The blog of Richard Thompson, caricaturist, creator of "Cul de Sac," and winner of the 2011 Reuben Award for Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Dr. Seuss's Birthday


Dr. Seuss would have been 106 today but, sadly, he left us in 1991. So he doesn't have to suffer through this cheap mockery I did for a Poor Almanac some years ago. And geez, it's fun to write in that rhythm. From what I've read, he either heard the catchy beat (trisyllabic meter) in the engines of a train heading west or a ship heading east and used it in his first book, And to Think that I Saw it on Mulberry Street.  Whichever, it sure worked for him.

In Seuss's honor, today is Read Yourself Sick Day. So get out there and read something, and not on the internet! Something on paper, like a book or a newspaper. Right now! Go! 

6 comments:

Neil J Murphy said...

Wiki says he was born in 1904, which would make him 106 today.

Either way, he'd be really old.

Barbara L. Hanson said...

In addition to reading myself sick, which I do most days anyway, I wore my Cat in the Hat tee and my Green Eggs and Ham hat to the supermarket.
Your tribute is delightful.

richardcthompson said...

oops, my mathlexia hit again; thanks Neil! I'll fix it..

and thanks, Barbara! I wish I were as well dressed.

Mike Peterson said...

Brilliant stuff, as always. There is a certain lunacy to Seuss that not everyone can capture -- it's not just the meter, not just the use of nonsense syllables -- it's the utter lack of connection between dream and reality. And, to that end, how could we doubt you?

Barbara L. Hanson said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Barbara L. Hanson said...

The deleted by the author comment was me, relating a long and boring mathlexia story, which I thought better of.