The Man Behind the Hat

At the Library, we are celebrating the birthday of Dr. Seuss!  Perhaps the most well-known children’s author in history, Theodor Seuss Geisel was born on March 2, 1904.  His path to becoming an author began with his art. Always doodling, young Ted took only one art class, which he dropped after a reprimand from his teacher.  Approaching art by his own rules, he began his career as a cartoonist.  His first children’s book, And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street, was rejected 27 times before it was finally published!  Adopting the name Dr. Seuss, he wrote and illustrated 44 children’s books, forever changing the appeal of beginning readers for kids. Dr. Seuss is often connected with one of his title characters, The Cat in the Hat.

Seuss had his own private hat collection, with several hundred hats at one time.  Twenty-six of them have been displayed at the New York Public Library and are now being exhibited across the country.  His collection was the inspiration for The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins, which celebrated its 75^th anniversary last year.

Join us in celebrating Dr. Seuss.  On Thursday, Feb. 27, at 10:30 am, we’ll be having a Dr. Seuss storytime.  Check out a book from the Dr. Seuss display in the Children’s Room.  And make your own Seuss hat for our Children’s Art Display—What would your hat look like if you were Cat in the Hat?