Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Random House
Pages
48
Description
When the King's stilts are stolen and hidden, and he can no longer enjoy his play hour, the whole kingdom is threatened with destruction until a page boy bravely saves the day.
Description
Celebrate the 75th birthday of Dr. Seuss's classic treatise on the importance of a balanced life with our Anniversary Edition featuring cover art from the books original publication! A Seussian spin on a conventional fairy tale, The King's Stilts is as topical today as when it was first published in 1939. It's the story of a devoted king who works hard and plays hard—and whose entire kingdom is threatened when his beloved stilts are stolen and he is too distraught to do his job. Written in prose instead of rhyme (unlike Seuss's later works), The King's Stilts nevertheless addresses subjects that we know Dr. Seuss was passionate about throughout his life: duty (as in Horton Hears a Who and Horton Hatches the Egg); the abuse of power (as in The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins and Yertle the Turtle); deceit (as in The Bippolo Seed and How the Grinch Stole Christmas)--and even cats (as in The Cat in the Hat and I Can Lick 30 Tigers Today)! A perfect way to introduce new readers to an old classic, or to reward existing fans with a collectible new edition. Follow the Good Doctor's advice: After a hard day of work, have fun with a great book like The King's Stilts!
Originally published in 1939. This is the 1967 edition.
Originally published in 1939. This is the 1967 edition.
Collection
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1939
Physical description
48 p.; 11.3 inches
Similar in this library
Lexile
L
User reviews
LibraryThing member melannen
This is one of Dr. Seuss's early books (1939) and like the Bartholomew books, it's for a somewhat more mature audience than Seuss usually attracts: there's a lot of words on the page and some real peril.
But it's still wonderfully engaging nonsense, and with Seuss's illustrations and wordplay, a
But it's still wonderfully engaging nonsense, and with Seuss's illustrations and wordplay, a
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loyal army of cats, and an ever-more-relevant plot that centers around the problem of rising sea level, the dangers of letting P.C. get out of control, (and of course a pair of royal stilts.) Show Less
LibraryThing member marietybur
He is so collectible now, one can't afford the older books.
LibraryThing member hgcslibrary
The King wears his stilts every day after work---until they are stolen by a wicked man. Then the Nizzards invade the country until Eric, the page boy, finally recovers the stilts and the country is saved.
LibraryThing member jsanfi1
There are 2 reasons why I like this book. First, it has a really good moral to the story. It demonstrates values that can positively influence a child's life, pushing the reader to think about how they might apply these values in real life. Second, it demonstrates these values in a very creative
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way (as most Dr. Seuss books do). The story itself is very imaginative and engaging. For example children are led to imagine the "Kingdom of Binn", "Dike Trees" which "...were more spicy than pine trees..." , and "Nizzards" who like to eat their roots.Also, the pictures are fun as well. The pictures are all in black and white, with a hint of red here and there. I feel that they enhance the story and give the reader a good visual of all of the fictional characters. For example, the King is given a bright red robe in the pictures and Eric is given bright red pants and buttons, but Lord Droon is only in black and white. This shows the reader that he is a negative character in the story. Overall, this story enforces the idea that you need to relax and refresh your mind by doing something you love to do. This is necessary in order to carry out your responsibilities to the best of your ability. Show Less
LibraryThing member sweetiegherkin
Every day King Birtram works really hard, after which he really plays by going about town on his pair of red stilts. Lord Droon thinks it's unbecoming for a king to have fun, so he plots to steal the stilts away, forcing the king's page boy Eric to become a player in his theft. Without his stilts,
This is only the third children's book written by Dr. Seuss and it more resembles his second book (The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins) than his later and arguably more famous books (The Cat in the Hat and so on). The book does not feature typical Seussical elements such as rhyming, tongue twisters, alliteration, and so forth. The illustrations do have his later style at heart but are perhaps slightly more realistic. However, we do see here the beginnings of the later Seuss emerging - there are imaginary creatures called Nizzards introduced here, reminding me of the many, many bizarre animals Dr. Seuss would create over time.
Still, none of that is to say this is not a good book. Indeed, it's a magnificent book with a fairy tale like story of fantastical magic. It's rather funny and the story hints at a moral without being overly preachy - work is important, but so is fun; indeed, the former will suffer without the latter. This is an important message for kids - and adults - to be reminded of from time to time. I also enjoyed how the illustrations were all black in white except with a hint of red here and there for things like the king's stilts.
Do be aware, however, that this book is rather lengthy compared to other Dr. Seuss titles. This is not a beginner reader book that an emergent reader will sit down with on their own, and it will take some time to read aloud. However, I think it's worth that effort and found that my 6-year-old babysitting charge was enraptured throughout the entire reading.
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King Birtram has no fun and his work suffers as a result, with impending doom threatening the kingdom because of this.This is only the third children's book written by Dr. Seuss and it more resembles his second book (The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins) than his later and arguably more famous books (The Cat in the Hat and so on). The book does not feature typical Seussical elements such as rhyming, tongue twisters, alliteration, and so forth. The illustrations do have his later style at heart but are perhaps slightly more realistic. However, we do see here the beginnings of the later Seuss emerging - there are imaginary creatures called Nizzards introduced here, reminding me of the many, many bizarre animals Dr. Seuss would create over time.
Still, none of that is to say this is not a good book. Indeed, it's a magnificent book with a fairy tale like story of fantastical magic. It's rather funny and the story hints at a moral without being overly preachy - work is important, but so is fun; indeed, the former will suffer without the latter. This is an important message for kids - and adults - to be reminded of from time to time. I also enjoyed how the illustrations were all black in white except with a hint of red here and there for things like the king's stilts.
Do be aware, however, that this book is rather lengthy compared to other Dr. Seuss titles. This is not a beginner reader book that an emergent reader will sit down with on their own, and it will take some time to read aloud. However, I think it's worth that effort and found that my 6-year-old babysitting charge was enraptured throughout the entire reading.
Show Less
LibraryThing member wichitafriendsschool
Every afternoon King Birtram raced around the palace on a pair of old red stilts, until they were stolen. An uproarious tale.
LibraryThing member phoibee
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
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.
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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.
Show Less
Subjects
Call number
J2W.0052