Dr. Seuss biographer writes to uplift kids

The last book I read? A biography about Dr. Seuss written for fourth- and fifth-graders. Not only did I enjoy it, but I learned plenty about the author/illustrator who wrote nonsensical children’s books between 1937 and 1990.

The writer, Kathleen Krull, says she likes writing biographies for children because biographies “are like gossip in disguise.” She uses a “warts and all” approach because she likes to write biographies for kids living in the real world.

Krull even revealed a few warts in “The Boy on Fairfield Street: How Ted Geisel Grew Up to Become Dr. Seuss.”

Apparently as a young boy and even as a young man, Geisel had a tendency to exaggerate the truth. His Dartmouth College classmates voted him “Least Likely to Succeed.”

Krull’s book is the third book in a county-wide program called Each One Read One, the brainchild of former Clark County School Board member Sheila Moulton.

Designed to promote reading, one book is chosen, and every elementary school and library in the county receives a copy. The cherry on top is that the author comes here to discuss it. The program’s cost is under $10,000 and is covered by donors.

Krull is coming in Feb. 28, and her only public event is at 4:30 p.m. for a meet-and-greet at the Enterprise Library at 25 E. Shelbourne Ave.

She is doing private events with children, including one that will be recorded at Vegas PBS and made available for teachers to use in classrooms. She also will speak at the Las Vegas Day School, discussing how she came to write the book and why she was interested in Dr. Seuss.

“I talk about the process a person goes through to become a writer,” Krull said. Also, she shares samples of her writing from second grade until now, explaining the role of research and revisions.

Hopefully, Krull inspires.

Is there anyone who doesn’t like Dr. Seuss books? He’s an icon. You must have your own memories.

But Krull shares with children that he suffered stage fright, much like they might.

In 1917, when he was 13, he had sold United States Liberty Bonds for the war effort and was one of the top 10 sellers among Boy Scouts in Springfield, Mass.

Former President Theodore Roosevelt was to honor all 10. But Ted was the 10th, and when Roosevelt reached him, he didn’t have a medal left. “No one knew what to do. After a painful silence, Ted was guided off stage,” Krull wrote. “After that day, he tried to avoid being in public at all.”

Krull, who lives in San Diego, met Geisel once at a reception. He lived in La Jolla before he died in 1991 at the age of 87. “He was totally charming and funny … but I got the sense he was a very private person.”

Students respond enthusiastically to her book, published in 2004. “Almost all kids are Dr. Seuss fans. All have a favorite Dr. Seuss book, maybe more than one. All recognize the name and are interested in what he was like as a little boy.”

She enjoys school visits and hopes this book encourages “the oddballs, the kids that feel they don’t fit in.”

The author of about 60 books, her “Lives of … ” series covers presidents, artists and musicians, and she said they are gossipy, including things such as “what do their neighbors think of them.”

While they are well-researched, Krull described them as “a sort of People magazine kind of nonfiction.”

I can definitely recommend “The Boy on Fairfield Street.”

As Krull said, it’s important for children to understand that famous people, even Dr.Seuss, face problems and challenges, just like they do.

Celebrity-mad adults could stand to learn the same thing.

Jane Ann Morrison’s column appears Monday, Thursday and Saturday. Email her at Jane@reviewjournal.com or call 702-383-0275. She also blogs at lvrj.com/blogs/morrison.