Born on March 2, 1904 in Springfield, Massachusetts to parents Theodor and Henrietta Geisel, Theodor (Ted) Seuss Geisel’s penchant for nonsense manifested itself early in life. Ted’s father worked at the Springfield Zoo, and would often take Ted and his older sister Marnie on behind-the-scenes tours. Ted took to bringing along a sketchbook on these walks, and began drawing wildly exaggerated animals based upon what he saw at the zoo. Other childhood influences include his mother reciting her “pie chants” to him to lull him to sleep. Henrietta’s pie chants were reminiscent of her childhood as a baker’s daughter when she created the rhythmic chants in order to remember the types of pies that were for sale each day.

Ted was involved in cartooning and writing from a young age, first for his high school newspaper, the Central Recorder, and then at Dartmouth college. The Jack-O-Lantern, the humor magazine on campus, was where Ted could explore various styles of cartooning and humor. He was unceremoniously kicked off the staff of the Lantern for attending a raucous, alcohol-fueled party during Prohibition. This happened, however, during his senior year of college, so any ignominy he endured was at least short lived.

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