch? Most children will be familiar with one or
both stories so that will attract their attention. The story then goes on to introduce Dr. Seuss
and the life he lived. Pictures corresponding to the information given help children to imagine
who he was and his life. For instance, on the page that discusses where he went to college
there is a college picture of Dr. Seuss and on the other page there is a photo of his college.
Even though he lived before children were born, they can still picture him attending college.
The book also shows some of Dr. Seusss early work like an ad he created for a magazine. This
will help the children to see imagery they are familiar with in a different art form, outside of
his many books. This would be a great biography to read children around the ages of 5-10
because it is easily understandable and full of great information.

Rate the book 3 1 2 3

Explain your rating.

This is a book that is easy to follow and gives a great glimpse into Dr. Seusss life.