Writing Prompts to Celebrate Dr. Seuss

You are familiar with Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel or “Ted”) through his popular stories such as Green Eggs and Ham, Horton Hears a Who, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and The Cat in the Hat. But did you know that he used to write very different kinds of literature? Read on to find out!

Below you’ll find 5 writing prompts to celebrate Dr. Seuss’s accomplishments.

1. I don’t like Dr. Seuss stories.

Do you know someone who doesn’t like Dr. Seuss stories? I know someone like that!

Write a letter to convince your friend to like Dr. Seuss books. If you don’t like Dr. Seuss books either, write to tell your friend why you agree with him or her.

2. This thing will sting.

Soldiers need more than weapons, food, and uniforms to do their jobs.

During World War II, many people were employed by the United States government to write material and make informational movies that would teach soldiers important social and medical facts. One such writer was Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss), who, commissioned as Captain Geisel of the Animation Department, First Motion Picture Unit, wrote about the dangers of mosquitoes and malaria. You can read more about it on this NPR site.

Writing options:

Today Patricia W., a homeschool mom, makes greeting cards for soldiers overseas so that they have cards to send back home for birthdays, congratulations, get well, and other events in their loved ones’ lives. Write about something you could do to help veterans or active members of the military.
Dr. Seuss warned soldiers about mosquitos and malaria. What would you like to warn people about? Write a silly or serious poem to warn them. Or construct and illustrate a pamphlet to warn people.

3. This is your life.

Write your life or your day as though it were a Dr. Seuss book or poem.

4. What did you find?

The sad part of this story: Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel or “Ted”) died in 1991.

The happy part: In 2013, his wife and his former assistant discovered a partial manuscript, accompanied by some black-and-white illustrations. The name of his story was “The Pet Shop,” probably written in the early 1960s.

Ted’s wife offered the drawings and the manuscript to his publisher, who had the drawings colored. The story also was tweaked for modern readers. What Pet Should I Get? was published in 2015.

Options:

You are cleaning out an author’s desk and find a manuscript. Who is the author and what manuscript would you love to find? Explain.
A famous author just dies, and you have the chance to finish his or her manuscript. Who is the author? Write the rest of the story, poem, or play.
Imagine that another manuscript of Dr. Seuss’s has come to light. What is it? Write the story in poem form as though Dr. Seuss wrote it.