Is Dr Seuss a literary giant or an overrated quack?

Answer 1

He was good. He's interesting to little kids, and funny to adults. So he was good. The end.

There's no need for the hyperbole of BEST EVER or WORSE EVER.

Answer 2

Not only is he an overrated quack, but there is a lot of controversy in his orientation (connotations of pedophilia).

His close association with the contentious THEMATIC movie: 'THE 5,000 FINGERS OF DR. T' (1953); had placed Dr. Seuss on many watch lists; and several of his most famous works, A Cat in the Hat for instance, have been banned from elementary school.

Dr. Seuss is a controversial figure and his works need to be evaluated by responsible parents.

Answer 3

'Dr. Seuss' was able to play with a few words longer than most people, and make them more entertaining, and for that he is remembered fondly by a lot of people.

I saw that by reading his books outloud to my kid, my kid became anxious to read them alone, and to read them outloud back to me, and that was all good.

I don't know if that is "literature," but it is definitely not the work of a 'quack' (Dr. Seuss not being a real name, I doubt quack is the right word... I guess it would be 'pygmy' [small chuckle]) --He hastened the reading exploration of at least one generation of young readers, and I think all of that is good.

Looked him up just now and recall his real name, Theodore Seuss Geisel, and see that he won an Academy Award in 1947 for a documentary about the Japanese people... and another for an animated character called "Gerald McBoing Boing."

He got a Pulitzer citation for his contribution to "the education and enjoyment of American children and their parents"...as well as later writing two adult books that were as much best-sellers as the kids' books.

He had some college education in English lit, but I think mostly he trained himself. He did teach himself to be a "sketch artist," and made his living as a cartoonist for a decade before the first kid's book, "And To Think I Saw It On Mulberry Street."

And that's about it that I guess is relevant to your question!
;-}

Answer 4

As an adult, my favorite Dr. Seuss book is "Oh The Places You Will Go!". I read his books to my kids constantly, and I think that he is huge in the children's books. Not a giant, maybe, but big!

Answer 5

I would say literary giant, his books have helped young children around the globe to learn to read for the past 50 years.

Answer 6

Don't think he's a "literary giant", but his books have helped kids get interested in reading much better than the old "**** & Jane" books did. He can put over a "moral" in a story without being preachy, too ["Butter Battle", etc].

Answer 7

Anyone who gets kids interested in reading deserves a place in the literary hall of fame.

Answer 8

Literary giant. He revolutionized the field of children's literature. Before he started writing, children had readers and boring "**** and Jane" type books. No wonder no one wanted to read. It wasn't fun.

Also, he wrote far more than kid's books.

Answer 9

He is an author who had the ability to pique children's interest in books.

Star Bellied Sneaches...good moral to that story and my favorite because I have a birthmark shaped like a star on my tummy.

The rhymetical nonsense stories are fun to read, help children add words to their vocabularies, and teach.

Not all literature needs to be about life and struggling.

Answer 10

well as a kid most if not every one in america has heard of him. which makes him a literary giant, but his book were off the hook so hes a little wacky. but we all love him

Answer 11

Giant.

The only reason to think he might be a quack is because as an adult you don't find them so compelling. But the evidence (and remembrance) is that for kids, they are ultimately compelling. And he wasn't writing for adults, but for kids.