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The King's Stilts
The king''s beloved red stilts are stolen, and he is too distraught to do his job. Patrol Cats laze around. Water level threatens to rise and flood kingdom.
First published in 1939. Written in prose instead of rhyme (unlike Seuss's later works). Subjects that Dr. Seuss was passionate about throughout his life were: duty (as in 'Horton Hears a Who' (1954) and 'Horton Hatches the Egg' (1940)); the abuse of power (as in 'The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins' (1938) and 'Yertle the Turtle' (1958)); deceit (as in 'The Bippolo Seed' (1951) and 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas!' (1957))—and even cats (as in 'The Cat in the Hat' (1957) and 'I Can Lick 30 Tigers Today!' (1969))!
First published in 1939. Written in prose instead of rhyme (unlike Seuss's later works). Subjects that Dr. Seuss was passionate about throughout his life were: duty (as in 'Horton Hears a Who' (1954) and 'Horton Hatches the Egg' (1940)); the abuse of power (as in 'The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins' (1938) and 'Yertle the Turtle' (1958)); deceit (as in 'The Bippolo Seed' (1951) and 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas!' (1957))—and even cats (as in 'The Cat in the Hat' (1957) and 'I Can Lick 30 Tigers Today!' (1969))!
56 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1939
33 people are currently reading
921 people want to read
About the author
Dr. Seuss
981 books18.3k followersAlso wrote as Theodore Seuss Geisel, see https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
Theodor Seuss Geisel was born 2 March 1904 in Springfield, Massachusetts. He graduated Dartmouth College in 1925, and proceeded on to Oxford University with the intent of acquiring a doctorate in literature. At Oxford he met Helen Palmer, who he wed in 1927. He returned from Europe in 1927, and began working for a magazine called Judge, the leading humor magazine in America at the time, submitting both cartoons and humorous articles for them. Additionally, he was submitting cartoons to Life, Vanity Fair and Liberty. In some of his works, he'd made reference to an insecticide called Flit. These references gained notice, and led to a contract to draw comic ads for Flit. This association lasted 17 years, gained him national exposure, and coined the catchphrase "Quick, Henry, the Flit!"
In 1936 on the way to a vacation in Europe, listening to the rhythm of the ship's engines, he came up with And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, which was then promptly rejected by the first 43 publishers he showed it to. Eventually in 1937 a friend published the book for him, and it went on to at least moderate success.
During World War II, Geisel joined the army and was sent to Hollywood. Captain Geisel would write for Frank Capra's Signal Corps Unit (for which he won the Legion of Merit) and do documentaries (he won Oscar's for Hitler Lives and Design for Death). He also created a cartoon called Gerald McBoing-Boing which also won him an Oscar.
In May of 1954, Life published a report concerning illiteracy among school children. The report said, among other things, that children were having trouble to read because their books were boring. This inspired Geisel's publisher, and prompted him to send Geisel a list of 400 words he felt were important, asked him to cut the list to 250 words (the publishers idea of how many words at one time a first grader could absorb), and write a book. Nine months later, Geisel, using 220 of the words given to him published The Cat in the Hat , which went on to instant success.
In 1960 Bennett Cerf bet Geisel $50 that he couldn't write an entire book using only fifty words. The result was Green Eggs and Ham . Cerf never paid the $50 from the bet.
Helen Palmer Geisel died in 1967. Theodor Geisel married Audrey Stone Diamond in 1968. Theodor Seuss Geisel died 24 September 1991.
Also worked under the pen name: Theo Le Sieg
Theodor Seuss Geisel was born 2 March 1904 in Springfield, Massachusetts. He graduated Dartmouth College in 1925, and proceeded on to Oxford University with the intent of acquiring a doctorate in literature. At Oxford he met Helen Palmer, who he wed in 1927. He returned from Europe in 1927, and began working for a magazine called Judge, the leading humor magazine in America at the time, submitting both cartoons and humorous articles for them. Additionally, he was submitting cartoons to Life, Vanity Fair and Liberty. In some of his works, he'd made reference to an insecticide called Flit. These references gained notice, and led to a contract to draw comic ads for Flit. This association lasted 17 years, gained him national exposure, and coined the catchphrase "Quick, Henry, the Flit!"
In 1936 on the way to a vacation in Europe, listening to the rhythm of the ship's engines, he came up with And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, which was then promptly rejected by the first 43 publishers he showed it to. Eventually in 1937 a friend published the book for him, and it went on to at least moderate success.
During World War II, Geisel joined the army and was sent to Hollywood. Captain Geisel would write for Frank Capra's Signal Corps Unit (for which he won the Legion of Merit) and do documentaries (he won Oscar's for Hitler Lives and Design for Death). He also created a cartoon called Gerald McBoing-Boing which also won him an Oscar.
In May of 1954, Life published a report concerning illiteracy among school children. The report said, among other things, that children were having trouble to read because their books were boring. This inspired Geisel's publisher, and prompted him to send Geisel a list of 400 words he felt were important, asked him to cut the list to 250 words (the publishers idea of how many words at one time a first grader could absorb), and write a book. Nine months later, Geisel, using 220 of the words given to him published The Cat in the Hat , which went on to instant success.
In 1960 Bennett Cerf bet Geisel $50 that he couldn't write an entire book using only fifty words. The result was Green Eggs and Ham . Cerf never paid the $50 from the bet.
Helen Palmer Geisel died in 1967. Theodor Geisel married Audrey Stone Diamond in 1968. Theodor Seuss Geisel died 24 September 1991.
Also worked under the pen name: Theo Le Sieg
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 178 reviews
November 24, 2025
Missed this one as a kid...has been on my list for a long time...great book on how we all need to have time to do what we like to do - and not have to justify our interests to anyone. I find that it is often a great way to get a fresh perspective on things if you just read books for children. Lots of forgotten lessons to find there!
January 28, 2021
Lifelong lessons learnt:
No matter how great you are at what you do in doing for the good of others, there will always be some spoilsport who will be jealous, harmful and would love to see you go down.
This story tells the story of a hard-working, diligent King who tries his best to protect the land and his people. He works the hardest but also plays the hardest when he does one. For him, the pair of stilts are his greatest play partner. But there's this coward who wants to spoil everything for the King so he had his stilts stolen and buried. Yes, we have all such frenemies in our lives (beware of them!).
But things didn't go the coward's way when things really go wrong. There's this kid who helped the coward but kids know what's right and he did the right thing in the end and actually helped the King in the end.
Things ended well.
But yes, I learnt a few things about human nature.
Loved it.
No matter how great you are at what you do in doing for the good of others, there will always be some spoilsport who will be jealous, harmful and would love to see you go down.
This story tells the story of a hard-working, diligent King who tries his best to protect the land and his people. He works the hardest but also plays the hardest when he does one. For him, the pair of stilts are his greatest play partner. But there's this coward who wants to spoil everything for the King so he had his stilts stolen and buried. Yes, we have all such frenemies in our lives (beware of them!).
But things didn't go the coward's way when things really go wrong. There's this kid who helped the coward but kids know what's right and he did the right thing in the end and actually helped the King in the end.
Things ended well.
But yes, I learnt a few things about human nature.
Loved it.
March 16, 2021
King Birtram of Binn got more work done by seven o'clock in the morning than most rulers got done in a month. He worked hard keeping his kingdom safe from the ever-threatening sea, caring for the Patrol Cats who battled the Nizzards - birds who continually ate away at the roots of the Dike Trees protecting the land. But as hard as the king worked, he played just as hard, flashing about on his bright red stilts every day at five in the evening. No one begrudged him his amusement, save for sour Lord Droon, who conspired to hide the king's stilts, and to keep the king's pageboy, Eric, from disclosing this piece of villainy. Unable to play, the king stopped working as well, the cats stopped patrolling, and the Dike Trees became ever weaker. Eric knew he had to do something, or the Kingdom of Binn would soon disappear beneath the waves...
Originally published in 1939, The King's Stilts was Dr. Seuss' third picture-book, following upon And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street (1937) and The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins (1938). Although it was never one of my favorites, when it comes to Dr. Seuss' many books, I do recall reading and enjoying it, when a girl, and have a vivid memory of the image of the king on his stilts. I picked it up for this reread as part of a Seuss retrospective I have recently undertaken, as an act of personal protest against the suppression of six of the author/artist's titles - And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street , McElligot's Pool , If I Ran the Zoo , Scrambled Eggs Super! , On Beyond Zebra! and The Cat's Quizzer - by Dr. Seuss Enterprises. See my review of And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street , to be found HERE, for a fuller exploration of my thoughts on that matter.
In any case, I found this an entertaining and thought-provoking original fairy-tale, and appreciated both the story and the artwork. Unlike many of Dr. Seuss' books aimed at younger children, or written later in his career, The King's Stilts presents its story in prose. I have seen it described as an exploration of balance - the need for both hard work and hard play, in a fulfilled life - and I think that makes sense. After all, King Birtram is described as the most productive of royals, until his pleasure is taken away, and he sinks into a depression, suggesting that without the release provided by his chosen leisure activity, his work performance will suffer. This seems a commonly accepted idea today, but I'm not sure how widespread it was in 1939. It occurs to me that the story could also be read as an exploration of the idea of convention and respectability politics, as Lord Droon's actions are driven by what he thinks is proper for a king to do - something that does not involve dashing about on stilts - and by his sense of embarrassment at what he perceives as a silly activity.
However one interprets the story, it is engaging, offering an entertaining and suspenseful tale with plenty of fairy-tale elements - the royal kingdom, the threat from non-human forces, the magical animals - and a satisfactorily happy ending. The accompanying artwork is done in black and white, with the occasional red accent, and captures the absurd humor of the whole tale. The depiction of the both the cats and the Nizzards recalled other creatures of the kind, in subsequent Seuss books, and was very appealing, in that rather snarky, humorous Seussian way. In sum: an appealing, entertaining and satisfying fairy-tale from Seuss, well worth the time of any picture-book reader with a taste for such stories. It's a little text-heavy, so I'd advise its use with slightly older audiences, perhaps six and above.
Originally published in 1939, The King's Stilts was Dr. Seuss' third picture-book, following upon And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street (1937) and The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins (1938). Although it was never one of my favorites, when it comes to Dr. Seuss' many books, I do recall reading and enjoying it, when a girl, and have a vivid memory of the image of the king on his stilts. I picked it up for this reread as part of a Seuss retrospective I have recently undertaken, as an act of personal protest against the suppression of six of the author/artist's titles - And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street , McElligot's Pool , If I Ran the Zoo , Scrambled Eggs Super! , On Beyond Zebra! and The Cat's Quizzer - by Dr. Seuss Enterprises. See my review of And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street , to be found HERE, for a fuller exploration of my thoughts on that matter.
In any case, I found this an entertaining and thought-provoking original fairy-tale, and appreciated both the story and the artwork. Unlike many of Dr. Seuss' books aimed at younger children, or written later in his career, The King's Stilts presents its story in prose. I have seen it described as an exploration of balance - the need for both hard work and hard play, in a fulfilled life - and I think that makes sense. After all, King Birtram is described as the most productive of royals, until his pleasure is taken away, and he sinks into a depression, suggesting that without the release provided by his chosen leisure activity, his work performance will suffer. This seems a commonly accepted idea today, but I'm not sure how widespread it was in 1939. It occurs to me that the story could also be read as an exploration of the idea of convention and respectability politics, as Lord Droon's actions are driven by what he thinks is proper for a king to do - something that does not involve dashing about on stilts - and by his sense of embarrassment at what he perceives as a silly activity.
However one interprets the story, it is engaging, offering an entertaining and suspenseful tale with plenty of fairy-tale elements - the royal kingdom, the threat from non-human forces, the magical animals - and a satisfactorily happy ending. The accompanying artwork is done in black and white, with the occasional red accent, and captures the absurd humor of the whole tale. The depiction of the both the cats and the Nizzards recalled other creatures of the kind, in subsequent Seuss books, and was very appealing, in that rather snarky, humorous Seussian way. In sum: an appealing, entertaining and satisfying fairy-tale from Seuss, well worth the time of any picture-book reader with a taste for such stories. It's a little text-heavy, so I'd advise its use with slightly older audiences, perhaps six and above.
March 17, 2014
My 5 year old loved this book. She asked for it every day until I got tired of reading it. We have moved on to chapter books, but she still asks for it occasionally. I'm not sure what she relates to about it, but it really drew her attention. I like the lesson of working hard, and then playing hard. Without the reward of his stilts, the hard working king became depressed and just stopped working. I'm not sure if my daughter caught this message or if she just enjoyed the adventure and silliness but it was definitely a favorite.
March 5, 2017
Now, anyone who has been reading Dr. Seuss’ books are probably more familiar with his books “The Cat in the Hat,” “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and “The Lorax.” But, did you know that Dr. Seuss had created some earlier books that dealt with the days of old where kings and kingdoms still existed? Well, “The King’s Stilts” by Dr. Seuss is such a book and it was a truly wonderful experience to behold!
Once upon a time, there lived a King named King Birtram who ruled the kingdom of Binn. Every day, the King would sign important papers of state, while taking a bath and his page boy Eric would hold up the papers while his other servant Lord Droon would give the King the papers to sign. But, probably the most important duty that the King has to do is to take care of a group of cats called the Patrol Cats, who protect the Kingdom of Binn from a group birds called Nizzards. The reason why the Patrol Cats are needed to protect the kingdom is because the kingdom is surrounded by the sea and only a set of trees that surround the kingdom called the Dike Trees can prevent the sea from flooding the kingdom. Unfortunately, the Nizzards are constantly pecking at the roots of the Dike Trees and the Patrol Cats have to chase them away. After the King finishes all the hard work he has to do for the kingdom, he takes a well-earned break by playing with his trusty stilts and everyone in the kingdom like the fact that the King is able to take some time off from his work. Unfortunately, the only person in the kingdom who does not like the King having fun on his stilts is Lord Droon since he believes that the King should never have any fun and he goes to the King’s private quarters and steals his stilts and forced Eric to dig up the stilts near the sea. Now with the stilts gone, the King became depressed and neglected his duties for the kingdom. This caused the Patrol Cats to get fat and lazy and they could not chase away the Nizzards, who started pecking away at the trees. Only Eric the Page Boy knows about the stilts, but Lord Droon threatened Eric to not tell the King about the stilts.
Will Eric be able to get the stilts back to the king before it is too late for the Kingdom of Binn?
Read this book to find out!
You know, even though I had read some Dr. Seuss books that were pretty dark in tone such as the “Bartholomew” books, “The Lorax” and “The Butter Battle Book,” it was still surprising to see another early Dr. Seuss book that takes place during the medieval times while still having dark situations happen to the characters. I like the way that Dr. Seuss wrote this story, as it was quite unique from most of his other works as the story is not told in Dr. Seuss’ usual cheerful rhyming scheme, but told in a straightforward narrative, which makes the story much more serious to read through. I also like the theme that Dr. Seuss presents in the story about how it is important to take a break once in a while after working hard and the fact that the King can function in his work activities extremely well after he goes out for a spin on his stilts really reinforce this idea. I like the fact that the King has a pretty good relationship with Eric the page boy, even though I would have liked to see more scenes of Eric and the King together to get a full grasp on their relationship with each other. Dr. Seuss’ artwork is as usual, highly creative to look at as the artwork is mostly presented in black and white colors, but there are certain objects in the artwork that are colored in red to show their significance to the story, such as the King’s cape and stilts, Eric the Page Boy’s pants and the Patrol Cats’ badges.
Parents should know that unlike most of Dr. Seuss’ later works, the tone of this story is much darker as the scenes where the Kingdom of Binn is in danger of being flooded by the sea because of the Nizzard birds nibbling on the dike trees might scare some small children.
Overall, “The King’s Stilts” is a truly remarkable read from Dr. Seuss’ earlier works and one I would definitely recommend you check out! I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since the intense scenes involving the Nizzards would scare some smaller children.
Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog
September 11, 2012
It was my first time to read a prose by Dr. Seuss. I really like the story. The story was about passion and being yourself. It's like the quote "if you go against the will of your heart, it will become smaller and weaker". It was evinced by the king in the story. He tried to be happy but he can't because his passion was gone, and become unproductive.
I think that whatever passion you're into, it does not matter as long as you're happy and honest with yourself. It does not matter if what you love is childish or something. You should not care about what other people see or say. If it will become real, I will admire King Birtram and his quirky way to play. Because the way I see it, Lord Droon was only insecure and envied the king because he was too happy and contented.
I think that whatever passion you're into, it does not matter as long as you're happy and honest with yourself. It does not matter if what you love is childish or something. You should not care about what other people see or say. If it will become real, I will admire King Birtram and his quirky way to play. Because the way I see it, Lord Droon was only insecure and envied the king because he was too happy and contented.
December 18, 2014
One of the books from the very beginning of Dr Seuss's career. It is a prose story with longer passages and no rhymes. I would have preferred the rhythm of reading that I got use to in other Seuss stories, but maybe he hadn't established that yet when he wrote this piece. This is a story of a king who works hard and rewards himself with an hour of running on stilts. But this one guy decides that is not very kingly behavior and gets rid of the stilts. Everything in the kingdom falls to pieces until the stilts are restored. Basically haters gonna hate, so you better stand up for what makes you happy and not let anyone else make you feel bad about it.
March 9, 2012
Since I personally know Lord Droon, perhaps I shouldn't comment. He's as unpleasant as the story suggests. But having had my experiences with him, I find no exaggeration in the premise of the King's Stilts, namely that guilt tripping a person into abandoning his or her individual passion is enough to make life meaningless and destroy the basic ability to function.
In my opinion this, like all of Dr Seuss' longer works is a true story that he rearranged to be funny. The moral is deeper than just "balance play and work." Lord Droon has it in for anything that embarrasses him, and the King's habit of exercising and keeping himself in good health and good spirits on the top of a pair of red stilts was only threatening to the one person who wanted the King to fail and the kingdom to drown. Clearly Dr Seuss understood that burn out at work was not the only issue on the table.
Suicidal depression is one deep subject for a kids' book. Only Dr Seuss could make that light enough to jump up on a pair of red stilts and run around with it's cape flapping. The whole story leans toward being a metaphor for the unconscious mind. It is the roots of dike trees that the nizzards are after, not the leaves or even the trunks. The stilts are buried in a hole in the ground, like a grave. In fact, story would have been one more boring usurping of the crown, and never published at all, except that the entire kingdom just happens to be below sea level.
Down there in the fragile, but busy world of what we can not control with our social programming is the thing that makes us happy and gives us the power to be the king of our own mind, at any level. In spite of not being in verse, the King's Stilts gets all five stars from me. I would like do a research paper on the brilliance of the man who wrote this and the social commentary he made decades before it was popular.
In my opinion this, like all of Dr Seuss' longer works is a true story that he rearranged to be funny. The moral is deeper than just "balance play and work." Lord Droon has it in for anything that embarrasses him, and the King's habit of exercising and keeping himself in good health and good spirits on the top of a pair of red stilts was only threatening to the one person who wanted the King to fail and the kingdom to drown. Clearly Dr Seuss understood that burn out at work was not the only issue on the table.
Suicidal depression is one deep subject for a kids' book. Only Dr Seuss could make that light enough to jump up on a pair of red stilts and run around with it's cape flapping. The whole story leans toward being a metaphor for the unconscious mind. It is the roots of dike trees that the nizzards are after, not the leaves or even the trunks. The stilts are buried in a hole in the ground, like a grave. In fact, story would have been one more boring usurping of the crown, and never published at all, except that the entire kingdom just happens to be below sea level.
Down there in the fragile, but busy world of what we can not control with our social programming is the thing that makes us happy and gives us the power to be the king of our own mind, at any level. In spite of not being in verse, the King's Stilts gets all five stars from me. I would like do a research paper on the brilliance of the man who wrote this and the social commentary he made decades before it was popular.
August 27, 2008
This is one of the few Seuss books I never read as a child and, indeed, until I saw it in the library today, I'd never even heard of it. It's one of the rare prose books (no rhymes here at all) and fits in with Bartholomew and the Ooblek and the 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins, except it's a different king, a different page, and a different kingdom. The book is very long, with lots and lots of words, and I was surprised that my four year old sat through the whole thing (even my 2 year old sat through most of it). It's well written, with good vocabulary and descriptions and enough "Oh no!" moments to keep my children interested. The message of this book about a king who works hard by day and plays hard in the evening (with some stilt walking) seems to be that all work and no play is bad for society in general, and that while one must work one's hardest and accomplish good ends, a little fun will keep the mind and spirits bright and active. In short: living life with zest should not be seen as undignified.
January 16, 2016
For one of the non-colourful, non-rhyming early Seuss books, I found this one rather charming. It may lack the amusement of Seuss's made-up lingo and bouncing rhythm, but it loses none of its whimsy due to the carefully depicted character of the hardworking king who takes afternoon jaunts around the palace grounds via stilts. Only Seuss would be able to successfully depart the important message of having fun alongside the importance of working hard through a seemingly silly story - a theme that he would continue throughout his career as a writer and illustrator.
January 8, 2016
Dr. Seuss's classic treatise on the importance of a balanced life, that is such a good description of this book. Pretty standard stuff really, a nice hard working king who loves a bit of fun, a young boy who helps him and a nasty old grumpy man who doesn't like fun.... and a pair of stilts.
We enjoyed the story and I really do like these grey and red illustrations that Dr Seuss uses, they stand out really well on the pages.
We enjoyed the story and I really do like these grey and red illustrations that Dr Seuss uses, they stand out really well on the pages.
July 15, 2023
King Birtram has an effective daily plan, balancing work and play. He even placed work before pleasure everyday. But someone did not approve, someone with political power, someone who used their words for correction which led to destruction of the King's spirit.
Still. Still. The Universe is a self-correcting entity. Balance will be restored.
The illustrations in the book indicate balance. Instead of the big bold art stick lines used in the previous Dr Seuss book The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins, here in The Kings Stilts the stark combination of black bold lines with some bright red mixed in gives way to more shades of intensities of black, gray, white mixer with bright red and bright peach. The world of The King on Stilts provides opportunity for balance and compromise.
Still. Still. The Universe is a self-correcting entity. Balance will be restored.
The illustrations in the book indicate balance. Instead of the big bold art stick lines used in the previous Dr Seuss book The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins, here in The Kings Stilts the stark combination of black bold lines with some bright red mixed in gives way to more shades of intensities of black, gray, white mixer with bright red and bright peach. The world of The King on Stilts provides opportunity for balance and compromise.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 6, 2021
Zoals een kinderboek hoort te zijn <3
September 15, 2022
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. What a delightful story!! Seuss’s prose is as good as his poetry. Honestly, this is brilliantly written! In a little country set below the sea, big trees with interlaced roots keep the sea from flooding in. But sharp-beaked birds love the tree bark, so an army of cats must patrol the banks by day and night to frighten away the birds. And all this is managed by the King—who gets more work done by seven than any other king does in a whole day; spends his mornings taking care of the cats; spends the afternoon inspecting the trees; and then at five o’clock, hops onto his shiny red stilts and PLAYS.
The King was a fun guy, Lord D. was a great villain, and Eric the pageboy (or “paper man,” as my 5-year-old brother calls him) was an awesome hero. I really enjoyed watching the plot work out, as Lord D. destroyed the stilts and broke the King’s heart, and poor Eric was dismissed so he didn’t say anything. I can’t say any more for fear of spoilers, but there’s plenty of humour, action, & excitement, plus even some disguise and narrow escapes! And I loved the understated moral of “always doing the right thing/our duty even when it’s hard.” Again, a lovely adventure and hero.
Content: mild language (g*sh, d*rn.)
The King was a fun guy, Lord D. was a great villain, and Eric the pageboy (or “paper man,” as my 5-year-old brother calls him) was an awesome hero. I really enjoyed watching the plot work out, as Lord D. destroyed the stilts and broke the King’s heart, and poor Eric was dismissed so he didn’t say anything. I can’t say any more for fear of spoilers, but there’s plenty of humour, action, & excitement, plus even some disguise and narrow escapes! And I loved the understated moral of “always doing the right thing/our duty even when it’s hard.” Again, a lovely adventure and hero.
Content: mild language (g*sh, d*rn.)
July 30, 2017
The illustrations are wonderful, very much the same world as The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins, but the story doesn't meet that high standard.
February 4, 2015
One of his earliest (1939), obviously about the Netherlands...obviously.
October 26, 2016
A must read for anyone in a leadership position.
August 13, 2015
True Rating: 3.5
I did not really like this book especially for the plot, and that it was too long for a children's book. If I were a little kid I would have major difficulty reading this book and comprehend the words. There were words that even I didn't know how to pronounce or knew the meaning and I am not a child!
We are introduce to King Birtram who rules the land of Binn. He is a busy King because he has to take care of all his normal business as King but also he needs to protect the Dike Trees. The trees are what protect the land from being overflowing with ocean water and unfortunately these Nizzards birds love to chew and destroy the trees. Luckily he commands these patrol cats to chase away the birds.
After working hard he loves to play hard and loves using these red shiny stilts. He gets so happy playing with his stilts until one of the Lords has had enough of his happiness. So he tells the page boy to bury the stilts and to never come back. When word gets out that the stilts get out, the King gets depress and the kingdom quickly turns upside and starts a crisis as water is pouring into the town. Hopefully the page boy, Eric will find a way to save the day.
Even though the animals look exactly like Dr. Seuss's famous creations, the rest doesn't seem like his typical writing and for it being so long it didn't seem to attract my wonder and imagination. I would rate this 3 stars but I love the illustrations so I move it to a 3.5.
I understand the morale of the story in which we as humans need to take a break and enjoy life because if we over exhaust ourselves then we are unable to function correctly among our work and private life. But I felt like between the whole chase of the missing stilts it took away the main message and just dragged it along.
Thank God it is over and now I'm off to Horton Hatches the Egg!
I did not really like this book especially for the plot, and that it was too long for a children's book. If I were a little kid I would have major difficulty reading this book and comprehend the words. There were words that even I didn't know how to pronounce or knew the meaning and I am not a child!
We are introduce to King Birtram who rules the land of Binn. He is a busy King because he has to take care of all his normal business as King but also he needs to protect the Dike Trees. The trees are what protect the land from being overflowing with ocean water and unfortunately these Nizzards birds love to chew and destroy the trees. Luckily he commands these patrol cats to chase away the birds.
After working hard he loves to play hard and loves using these red shiny stilts. He gets so happy playing with his stilts until one of the Lords has had enough of his happiness. So he tells the page boy to bury the stilts and to never come back. When word gets out that the stilts get out, the King gets depress and the kingdom quickly turns upside and starts a crisis as water is pouring into the town. Hopefully the page boy, Eric will find a way to save the day.
Even though the animals look exactly like Dr. Seuss's famous creations, the rest doesn't seem like his typical writing and for it being so long it didn't seem to attract my wonder and imagination. I would rate this 3 stars but I love the illustrations so I move it to a 3.5.
I understand the morale of the story in which we as humans need to take a break and enjoy life because if we over exhaust ourselves then we are unable to function correctly among our work and private life. But I felt like between the whole chase of the missing stilts it took away the main message and just dragged it along.
Thank God it is over and now I'm off to Horton Hatches the Egg!
January 1, 2018
Christmas 1967 was one of the most memorable and happy days of my childhood. I was in 3rd grade. My family was living in a small rented house in Logan, Utah, while my dad worked part-time as a shoe salesman while he was earning his Masters degree. We were poor and I knew it, so I wasn't expecting much for Christmas, but I was still nearly overwhelmed by the thrill and excitement of the season. That year, despite our poverty, my parents somehow managed to acquire a sizable array of gifts for our Christmas tree.
One of those gifts was this book, The King's Stilts by Dr. Seuss. I enjoyed many wonderful and thoughtful gifts and had many memorable experiences that Christmas season, but the one thing I consistently and always remember about that day is this book. I read it over and over again. I loved it, and still do to this day.
One of those gifts was this book, The King's Stilts by Dr. Seuss. I enjoyed many wonderful and thoughtful gifts and had many memorable experiences that Christmas season, but the one thing I consistently and always remember about that day is this book. I read it over and over again. I loved it, and still do to this day.
February 6, 2016
A hard working king needs his afternoon of fun stilt-walking to keep on top of his job - which is managing the Patrol Cats the fight the Nizzards off from eating the trees the form the barrier against the see and the kingdom of Binn. The stils are stolen by the evil Droon everything goes to pot. On the brink of destruction, Eric, the kings page boy, returns the kings stilts and saves the day.
Moral: Work hard AND play hard.
While this was an enjoyable story (though a bit long for reading aloud in one sitting), I like Dr. Suess' rhyming stories better.
Illustrations are whimsical.
Moral: Work hard AND play hard.
While this was an enjoyable story (though a bit long for reading aloud in one sitting), I like Dr. Suess' rhyming stories better.
Illustrations are whimsical.
July 14, 2009
I think this has to be my favorite Dr. Seuss book. When I read it to my kids, they were all unanimous in giving it five stars.
One thing I really like about this book is the notion that everyone needs something to lift them up and give them some balance. What a great way to do it if you have a pair of red stilts.
One thing I really like about this book is the notion that everyone needs something to lift them up and give them some balance. What a great way to do it if you have a pair of red stilts.
April 28, 2015
A cautionary tale about maintaining vigilant defenses, keeping on top of your duties, and the price of honor.
March 24, 2016
This has always been my favorite Dr. Seuss book. I really liked the story and the message. I think his use of red in the pictures is wonderful and interesting. I always connected with the underlying messages of accepting who you are on the inside and having fun but knowing how to work hard and effectively when the time comes.
January 2, 2019
I'm sure all the other positive reviews say everything essential about this. If you don't recall it, read it. It's one of his longer prose stories, with real people and less fantasy, but still wonderful. I'll only add that there's a subtler message in here, one that children are more likely to pick up on than adults: delegate!
May 23, 2021
It’s a nice creative story about a king and his stills. This book is bit advanced books from his collection with bit chunky text. Dr Seuss beautifully builds up the story with giving the imagination of a kingdom which is situated lower to the sea. The illustrations are great and I love about his books is the connection and the ecosystem he builds. This is definitely a fascinating read.
December 9, 2008
This is probably my favorite Suess book and I tried it out on my grandsons this week. I wondered if they were ready to sit for longer text in this book but I shouldn't have worried. This book is still fabulous for kids and they were captivated by the Nizzardly danger to the dike trees.
July 29, 2015
✭✭✭✭½
June 27, 2024
This one was so good! I liked the lesson behind this book a lot; No matter what you do there is always a hater, trying to ruin your fun, and no matter what you shouldn't get it ruined by them. Not only was the idea unique by using stilts than any other thing the King could have been enjoying, but in the end he also got a stilts friend who played with him.
And when they played they really PLAYED.
Ps: Love how only the red was in colour. I think I also saw that in the Cat in a Hat before. It's my favourite colour so I might be biased.
And when they played they really PLAYED.
Ps: Love how only the red was in colour. I think I also saw that in the Cat in a Hat before. It's my favourite colour so I might be biased.
September 1, 2017
2.5
I expected more.
I expected more.
May 17, 2019
Marvelous! I wish I had a pair of stilts when I was a kid.
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