Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss

“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”

“Don’t give up. I believe in you all. A person’s a person. No matter how small.”

I’m sure you have heard these two quotes before and probably even read the books.

Dr. Seuss wrote more than 60 children’s books. Born Theodor Seuss Geisel on March 2, 1904, this date has been designated Read Across America Day and “Dr. Seuss Day.” It is celebrated nationwide to honor the author’s timeless and uplifting work.

He was a storyteller in the grandest sense of the word. Not only did he tell fantastical tales of far away places but he also gave us a unique visual language that carried his stories to new heights of artistic expression. Not only did her write the stories he also created all of the artwork as well. This is part of why his work is celebrated even to this day.

In 2010 Life Books published 100 People Who Changed the World, describing their efforts as “a fascinating look at a group of crucial individuals, as well as a history of how we got from the very distant and often unknowable past, to the here and now.” Dr. Seuss was singled out as a “cultural icon.” Life said of him, “Geisel entertained America’s young with his rollicking rhymes, nutty narratives, and playful but artful pictures.”

However, he did “even more than entertain. His intricately crafted reader, The Cat in the Hat, was a fanciful adventure that educates even as it enthralls.” It recognized him for spending his long life “alternating between his no-rules novels, and books that grew ever more sophisticated, with word counts ever smaller to entice ever younger kids to read.” And that he did so in a place of his own creation, Beginner Books, where “educational science collided with whimsy.”Dr. Seuss was the only children’s author who was included in the book. Taking his place in the “cultural icon” section, he finds himself in grand company appearing alongside Michelangelo, Shakespeare, Beethoven, Dickens, Le Corbusier, Chaplin, Chanel, Picasso, and Elvis.

His books are not only fun whimsical places to take young readers on an adventure they have incredible morals. The Lorax taught us to stand up for what we believe in. “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, Nothing is going to get better, It’s not.” In Horton Hears a Who he taught us that every voice counts, and a person is a person no matter how small. The Grinch showed us that love should be in our heart and Christmas means a little bit more than the food and the presents.

To celebrate his books, art, and life we are throwing him a birthday party. Join us Thursday, March 2 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. We will have cupcakes, crafts, fun, and of course live readings of our favorite Dr. Seuss stories. There will be fun for the whole family. After the event we will have our family story time beginning at 5 p.m. Make sure to stop by for his party and stay for our family story time. Help us share the joy of Dr. Seuss with the next generation.

This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss