Stars: ****
Celebrate the Author Note:
Dr. Seuss is one of my favourite children’s authors so I didn’t want to cheat and just re-read some of his books that I’ve read a million times. So I decided I’d read a few of this books I haven’t read yet as well as a book about his life.
This book is the second book Dr. Seuss ever wrote. It was published in 1938. It’s one of the longer ones, for ages 6 and up. It’s the story of Bartholomew Cubbins, a poor country boy, who removes his hat for the King only to find another hat in it’s place. Each time he takes a hat off, an identical one magically appears on his head. He is arrested and brought to the King’s Throne Room where many people try to get his hat off, to no avail. Will they ever stop coming?
I really liked this book. It’s a very original idea and I’m surprised it’s not one of his more popular books. It has drama (“Young man”, he said to Bartholomew Cubbins, and he pointed to a small door at the end of the room, “march down those steps to the dungeon and tell the executioner to chop off your head.”) and a happy ending.
Dr. Seuss also wrote another book about Bartholomew apparently called Bartholomew and the Oobleck in 1949 but I haven’t read it.
About Kathleen
