Dr Seuss: The Cat Behind the Hat by Caroline Smith

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Dr Seuss: The Cat Behind the Hat by Caroline Smith (Chase Art Companies, November 2012) is a full-color biography to the artist so well known for his children’s books and cartoons. I love his classic readers. The Grinch is a must a Christmas, and Green Eggs and Ham was a favorite of mine when I was young.

To learn about this beloved children’s author would have been interesting enough. How did he discover his wacky ideas? Yet, as is clear from Ms Smith’s biography, Geisel is not your average children’s book writer. Because of intense desire for privacy, he did not publicize his “night paintings,” which is what he called his private creations and inventions. It is interesting that on Wikipedia, Theodore Geisel is listed as a “writer, poet, and cartoonist.” It is clear to me that he is far more: he is an creative and talented artist.

Personally, I find Geisel’s surrealistic artwork is far more fun than Dali or Ernst. I loved a peak into his inspiration as I review some of his personal paintings. Dr Seuss: The Cat Behind the Hat is well designed and attractive. It includes brief discussion about his life and his inspirations, and then Ms Smith lets his paintings tell the rest of the story. It is a lovely book for Seuss fans to browse, as well as to read for further understanding of the mysterious and creative Doctor.

See more about Dr Seuss books and play online games at www.seussville.com.

Note: I received a digital review copy of The Cat Behind the Hat from the publisher via netgalley.com.

Just My Type by Simon Garfield

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I was probably ten when I first began experimenting with WordPerfect’s fonts on our family’s personal computer. I typed the name of each font, highlighted it and selected the font from the list (because, of course, this was before you could see the font on the menu) and then I’d print out the list of all the fonts. I loved comparing them. I still do. When I was in college, I enjoyed printing each English paper and draft in a different font. I thought it made it more fun. I also loved watching the documentary on Helvetica last year, although I must admit I still struggle to determine the difference between Helvetica and Arial.

So, I fully admit that while I’m not a discerning or well-educated user of fonts, I simply adore them. I’ve been hearing about Just My Type: A Book About Fonts by Simon Garfield for a few months around the blogosphere. I had to find a copy of it. I borrowed an ARC from nearby friend and fellow blogger Suzanne.

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