My Favorite Dr. Seuss Book
91Everyone Loves the Rhymes
Generations of children have cut their reading teeth on the simple rhymes and elaborate illustrations of Dr. Seuss books. The endearing characters of these books live on in our memories. The rhyme schemes also live on, adapted for every imaginable purpose, including parody, movies and even a Broadway show entitled "Seussical the Musical."
My own Seuss immersion started with the classic The Cat in the Hat. Who can forget the wreckage wrought by this mischievous feline and his cohorts in crime, Thing 1 and Thing 2? Later, there was The Cat in the Hat Comes Back, but, like so many movie sequels of today, it failed to reach the heights of hilarity of the origiinal.
The Odd Book Out
Dr. Seuss' signature style used monosyllable words (easiest for young readers to grasp), memorizable combinations, and lots of repetition.
My favorite Seuss book, however, breaks that mold. It is not written in rhyme. It is written in prose.
Yes, it appears that even as a young lass I craved more sophistication in my reading. (But no, I did not tackle War and Peace or Finnegan's Wake before the age of 10:-).
Bartholomew Tries to Show Respect
My favorite Dr. Seuss book is called The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins.
Roll the word "Bartholomew" around on your tongue for a bit and you'll see why it appealed to me so much. It's just fun to say, isn't it?
Then there's the story itself, which reads like a fairy tale of sorts. King Derwin, ruler of the Kingdom of Didd, requires that hats be removed in his presence. Well, duh. With a name like Derwin, respect probably does not come naturally, does it? You'd pretty much have to command it.
Young Bartholomew, though poor, is a good little boy. He sincerely attempts to comply with the order. He is not deliberately being disrespectful. The problem is, each time he tries to remove his hat in order to bow to King Derwin, a new hat appears on his head.
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Your Favorite Seuss: A Baker's Dozen by the One and Only Dr. Seuss
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Dr. Seuss's Beginner Book Collection (Cat in the Hat, One Fish Two Fish, Green Eggs and Ham, Hop on Pop, Fox in Socks)
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One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish (I Can Read It All by Myself)
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Dr. Seuss's ABC: An Amazing Alphabet Book!
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Off with his head ... err, I mean, hat!
Finally, the King has had enough of this outrage. Bartholomew is not only in comtempt, but he's littering the streets of Didd with his hats. Clearly, this cannot stand!
King Derwin does what kings of that era always did when they didn't know what else to do: He orders Bartholomew Cubbins put to death.
The Tension Mounts
Bartholomew tries again and again to remove his hat. Again and again a new hat replaces the one he takes off. Each successive hat is fancier and more elaborate than the one before it.
Poor Bartholomew is not doing this on purpose. He has no idea why these hats keep growing on his head. He takes a hat off, another one pops on.
All told, Bartholomew leaves a trail of 499 hats behind him. King Derwin becomes increasingly enraged. How dare this young upstart defy his order! How dare Bartholomew Cubbins mock him, the leader of the Kingdom of Didd!
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The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins (Classic Seuss)
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Hat's off to you, King D!
Just as Bartholomew is facing the ultimate punishment for disobience, something magical happens.
He removes the 500th hat from his head.
Now, this hat is tight. I mean, a real pimp daddy's dream. It has more feathers, gems and gold on it than the King's own crown.
Miraculously, as the 500th hat comes off, Bartholomew's head remains bare. No more hats!
King Derwin is so in awe of this pimpin' lid that he cuts Bartholomew a deal. First, he will spare Bartholomew's life -- good thing, as it would be bad PR, not to mention karma, to off a young subject who is now in full compliance of the law.
Second, in exchange for the magnificent hat, he'll give little B-man 500 gold coins. I don't know how he arrived at that number, but I'm guessing it might be one coin for each hat... King Derwin gets his hat and Bartholomew goes back to his 'hood 500 gold coins richer.
Does everyone live happily ever after? They never say that, exactly. This is Dr. Seuss, after all, not Hans Cristian Andersen or the Brothers Grimm.
What I do know is the hat makes King D happy (I will resist any speculation on King D's sexual proclivities), and Bartholomew Cubbins ends the day with 500 more gold coins than he started with.
This being G-rated fiction, I will stick with the G-rated moral of the story, which is: keep doing what you know is the right thing to do. Even if some people seem impossible to please, keep trying your best. And eventually you will prevail.
Rumor has it that Bart Cubbins' saga also inspired the song, "You Can Leave Your Hat On." This Randy Newman tune was made famous by Joe Cocker and featured in the film 9 1/2 weeks, a soft-core porn flick from the 1980s featuring Mickey Rourke (before he got scruffy) and Kim Basinger (before her divorce and nasty custody battle).
Mr. Cubbins continues to receive royalty checks and now lives in a suburb of Didd with his wife and 500 little Cubbinses.
All's well that ends well in The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins.
Bart's story inspired this song!
Which Seuss Do you Like?
What is your favorite Dr. Seuss Book?
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Seussical: The Musical (Original Cast Recording)
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Seussical the Musical: Vocal Selections
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Dr. Seuss's Beginner Book Collection (Cat in the Hat, One Fish Two Fish, Green Eggs and Ham, Hop on Pop, Fox in Socks)
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Dr. Seuss's Sleep Book (Classic Seuss)
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Seuss Celebration (The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat / The Cat in the Hat/ Green Eggs and Ham / The Lorax)
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Comments
I don't doubt that at all. Seuss is universal. And, I bet you paid attention to that sermon, didn't you! Thanks for visiting, Steve. MM
Might Mom! Hooray! Here's one I have not read.. must see if the Library has it. I love Go Dog Go.. "Do you like my hat? I do not like your hat! Good bye!.. Good bye!" But there is something about thing 1 and thing 2.. These books are timeless! Thanks for answering my request. I will keep checking in to see what you hear..not that you're Horton.
You know, Candie V, I wonder if we went back and reread these books as adults if we would find more in them (?). For example, which book came first, Go Dog Go or 500 Hats? Because obviously, by the time we get to these 500 hats, the question "Do you like my hat?" is answered with a definite, "I do like your hat! I will buy your hat! I'll give you lots of coins! Good-bye. Good-bye!"
Horton is right up there on my list of books, too. "I meant what I said, and I said what I meant, an elephant's faithful, 100%...."
Thanks for the request!!
Green Eggs and Ham for Pam I am!
Pam I am for Green Eggs and Ham!
I will not eat them on a plane.
I will not eat them in the rain.
I will not kill them with a bomb.
I will share some with Mighty Mom.
(Apologies to Theodore.)
:)
Tis the sort of thing the Cabin Girl reads, shes needs a reward for all her work.
For many years Green eggs and Ham was my favourite, until I discovered The lorax. I read it to my class last Monday as we've just started our last unit of inquiry on Our Resources. The Lorax brilliantly shows how greed has destroyed the world's resources and caused pollution.
I always loved that book myself. Wonder if it can still be found. I know I checked it out of the school library many times.
Pam -- You are classic. That's all there is to it.
BC99-- Heck yeah. After a hard day on the ship, a girl's gotta have a little lighthearted frivolity to take her mind off things!
CV -- Man, the morals of Dr. Seuss go deeper than I thought. I will have to reread The Lorax. Clearly, this is a book ahead of its time.
Rochelle -- I wasn't sure if you meant The Lorax or 500 Hats, so I have added Amazon.com links to both of them for you!
I was thinking 500-- Bartholomew Cubbins. I do have a copy of The Lorax, published 1971. Not that long ago, and yes a lot of people were thinking about it then.
"Suess" began writing the simple readers after he had done some more complex work like "If I ran the Zoo" and "If I Ran the Circus" (the Circus McGurkus)-- the latter one is also a favorite of mine.
Theo Giesel needs a revival of his older works, they are brilliant.
As a child, "Green Eggs and Ham" was my favorite. But as an adult, my favorite is now "The Sneetches". It's a wonderful story. If you're not familiar with it, here's the YouTube Link of it. It's only 8 minutes long. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9DJkaeRk9I
Great hub, MM!
I havent read this particular one. Nor did I know that Joe Cocker's song was inspired by Seuss. Lovely hub
I can't find it at the moment but there is a site where you can download pictures from Seuss for the children to colour in. Will post it when I find it.
Dianacharles -- I doubt very much that the song was realy inspired by this book. It's just that Seuss has such a vivid imagination that it sparked my own imagination to add to the ending:-)!
Hawkesdream, what a great concept. I hope you can find it and I will definitely include it as a link in the hub! Thank you, friend! MM
While The 500 Hats is wonderful, my all time favorite is Bartholomew and the Oobleck. King Derwin of Did really learns pride brings the fall and saying "I'm sorry" is truly powerful when properly used. Besides, the story record of Oobleck just can't be beat ... and that really dates me I'm afraid.
I agree about bartholomew and the oobleck...I was trying to recall it, and couldn't remember if it was the magic goo? I know i have it somewhere in the house, must find it and read it to my kids...thanks for the great hub!
Hi Miss Behaving. Oobleck is definitely magic goo, but in the worst possible sense. Gooey globs of sticky, greenish stuff that falls in every larger blobs. King Derwin of Did was tired of the four seasons and orders his "mystic men" to come up with a fifth season. When King Derwin asked his mystic men what this Oobleck they were going to create is, they respond, "Oobleck is the stuff we'll try to make come falling from the sky. Won't look like rain; won't look like snow; won't look like fog; that's all we know. We just can't tell you anymore, we've never made Oobleck before!" Before long the entire kingdom is stuck fast in Oobleck and the intrepid Bartholomew has to sort it all out, making the King apologize for this mess he's created. I'm beginning to wonder if I don't remember this story a bit too well!
JS Brooks -- You DO seem to remember this story a bit too well. I wonder what it is that appeals to you so? I like the idea of a 5th season, but as they used to say on a TV commercial, "You can't fool Mother Nature!"
Miss Behaving -- I'm impressed that you have the book in the house. I hang onto the books I used to read my little guy when he was young. I can only hope one day he'll have little ones he wants to read them to...
Thank you both for turning me on to the sequel to Bartholomew...
So funny story.
Might Mom, Wow, Dr Seuss rocks! Can't say that Ive heard of The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins before. My son likes The Cat in The Hat and because I've read it so often, I've come to love that book. I will check out Bartholomew, sounds fun!
Thanks for sharing.
Hello there, DynamicS! Yes, Dr. Seuss definitely rocks. I miss having the opportunity to read his books. And I do agree with you, The Cat in the Hat is right up there. Nothing quite like it. But I had to go with something a bit different...
Bartholomew is a departure. And I see there are people who like Bart in the sequel about Oobleck... so check them both out!
Thanks, as always, for visiting. MM
Dr. Suess seems to live on forever. I read him to my kids and now to my grandkids. I think his books will always be popular with children as well as adults. I always liked Fox in Sox. ( I think that's the name)
another good hub
Hellow Lafenty, Yes, I think you are absolutely right. Dr. Seuss is timeless. Love that you read his books to grandkids. I look forward to that time -- but hopefully not for at least 10 more years. LOL.
Lgali, Thanks!
What a great story MM on such a great topic like Dr Seuss. I can remember have a Dr Seuss book in our house I am sure it was the "Cat in the hat." He has his own tv show that is on each afternoon, it is such a classic. That style of writing from my memory was nothing like I have seen before or will see. All those long amazing made up names for things that were written in such harmony. I just dig that pic of the hat too, the green one, I can see you wearing it MM with such flair and style lol.
Great memories, but more relating to my children than my own childhood and as for combining the Joe Cocker video - a master stroke indeed. Pam's poem is a classic!
Love the doctor - love the hub. I look forward to returning and reading more of your fine writing. THanks so much.
Hello, hello, RedElf! Glad you found your way over to my hub. The good doctor is a genius, isn't he?
Hi Mighty Mom, good memories from what now seems like a simpler time (childhood of course). Didn't doctor seuss also have a book named "Oh the places you'll go" or something like that? I seem to remember something like that from college graduation... Just curious. Wonderful hub
Hello Jimmy! Absolutely a simpler time, and I don't think it was just that it was OUR childhood. Childhood today seems more complicated -- I believe because of the constant bombardment of stimuli through TV, iPODs and internet.
Yes, Dr. Seuss did write "Oh, the Places You'll Go." Another wonderful book. Another one that I just love is "Happy Birthday to You."
Nice to find another DrS fan.
Loved your book review! Dr. Seuss is a fascinating character. He got his career's start in advertising and political cartooning, building on his success with the Flit bug spray campaign which made him famous. Children's book authors don't often get the respect they deserve because people don't see beyond the surface of what they write. You have a new fan!
Thanks, Wannabwestern! I did not know that about Dr. Seuss' early career, but anyone who gets their start in advertising and political cartooning has got to see the world through a different colored lens.
I have often (ok, once in awhile) thought of writing a children's book, but realized it is not nearly as easy as it looks!
Thanks for visiting and I appreciate your becoming a fan. MM
Boy do I love Dr. Seuss. What a genius! I have a whole big book with a bunch of his stories/poems.
I like the Lorax a lot...its got a great meaning, especially in today's "greening" world!
OMG The Lorax!!! I read that a million times and never got tired of it. My son loved it too. It was our favorite Seuss story because it was about saving the environment. It was def. ahead of its time!!
You know which one I'd pick MM. I continue to enjoy your writing style. Wonderful job of making it a pleasure to read!
Hi Dohn! Yep, I know and am happy we share a love of writing and the good Dr. I enjoy your writing as well and am happy to see you becoming such a presence here on HP! Your friend, MM
Steve Orris says:
6 months ago
There is so much wisdom hidden (perhaps by accident) within some of these books. I heard a sermon at church once based on Green Eggs and Ham.