``...And to Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street'' was the 1st childrens book by Dr. Seuss. It was, and still is a smashing success, but it was not so easily sold. The following paragraph shows the starting sentences that were joted down that would evolve into the classic.
``A stupid horse and wagon...horse and chariot...chariot pulled by flying cat...flying cat pulling Viking ship...Viking ship sailing up a volcano...Volcano blowing hearts and diamonds & clubs...I saw a giant eight miles tall...who took the cards 52 in all...And this is a story that no one can beat...I saw it all happen on Mulberry Street.''
How it all happened to be is explained by Dr. Seuss in 1963:
``These are the first words I ever wrote in the field of writing for children. I put them down in the bar of the M.S. Kungshold, sometime during the summer of 1936. I wrote them for only reason. I was trying to keep my mind off the storm that was going on. (the rhythm of the rudimentary refrain came from the beat of the ship's motors.) This rhythm persisted in my head for about a week after I was off the ship and, probably as psycho-therapy, I began developing the theme. It turned into my first Juvenile ...And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street. Although I knew nothing about children's books it sounded pretty good, so I decided to get it published. It was rejected by twenty-eight publishing houses before the twenty-ninth, Vanguard Press, agreed to take a chance on bringing it out. The main reason given by the other publishing houses for rejecting it was: it was too different from other children's books on the market.''
Later he would add:
``It was finally accepted when an old Dartmouth friend who had become a children's book publisher that morning bumped into me on the street. See, everything has to do with luck.''