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MUSEUM dedicated to children’s book author and illustrator Theodor Geisel — better known to the world as Dr Seuss — has opened in his home town of Springfield, Massachusetts.

Dr Seuss is the creator of dozens of rhyming classics, including The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham. It’s said that stepping into the Amazing World of Dr Seuss is like walking into one of his beloved children’s books.

His zany collection of 117 bowties is also on display.

The president of the Springfield Museums complex Kay Simpson said Geisel had been preoccupied with getting kids excited about reading, especially later in his career. The museum’s aim is to do the same by allowing kids to encounter the creatures that sprang from his imagination.

It features interactive exhibits — including word and alphabet games and character statues for children to climb on — and original oil paintings; and traces how his childhood shaped his work.

It also features personal memorabilia from his studio in La Jolla, California, where Geisel lived until his death in 1991 at the age of 87.

The museum is expected to draw about 100 000 visitors annually.

See https://springfieldmuseums.org.