Grinch takes center stage at Seuss celebration in Decatur

Photo by Mike Eckels The Grinch (Ashley Lee) tried to steal Dr. Seuss’ (Joel Martin) glasses as the famed children’s author was about to sneeze during an assembly at Northside Elementary in Decatur March 3. The assembly was part of a week-long celebration of Seuss’ birthday.
Photo by Mike Eckels The Grinch (Ashley Lee) tried to steal Dr. Seuss’ (Joel Martin) glasses as the famed children’s author was about to sneeze during an assembly at Northside Elementary in Decatur March 3. The assembly was part of a week-long celebration of Seuss’ birthday.

— "A person's a person, no matter how small" is a line out of one of the most popular children's books, "Horton Hears a Who." It was written by one of the greatest literary children's authors of the 20th century, Dr. Seuss. Students at Decatur Northside Elementary joined others nationwide to celebrate his birthday.

Theodor Seuss Geisel, who used his middle name as his lifelong pen name, was born March 2, 1904, in Springfield, Mass. After attending Dartmouth College and Oxford University, Seuss went to work as an advertising and cartoon artist. His cartoon ad, "Quick, Henry, the Flit," appeared in several leading American magazines in the early 1930s. He completed his first children's book, "And I Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street," in 1937. This launched Seuss' lifelong career as an author and illustrator. He completed 44 books before his death in 1991 at age 87.

Some of Seuss' most popular works, which later became animated and featured in motion pictures, included "The Cat in the Hat," "The Lorax," "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas," "Green Eggs and Ham" and "Horton Hatches the Egg."

These books were at the forefront of the week-long celebration at Decatur Northside Elementary, beginning with book character day on Feb. 27.

Bob Tharp, mayor of Decatur, visited the third and fourth grade classes to read Seuss' first book on Feb. 28.

The week ended with a birthday assembly in the cafeteria at Northside on March 3.

The program began with Dr. Seuss, played by Joel Martin, sitting behind his typewriter working on one of his many books. Suddenly, two of his most beloved characters, the Grinch (Ashley Lee) and the Cat in the Hat (Lindsey Krueger), began a series of pranks that left the entire student body in stitches.

After finishing the book he was writing, Seuss began reading it. It was "Horton Hears a Who." As he concluded his recitation, the Grinch and the Cat returned to the stage where they eventually disappeared into the imagination.

Seuss was born in a time when a large population of this country suffered from illiteracy. His goal was to get children to read, thus wiping out illiteracy. Seuss' lovable characters, coupled with his unique writing style, helped generations of youth learn to read and read well.

General News on 03/08/2017