When Ted Geisel wrote The Cat in the
Hat, Ellen Goodman of The Detroit Free
Press wrote that it was “a little volume of
absurdity that worked like a karate chop
on the weary little world of Dick, Jane
and Spot.” The Cat in the Hat Comes Back
brilliantly followed up that “volume of
absurdity” and introduced the new cat
companions Little Cats B,C and A! Like Norman Rockwell, Seuss personally created every rough sketch, preliminary drawing, final line drawing and finished work for each page of every project he illustrated.
Despite the technical and budgetary limitations of color printing during the early and mid-twentieth century, Dr. Seuss the artist was meticulous about color selection. He created specially numbered color charts and elaborate color call-outs to precisely accomplish his vision for each book. Saturated reds and blues, for example, were carefully chosen for The Cat in the Hat to attract and maintain the visual attention of a six-year-old audience.
By the time Seuss’s book career took off, sharp draftsman skills were evident in drawings. His ability to move a storyline ahead via illustrations filled with tension, movement and color became a hallmark component of his work, and the surreal images that unfolded over six decades became the catalyst for a humorous and inspired learning experience. |
