| |
For six months, Butter Battle
remained on The New York Times’ Bestseller
List—for adults.
In 1990, when the televised version of The Butter
Battle Book was shown in the U.S.S.R., Ted bragged
that the country began “falling apart.”
Indeed, the Soviet Union was crumbling at that time,
but Ted’s message reached a much broader audience—and
challenged readers to answer the question, how does
it all end? (Morgan, p. 255)
Incidentally, the question Ted dreaded most was the
question he was asked most often: “Where do you
get your ideas?” He usually responded with a quip,
most often “Uber Gletch.”
Later Years
Audrey Geisel
Audrey and Ted had been friends for a long time before
they married on June 21, 1968. She brought order and stability
to his life at a time when Ted’s popularity was
pulling him in various directions.
Life with Audrey brought a sense of freshness and renewal
to Ted; he became more social and more active in his community.
The Geisels were excellent hosts, holding weekly dinner
parties that included extensive and varied guest lists.
These parties often took on lives of their own; Ted’s
penchant for funny hats, for example, would weave its
way into a dinner party theme or two, and guests were
expected to wear their funniest headgear—or risk
Ted assigning one from his personal collection!
Ted’s interest in travel was also revived, and together
he and Audrey traveled extensively. One of their more
memorable adventures included a photo safari in Africa.
Ted looked at the trees and exclaimed, “They’ve
stolen my truffula trees!”
Audrey mentioned that Ted started another book during
this particular journey, but he did not have the “right”
paper with him. Making do with what he did have
on hand, Ted simply jotted his thoughts on laundry lists!
Friends and colleagues were pleasantly surprised at Ted’s
newfound zeal. With Audrey’s encouragement and inspiration,
his imagination soared to new heights.
This new “spark” certainly influenced Ted’s
work! Some of his most critically acclaimed and socially
conscious books were written during this period, and Ted
began experimenting with the color palette once again.
Audrey would often suggest unexpected, unusual color combinations
that complemented more meaningful manuscripts. And fortunately
for us, we reap the rewards of their efforts; books such
as The Lorax, The Butter Battle Book,
and You’re Only Old Once! are evidence
of new challenges and risks that Ted was willing to take.
It was also Audrey who suggested that Ted grow a beard—and
for the first time in his life, he did. He figured that
by doing so, shaving would be one less thing to have to
worry about!
Never one to interfere directly with her husband’s
affairs, Audrey—a former nurse—saw her role
as that of a caretaker and chief supporter, a role she
continues to this day as the head of Dr. Seuss Enterprises.
Honors/Tributes
Many honors and awards were bestowed upon Ted, including
an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from his alma
mater, Dartmouth. In addition to six other honorary
doctorates, some of Ted’s more notable awards
include an Oscar for Gerald McBoing-Boing (Best
Cartoon, 1951); two Emmys for Halloween Is Grinch
Night and The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the
Hat (Best Children’s Special, 1977 and1982,
respectively); a Pulitzer Prize (1984); a Peabody for
the animated specials How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
and Horton Hears a Who! (1971); and a New York
Library Literary Lion (1986). Three of his books received
Caldecott Honor Awards: McElligot’s Pool
(1947), Bartholomew and the Oobleck (1949),
and If I Ran the Zoo (1950). In 1980, the American
Library Association (the same organization responsible
for the prestigious Newbery and Caldecott Awards) honored
Ted with a Laura Ingalls Wilder Award. This special
award is given to an author or illustrator whose books—having
been published in the United States—have made
a substantial contribution and lasting impact to children’s
literature.
Previous
| Next
|
|
