Bartholomew and the Oobleck. Caldecott Honor Book Classic Seuss

Customer Reviews

One of the best kids' books, ever.

2008-07-21
I bought this book with "The King's Stilts" (see my review). I think this is one of the best kids' books ever, and my kids loved it when they were small. It was a sad day when our record of it got buckled by being left in the sun. Unavailable as a book when my kids were little, this is a delightful story with a typical Dr Seuss moral ending - change is not always for the best and novelty is fraught with peril. Get it for your kids, or your grandkids - they will love it, just as I, my kids, and my grandkids do!

Oobleck for the win!

2007-10-17
This book was one of my all-time favorites when I was a kid! It was so exciting... very mysterious and magical. And full of goo! What kid doesn't love goo? Every kid needs a book like this.

OOBLECK

2007-09-02
An excellent item and although the cost to get it here quickly was expensive, it was worth it. Thank you

Always loved the book.

2007-05-10
I had loved the book as a child myself. So I bought it for my neice. We read it together and she loves it as well. I haven't met a child (or adult) that doesn't like Dr. Seuss!

A classic for any age

2007-01-12
This was a gift for my niece. The adults in the room enjoyed it as much as she did.

Seuss is classic

2007-01-05
Illus. in color by the author. An ooey-gooey, green oobleck was not exactly what the king had in mind when he ordered something extra-special from his royal magicians.

everyone should have oobleck!

2006-12-13
if you love doctor Seuss then this one is a classic for the collection. a bit weird but then that's the doctor...

Great illustrations make this a real treat.

2005-07-20
While unpacking our books after a recent move, I came across "Oobleck" and spent ten minutes or so to reread it for the first time in at least 20 years. While the storyline is fairly simple, Dr. Seuss' wonderful illustrations make this a fun book for readers of all ages. Buy it, read it to your kids (or anyone's kids!), and be sure to let them inspect each page to see all the great little details in the drawings. The facial expressions are particularly entertaining.

A great story for making up voices...

2004-04-10
Although "Bartholomew and the Oobleck" is different in style than the Dr Seuss books most people are familiar with, it is still a good story. Bartholomew is pageboy to the king, and apparently the smartest person in the kingdom. When the king orders his magicians make "something new" fall from the sky, with disasterous consequences, which threaten to bury the kingdom under an ocean of green sludge, only Bartholomew takes action.

I love doing different voices when I read stories to children, and this book certainly lends itself to that as Bartholomew runs through the castle trying to alert people of the danger, and get help from anyone, exchanging dialogue with a large variety of people along the way.

I'm only giving this book 4 stars, instead of 5, because it doesn't hold the attention of my kids as well as many of the other books we own, but we certainly have a lot of fun with it anyway.

A timeless classic for children and adults 2003-05-09
Bartholomew and the Oobleck begins with the King of Did being irritated and bored with the weather. His page, Bartholmew, tries to enlighten the king with simple common sense. The king ignores him and turns to (literally) magical solutions for his current peeve. When the results turn disastrous, Barthlomew tries to warn his friends in the castle. No one listens to him, being more concerned with their own business and as a result, they all end up worse off. Then, when the king finally listens to him, a ray of hope appears amidst the crisis.

Written in 1949, "Batholomew and the Oobleck", like its prequel, "The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins" hardly feels like a Dr. Suess book. The illustrations look like charcoal sketches (except of course for the green oobleck) and the text lacks the sing-song poetry commonly associated with Suess books. Despite this, the Bartholomew books have withstood the tests of time and tastes because they touch on a subject that is near to the hearts of all children, but which is rarely addressed in children's literature. Many times children find themselves surrounded by adults hurrying about, fixated on their own agendas. When a child is in the thick of such a situation, he or she will often be ignored. After all, why should adults listen to children? BATO tells us why; children can sometimes see situations as clearly or moreso than adults specifically because they are not distracted by adult agendas! The lesson of BATO stands for all generations, and that is what makes it a timeless classic.