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

A good lesser known Seuss book. Not one of his tongue twisting rhyming romps, but a great imaginative story with a classic Seussian moral - be careful what you wish for! Lots of fun to share one from my childhood with my own son.

Read to my class before making our own oobleck using cornflour and water (and a little food colouring for extra fun!) - children absolutely loved it!

It wasn't quite what I expected. It was recommended on an American Children's site, but the content is for older children, and I intended to read it with my 3 year old granddaughter. I shall have to put it by until she is much older.

I purchased this for my grandchildren, as it was a favourite when I was their age. It is an unusual morale tale told in Dr. Seuss's inimitable style.

They don't write books like that any more.

The King of Didd is tired of the weather. The same four things come down from the sky with no variety. So he decides to have his magicians create something new – Oobleck. However, when his page, Bartholomew Cubbins, observes it in the morning, he senses that something isn’t right. Is the king’s new substance something to celebrate? Or should Bartholomew be sounding the alarm?This wasn’t a Dr. Seuss book we read very often when I was a child, but it is a fun one. While it doesn’t have the rhymes we are used to in his books, it does have a creative story that is well told. The ending is one that people of all ages can learn from – humility and enjoying what you do have.So even if this isn’t one of Dr. Seuss’s best known books, it is still fun and worth reading. Just remember to be careful what you wish for.

I was surprised to find that my British friends had not heard of Dr Seuss's cautionary tale so I bought a copy of Bartholomew and The Oobleck to share around. It is a treasure for young and old alike.

The King of Didd loved to look into the sky. But he was increasingly unhappy with what he saw -- only rain, snow, fog, and sunshine. As a powerful king, he decided to change things so he could get more.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!