School Library Journal Review

Gr 5-9-Geisel's life is broken down into seven chapters, each roughly a dozen pages long. Each double-page spread contains at least one black-and-white, captioned photograph or related sidebar. The subject's childhood and family, education, and professional ventures as a cartoonist in advertising and in writing and producing documentary films are noted in addition to his career as a children's author. Although facts about the author/illustrator's personal life are incorporated into the text, much of this book is devoted to discussing his style of writing and literary contribution. The popularity of his books is analyzed, as are their morals or themes. Descriptive language abounds, almost to the point of being distracting. General readers may be satisfied with this biography, but report writers may find wading through the descriptors to get to the facts a bit tedious. A number of books and articles about this popular author are available, though few of them have been written for this audience. A serviceable addition if needed to fill a gap, replace older titles, or round out a collection.-Kathleen Simonetta, Indian Trails Public Library District, Wheeling, IL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.