Whimsical and wonderful, Dr. Seuss's work has defined childhood for many decades. The silly, simple rhymes and illustrations remain favorites because, quite simply, he makes us laugh. The creator of the Grinch and the Cat in the Hat, however, had a more radical side. Also the biographer of Jim Henson and George Lucas, Brian Jay Jones explains that Theodore Geisel had a successful career in advertising and then as a political cartoonist, his personal convictions appearing, not always subtly, throughout his books. For all the ease and grace of the Dr. Seuss books, Jones reveals that Geisel was a perfectionist, agonizing over rhymes and touching up his drawings for years before publication.