<P> In 1936 , the couple were returning from an ocean voyage to Europe when the rhythm of the ship 's engines inspired the poem that became his first book : And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street . Based on Geisel 's varied accounts , the book was rejected by between 20 and 43 publishers . According to Geisel , he was walking home to burn the manuscript when a chance encounter with an old Dartmouth classmate led to its publication by Vanguard Press . Geisel wrote four more books before the US entered World War II . This included The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins in 1938 , as well as The King 's Stilts and The Seven Lady Godivas in 1939 , all of which were in prose , atypically for him . This was followed by Horton Hatches the Egg in 1940 , in which Geisel returned to the use of poetry . </P>
where did dr seuss wrote his first book
returning from an ocean voyage to Europe