Saturday, January 17, 2015

Seuss on Saturday #3

The King's Stilts. Dr. Seuss. 1939/1967. Random House. 56 pages. [Source: Library]

 First sentence:
Naturally, the King never wore his stilts during business hours. When King Birtram worked, he really WORKED, and his stilts stood forgotten in the tall stilt closet in the castle's front hallway.
Setting: The Kingdom of Binn

Premise/Plot. When King Birtram works, he REALLY works, and, when he plays, he REALLY plays. He knows that there is much work to be done in his kingdom. But he also knows that it is important to have fun now and then. This king has fun by walking on stilts. The story is more complex than that, of course. There is the fact that the kingdom is in danger from the sea. The kingdom is protected by the roots of the Dike tree that border the sea. The trees are in danger from the Nizzards--birds that find the tree oh-so-delicious--but the trees are protected from the Nizzards by 1,000 patrol cats. 500 to guard during the day. 500 to guard during the night. The Patrol Cats are essential to the kingdom. And it turns out, the stilts are essential to the king. The book is about what happens when a grinch-like character, Lord Droon, steals the stilts.

My thoughts: This is my very first time reading The King's Stilts. I loved it. I absolutely loved, loved, loved it!!! I love the King. I love Eric, the page boy. And I love the Patrol Cats!!! Yes, the book is text-heavy. So It's definitely a story book, it even has a fairy tale feel to it. But it's oh-so-delightful and rich in detail. It's a good, satisfying story.

Have you read The King's Stilts? What did you think of it? Did you like it? love it? hate it? I'd love to hear what you think of this one!

If you'd like to join me in reading or rereading Dr. Seuss' picture books (chronologically) I'd love to have you join me! The next book I'll be reviewing is Horton Hatches An Egg.

© 2015 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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