This is Ann

The Works of Dr. Seuss

A man in a suit works on an illustration of the famous "Grinch" cartoon character.

Today, Dr. Seuss is one of the most well-known authors and illustrators of children’s books in the world. Some of his most popular books include The Cat in the Hat (1957), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1957), One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish (1960), and Green Eggs and Ham (1960). Seuss’s books have been translated into many languages and have sold hundreds of millions of copies around the world. However, the man behind Dr. Seuss had another identity.

Dr. Seuss is the pen name for Theodor Geisel. Born in Massachusetts in 1904, Geisel got his start as an illustrator for advertisements in magazines. He began writing and illustrating children’s books in the 1930s. In 1942, he joined the United States’ efforts in World War II. As commanding captain of the animation department, first motion picture unit, Geisel was tasked with creating animated and illustrated educational materials for US troops. These materials were intended to teach soldiers the skills and give the information they needed to stay alive.

Text reads: WAR DEPARTMENT Washington 25, D.C., August 1943. This booklet is published for the information and guidance of all concerned. [A.G. 300.7 (13 Jul 43).] BY THE ORDER OF THE SECRETARY OF WAR: G.C. MARSHALL, Chief of Staff. OFFICIAL: J.A. ULIO Major General, The Adjutant General. DISTRIBUTION: X.

One of the greatest threats to the health and safety of U.S. soldiers was malaria. Malaria is far less common in the United States than it is in the South Pacific, where many soldiers were stationed. These soldiers had not built immunity to the illness, and many did not know how to prevent infection. Furthermore, Germany had blocked the Allies’ supply of quinine (the most effective antimalarial drug of that time). The United States Antimalarial Program was trying to create a new antimalarial drug, but they did not have one yet and soldiers were dying.

In response, the secretary of war ordered a public health brochure explaining malaria and malaria prevention. Geisel was assigned to the project along with Munro Leaf, another children’s book writer in the animation department of the first motion picture unit. Geisel and Leaf were not scientists, but they were working with information provided to them from scientists. Geisel was concerned that if the materials were dry and boring, soldiers would not read them. The materials needed to convey scientific information and convince people to change their behavior, and they needed to do it in an entertaining way. It was a matter of life and death.

Visual Storytelling

As a storyteller, Geisel developed a visual language that he used in his illustrated stories. The illustrations, layout, and font all contribute to Geisel’s storytelling. When faced with the challenge of how to teach soldiers about malaria in an entertaining way, Geisel used the same visual language that he would later use in his children’s books. Use the interactive image below to explore the techniques Geisel used to engage his readers.

This is Ann

Two page spread in a book. The left page is mostly black. A red mosquito looks through a white keyhole shape. White text reads: Ann really gets around. The right page has the text: Her full name is Anopheles Mosquito and her trade is dishing out Malaria She's at home in Africa, the Caribbean, India, the South and Southwest Pacific and other Hot Spots. The words "Anopheles Mosquito" and "Malaria" are in a red font and larger than the other words..

View accessible descriptions

Character. Geisel’s storybook illustrations feature fantastic and impossible creature characters whose adventures and behaviors captivate readers. Compare this illustration of adult Anopheles mosquitos with the illustration Geisel uses in the booklet. Which appears to have more personality? Which would you rather read a story about? Instead of telling soldiers a story about the Anopheles mosquito, Geisel and Leaf tell soldiers a story about Ann, a mosquito whose adventures and behaviors have deadly consequences for the soldiers.
Scale. This is the first page of the booklet, and Geisel drew Ann framed by a keyhole. This keyhole framing serves an important job for Geisel’s visual storytelling: It provides a sense of scale. Without the frame, the reader would have no way of knowing how large Ann is. Is she as big as a person? As big as a building? By using this framing technique, Geisel is reminding his readers that Anopheles mosquitos are small but that they should not be ignored.
Emphasis. All the text on this page is black except for three words. Geisel uses red text (and a larger font) to emphasize “Anopheles mosquito” and “Malaria.” Using a different color, especially a bold color like red, draws the viewer’s attention. Geisel was concerned that if soldiers got bored and stopped reading, they would not make the important connection between the mosquitos they were living with and the disease that was killing them. By putting these key words in a bold color at the beginning of his booklet, Geisel helps the reader make an immediate connection between the two words. Bonus: When you click back to the main image, look for other red on the page. How does this use of red support the booklet’s essential message?

Understanding Malaria

A red page with a white heart in the center. Inside the heart is a mosquito holding a glass full of red liquid. White text at the top reads: ...she drinks Blood

High fevers, shaking chills, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea are just some of the symptoms of malaria, a brutal and sometimes fatal illness caused by a parasite. Parasites are more complicated than bacteria since they go through multiple life phases across multiple hosts.

The transmission of malaria begins when a female Anopheles mosquito bites an infected human and drinks that person’s blood (only female mosquitos drink blood, which they use to nourish their eggs). This mosquito is now a host to the parasite. Once the parasite enters the mosquito’s midgut, it multiplies and travels to the mosquito’s salivary glands. When the mosquito drinks the blood of another human (about a week later), the parasite mixes with the mosquito’s saliva and gets injected into the human. That human is now a host to the parasite. Once the parasite enters the human’s bloodstream, it travels to the liver where it multiplies and continues through the body in the red blood cells. The next time a mosquito drinks this person’s blood, the cycle will begin again.

Some other important facts about malaria:

Because Malaria is in the red blood cells of an infected person, it cannot be transmitted from person-to-person through nonblood contact.
Malaria is typically found in warmer, tropical, and subtropical, regions of the world because this temperature is ideal for the Anopheles mosquito.
Human immune systems can develop responses to the malaria parasite. Frequent exposure to malaria parasites trains the immune system.

Geisel and Leaf needed to help their readers understand the transmission of malaria. How could they do that if their readers weren’t interested in reading a science textbook? Read through the following pages and use the questions and prompts below to explore the ways Geisel conveyed scientific information.

Ilustration of a mosquito upside-down drinking with red droplets. Text reads: And she stands on her head to get to it. She jabs that beak of hers in like a drill and sucks up the juice.

Text reads: When she picks on a victim who's full of Malaria Germs, up come the germs right into Ann's nice warm rumble seat where she gives them a free ride and they get together and make little germs..........plenty. The words "Malaria" and "Ann" are in red cursive.

An illustration of a mosquito's head. Text reads: By and by Ann wants just another little drink and off she goes looking for a sap who hasn't got sense enough to protect himself. When she finds him... down goes her schnozzle for more BLOOD. "Ann" "Just another little drink" and "BLOOD" are written in red.

Text reads: and all those new little germs climb down the drain pipe and into the poor guy who doesn't know it hen, but he is going to feel awful in about eight to fourteen days... because he is going to have MALARIA. "MALARIA" is written in red and an illustrated hand points to the word.

This is Ann: she's dying to meet you, United States War Department, Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss), Leaf Munro, 1943. John Haskell Kemble Collection. The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. 646498.

Questions & Prompts

What can this work tell us about the natural world? How did Geisel incorporate information about the natural world into this work?

Humans are a part of nature. How does this artwork convey that idea?
Look closely at one of the pages. What do you notice first? What do you notice after looking for a full minute?
Does this work tell a story? If so, what story?
Does this work remind you of anything? What? Why?
These pages include information for the reader. What information do you think Geisel thought was the most important? What do you see in the object that makes you think that?

How did Geisel use his imagination and creativity when creating this work?

Combatting Malaria

Helping people understand the transmission of malaria was only half the battle for Geisel and Leaf. The other half of the battle was convincing people to take the lifesaving measures necessary to stop transmission. Geisel and Leaf needed to be both informative and persuasive.

Read through the following pages and use the questions and prompts below to explore the ways Geisel informed and persuaded his readers.

Large white text on a red background reads: What to do about Ann. Smaller black text on a white backround reads: Never give her a break. She can make you feel like a combination of a forest fire, a January blizzard, and an old

Illustration of a person wearing nothing but a towel and lying down looking sick while a mosquito flies away. Text above the illustration reads: dish mop. She will leave you with about as much pep as a sack of wet sand and now and then she can knock you flat for keeps...

Text reads: The Army has anti-MALARIA combat units that carry out a steady battle by draining and filling ditches and pools where Anopheles mosquitos breed. They also spread poison in the waters they can't drain. They screen huts and spray

Black text on white background reads: areas to kill them off, but in many places we have to go in this war they can't do any more than help. Larger white text on black background reads: the real job is up to you.

Text reads: You will be given sleeping nets... USE THEM Nighttime while you are pounding the pillow is when Ann gets in her best licks and you get MALARIA. "Use them" "Ann" and "Malaria" are written in red.

Illustration of a mosquito on the outside of a net. Text reads: and Remember This... All the mosquito netting in the world won't do you any good if you don't use it the right way... Keep away from the sides. "Remember This..." is in red text.

Illustration of a mosquito approaching and flying through a hole in a net. Illustration of a person with no clothing lying on their back with red squiggles coming up. Text reads: and don't forget that a hole this big in your net can cook you.

An illustration of a sewing needle and thread and of tape. Red text at the top reads: KEEP 'EM PATCHED. Black text below reads: sew them up or use adhesive tape.

Illustration of a glass bottle with "REPEL" written on it and a mosquito flying away. Red text at the top reads: REPELLENTS. Black text below reads: A repellent is just a 75 cent name for stuff to put on you that will keep Ann away. The word "Ann" is written in red and cursive.

Questions & Prompts

What patterns and relationships does Geisel describe in this work?
What is Geisel’s main argument? How does he make his argument? What evidence does he provide to support his argument?
If you were a soldier reading this booklet, would you find it convincing? Why or why not?

Create a Public Health Booklet

What is a public health issue that concerns you? What do you wish people understood about your topic? What do you wish people would do differently? Create a public health booklet that entertains your reader, conveys scientific information, and convinces people to get involved.

Malaria Today

Today, antimalarial drugs are widely available to people in the United States. However, malaria is still a major global health concern. Many countries recovering from the devastating impacts of colonialism and imperialism lack the antimalarial resources of the United States. Hundreds of millions of people contract malaria every year, and hundreds of thousands of people die of the disease every year. Scientists and activists across the globe are working to combat the spread of malaria. You can learn more at the RBM Partnership to End Malaria.

References and Resources

Centers for Disease Control. 2022. “About Malaria, FAQs.” March 22, 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/malaria/about/faqs.html.

Chase, Robert. n.d. “Introduction.” The Art of Dr. Seuss Collection. Accessed May 3, 2022. https://www.drseussart.com/bio.

Doucleff, Michaeleen. 2012. “Dr. Seuss On Malaria: ‘This Is Ann … She Drinks Blood.’” Shots: Health News from NPR. August 20, 2012. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2012/08/20/159382005/dr-seuss-on-malaria-this-is-ann-she-drinks-blood.

Library of Congress. 2012. Malaria & War: The U.S. Antimalarial Program in World War II. YouTube Video. March 27, 2012. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqpxSNVDPa0.

Roth, Ginny. 2019. “Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!” NIH, National Library of Medicine. March 4, 2019. https://circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov/2019/03/04/happy-birthday-dr-seuss/.

This is Ann

This is Ann

This is Ann

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