D r.

Seuss
Children Book s Style I s Changed July 27 , 1936
3:38 pm My wife, H elen, and I board the Swedish luxury liner M .S. Kungs holm in New York H arbor to head for Europe. I feel that an air of uncertainty traveled with the people on board because of rumors of possible German aggression in Europe that is growing. World War I had ended in 1918, but the tension between Germany, France, and England has not decreased over the years. Regardless, my wife and I decide to go onward with our trip, joining the other Americans. We do not plan to go to Berlin, but to somewhere else. Tonight we shall discuss the matter in the Swiss caf s. 7:12 pm I enjoy the fantastic Swiss sights that we see. T he pointed mountains, the winding roads, and the unusual buses and houses. H ere, my imagination grows. I draw scenes of odd creatures hangingM from dangerous y wife, H elen, and I peaks or wandering up long, crooked paths. And, just for fun, I am trying to teach myself how to yodel. H elen says I should only practice in the shower.

Augus t 3, 1936
5:48 pm Our vacation is almost over, and the threat of invasion by the H itler was growing more and more likely. I think it is time for me t o get serious with my own life. H elen suggests that I should go ahead and tr y writing my own childrens book. I agree. We board the M .S. Kungs holm, eager to return home with a new way for us t o live our lives in mind.

Augus t 11, 1936

6:23 pm We have been on the ship for 8 days now, and at the moment, there is a dreadful st orm pounding the ship. H elen is staying in our cabin, but I am growing anxious and want t o move around more. I held on tightl y to the rails as I walked the deck, but I eventually just gave up my pacing and sat down at the ship s bar. H ere, I pick up some stationar y and begin t o write. T he rhythm of the ships engine seems t o match up t o some quot es f rom Twas the Night Before Christmas . T hen, seemingly out of nowhere, I heard and spok e the line, And that is a st ory that no one can beat, and t o think that I saw it on M ulberr y Street.

Octobe r 2, 1936
7:22 pm Reviewers seem t o love the new style of my childrens books writing, and not t o mention the zany drawings that make the stories especially unusual, but none of them seem t o want to publish my first book, And to Think That I Saw it on M ulbe rry Stre et . Finally, when I was walking home t oday, I ran int o an old f riend from collage. H e told me that he just got a new job as a reviewer. After I t old them that I was trying to get my first book, And toThink That I Saw it on M ulbe rry Stre e t, published, he t ook me int o his office and decided t o publish my book! I t was one of the most amazing feelings.

This is the ship that H elen and I t ook to Europe.

Octobe r 10, 1938

3:56 pm Vanguard Press, my books publisher, ordered 15,000 copies to be print ed in 1934. One week ago, a second printing of 6,000 copies was made. Even so, it doesnt seem like I am going t o make enough money on just writing and illustrating childrens books. An author is often paid a percentage of the sales of his or her book, known as a royalty. Last year, 1937, Mulbe rry Stre et sold for one dol lar. Even if I earned ten percent as a royalty (and this is a good percentage for a royalty), that means I would only earn ten cents for each book sold. I n this case, I only earned 1,500 dollars for the first print run. M y solution t o fix this problem is t o simply write more books.

M y first book published was cal led And to Think That I Saw it on M ulberr y Street

The money we used to buy things in Europe looked like this.

Fe bruary 27 , 1940
2:46 pm I love the idea of speaking t o groups and signing copies of my books. Just, I have struggled with stage fright all my life. Today, I was supposed t o speak to a group of 300 third-graders, and I got real ly nervous. W hen I was on stage, I drew and drew, all over the chalkboard. M y funny animals appeared here, there, and everywhere. Confident that I final ly had something t o talk about, I asked the children if they liked my drawings. N o, they answered. G us [a fellow student ] can draw bett er. I gave Gus a piece of chalk and had him draw something. W hen the boy was finished, I saw that the students were right-Gus could draw bett er!
M e, fooling around with a stuffed animal C at in the H at

June16, 1941
8:46 pm H elen and I have decided t o leave New York, and t o stay at the summer house in La Jolla, California. I enjoy living here in California, for I love the sun, and California gets lots of sun.I wrot e to my editor in New York that I had t o fight rattle snakes, bees, and man-eating rabbits on the patio. Both H elen and I feel at home in this t own near San D iego. Even here, however, the news of H itler s invasions came through loud and clear. Just as disturbing is the news that the Japanese were becoming hostile t oo. N ot many Americans thought the country would be in war with Japan, but I see it coming.

Our summer house