Theodor Seuss Geisel (March 2, 1904 - September 24, 1991)

'The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.'

Theodor Seuss Geisel was an American children's author, illustrator and political cartoonist. He is best known for his writing as Dr. Seuss. He has also written under the pen names Theo LeSeig and Rosetta Stone. His works include The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, You're Only Old Once and Oh, The Places You'll Go.

Although never winning the Caldecott or Newbery Medals, his books are some of the bestselling of all time. They have been published in over 20 languages and have sold nearly 1 billion copies worldwide.

In 1998, the National Education Association instituted the first Read Across America Day on Seuss' birthday to celebrate the impact he had on children's literature. This celebration continues to be held annually on the first school day closest to March 2. 

In 2004, the American Library Association established the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award to recognize "the most distinguished American book for beginning readers published in English in the United States during the preceding year".