While Geisel was continuing to contribute to Life， Vanity Fair， Judge and other magazines， Viking Press offered him a 22）contract to illustrate a collection of children’s sayings called Boners. Although the book was not a 23）commercial success， the illustrations received great reviews， providing Geisel with his first “big break” into children’s 24）literature. However， getting the first book published that he both wrote and illustrated， And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street， required a great degree of 25）persistence—it was rejected 27 times before being published by Vanguard Press.
In 1954， Geisel was 26）approached by William Ellsworth Spaulding， the director of the education 27）division at Houghton Mifflin， to write a book using only 250 words which William thought were important for first grade students to learn. The idea was inspired by a report published in Life magazine， which said that children were unable to learn reading because their books were boring. Geisel， using 236 words， completed The Cat in the Hat—a perfect 28）blend of Geisel’s 29）verse rhythms， drawing skills and imaginative power. This book along with others written for your young children， were a huge success both on a national and international level.
After Geisel’s first wife died in 1967， he married Audrey Stone Dimond， who not only 30）influenced his later books， but guards his 31）legacy as the 32）president of Dr. Seuss 33）Enterprises.
At the time of his death on September 24th， 1991， Geisel wrote over 60 books. Though most were published under his well-known 34）pseudonym， Dr. Seuss， he also 35）authored over a dozen books as Theo LeSieg and one as Rosetta Stone. His books have topped many bestseller lists， sold over 600 million copies， and been 36）translated into more than 20 languages.