Why fit in when you were born to stand out - A picture book biography of Dr.Seuss

Book review of The boy on Fairfield street - Written by Kathleen Krull and illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher . ( A picture book biography of the most famous children's author Dr. Seuss. )

    Unless and until we read the book "The School Story" by Andrew Clements, we never knew that Ted Geisel is the actual name of Dr.Seuss, thanks to Clements for provoking our anxiety to learn more about Dr. Seuss.

 Synopsis:

Born in 1904, Theodor Seuss Geisel ( his full name) lived in Springfield Massachusetts, with his parents and sister, his house was the most beautiful place of all because three blocks from his house was a public library and six blocks were a Zoo. His father being the superintendent of parks ran the zoo.

    Ted's daily routines include reading aloud a story by his mom every day at bedtime and discussing animals in the zoo with his father during dinner. These things made him more attached to books and animals, the two things to which we relate him till now.

     The boy who always roamed happily with his friends in the neighbourhood, who liked doodling, and drawing apart from books and animals had a dark side too. He has always been bullied in school since he is a German immigrant, always considered a failure as he is not good at shooting ( in which his parents excelled)and has weak muscles.

    Even though he wins art competitions, his art teacher considers him a loser, since his drawings are always exaggerated, and his views about a particular thing or animal are always different, flying cows, plant-like animals, cats with nine ears etc.

  Of all these odds how he managed to become Dr.Seuss, the favourite author for not only kids but also adults is the rest of the story.

   The story teaches courage determination and working towards one's passion. Also included at the end of the book is a beautiful summary of Dr Seuss and details about his books.