Helen Palmer Geisel
Encyclopedia
Helen Palmer Geisel was an American actress and author and the first wife of children's book writer Dr. Seuss
. Her most well known book is Do You Know What I'm Going To Do Next Saturday?
, published in 1963. This book, along with two others—I Was Kissed by a Seal at the Zoo (1962) and Why I Built the Boogle House (1964)—combined Palmer's stories with photographs by Lynn Fayman. The photographs in I Was Kissed by a Seal at the Zoo were taken at the San Diego Zoo
in Balboa Park, San Diego, California
, and featured children from the Francis Parker School
in San Diego interacting with the zoo's animals and staff.
Palmer also expanded Dr. Seuss's short story "Gustav the Goldfish" into the book A Fish Out of Water
, which was illustrated by P. D. Eastman.
Palmer met her future husband at Oxford University. She had a profound influence on his life, including suggesting that he should be an artist rather than a professor. They married in 1926 and had no children together. She committed suicide
in 1967 with an overdose of barbiturates, after a series of illnesses (including cancer) spanning 13 years and possibly due to her husband's affair.
A public library in La Jolla, CA is named in her honor.
Dr. Seuss
Theodor Seuss Geisel was an American writer, poet, and cartoonist most widely known for his children's books written under the pen names Dr. Seuss, Theo LeSieg and, in one case, Rosetta Stone....
. Her most well known book is Do You Know What I'm Going To Do Next Saturday?
Do You Know What I'm Going To Do Next Saturday?
Do You Know What I'm Going To Do Next Saturday? is a 1963 children's book published by Beginner Books and written by Helen Palmer Geisel, the first wife of Theodore Seuss Geisel...
, published in 1963. This book, along with two others—I Was Kissed by a Seal at the Zoo (1962) and Why I Built the Boogle House (1964)—combined Palmer's stories with photographs by Lynn Fayman. The photographs in I Was Kissed by a Seal at the Zoo were taken at the San Diego Zoo
San Diego Zoo
The San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park, San Diego, California, is one of the most progressive zoos in the world, with over 4,000 animals of more than 800 species...
in Balboa Park, San Diego, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, and featured children from the Francis Parker School
Francis W. Parker School (San Diego)
Francis Parker School, also known simply as Parker, is an elite college preparatory independent day school in San Diego, California, serving students from junior kindergarten through twelfth grade. Parker was founded in 1912 by Clara Sturges Johnson and William Templeton Johnson, themselves recent...
in San Diego interacting with the zoo's animals and staff.
Palmer also expanded Dr. Seuss's short story "Gustav the Goldfish" into the book A Fish Out of Water
A Fish Out Of Water (book)
A Fish Out of Water is a children's book by Helen Palmer Geisel, and illustrated by P. D. Eastman. The book is based on a short story by Palmer's husband Theodore Geisel , "Gustav the Goldfish", which was published with his own illustrations in Redbook magazine in June of 1950.The story is about a...
, which was illustrated by P. D. Eastman.
Palmer met her future husband at Oxford University. She had a profound influence on his life, including suggesting that he should be an artist rather than a professor. They married in 1926 and had no children together. She committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
in 1967 with an overdose of barbiturates, after a series of illnesses (including cancer) spanning 13 years and possibly due to her husband's affair.
A public library in La Jolla, CA is named in her honor.