Bartholomew and the Oobleck: (Caldecott Honor Book) (Classic Seuss)
by Dr. Seuss

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Book Summary Information

• ISBN13: 9780394800752
• Condition: New
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Book Reviews of Bartholomew and the Oobleck: (Caldecott Honor Book) (Classic Seuss)

Book Review: A Power Trip Can Put You in a Sticky Situation!
Summary: 5 Stars

The book is a wonderful look at the perils of getting what you think you want, a great lesson for children to learn at an early age. Unlike other Dr. Seuss books, this one is mostly in prose. The color in the illustrations is limited to green to flesh out the oobleck. The drawings and the humor though are first rate Dr. Seuss!

Bartholomew is the King's page boy, and the king's source of common sense. When the king decides to call in his magicians to create oobleck, Bartholomew's warnings are unheeded. Even the magicians give a warning, for they have never made oobleck before and don't quite know how it will turn out. Nevertheless, the king orders the magicians to go ahead. When the first green drops hit, the king decides to declare a holiday.

But soon there are problems. Oobleck is very sticky! And it's coming down in ever increasing quantities. What do you do?

The resolution is a particularly good one, for it reinforces the moral that any willful thing we decide to do can be undone if we unbend our will. (It also encourages good manners.)

Reading this book reminded me of when I was about five. I only liked to eat junk food. I begged my parents to buy ever larger quantities. Finally, my mother said. "All right. You're in charge of buying food for yourself this week. You'll have only that to eat." I stocked up on potato chips, candy, soft drinks, and other wonderful snacks. By the fourth day, I couldn't face any more junk food. I begged my mother to take back the job of selecting food for me!

After you finish enjoying the story, I suggest that you also talk to your child about how to get rid of unexpected substances. This can be a great encourager of creativity. For years, I have used an interview question that I learned during a scholarship interview while I was in high school. What would you do if you woke up one morning and the world was covered to a depth of 30 feet by ping pong balls?

A good lesson to reinforce is to encourage your child to consider what could go wrong, and how to handle that, before trying to make some change. That approach is good training for the realities of life.

Enjoy what you have!

Summary of Bartholomew and the Oobleck: (Caldecott Honor Book) (Classic Seuss)

Bartholomew Cubbins serves thanklessly as pageboy to King Derwin of Didd, a headstrong man who's decided he isn't satisfied with mere sun, fog, rain, and snow. ("Humph! The things that come down from my sky!") He wants something else, something uniquely his own, so he calls in his royal magicians ("Shuffle, duffle, muzzle, muff. Fista, wista, mista-cuff. We are men of groans and howls, mystic men who eat boiled owls"). Happy to oblige, the magicians tell the king they can make "oobleck" fall from the sky, only nobody--not even the magicians--knows just what oobleck is. But after a night of arcane incantations, everyone in the kingdom gets a taste of the stuff (in the case of the Captain of the Guard, literally!), as the green, gluey goo gums up everything in sight.

Of course, Bartholomew tries to help, but it's up to the king to save the day, as he learns to utter not magic words but simple words with magic in them: "I'm sorry." (Ages 4 to 8) --Paul Hughes

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