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Bartholomew and the Oobleck

Book Summary

Reviewed by Robyn Raymer

Page boy Bartholomew is dismayed when King Derwin begins to grouse about weather's humdrum nature. To the boy's alarm, His Majesty summons the royal magicians, a shuffling, incantation-mumbling crew. The magicians boil up a pot of brew and send it out over the kingdom to rain down oobleck.

The king is thrilled with his very own brand of weather, but Bartholomew knows the oobleck is trouble. He scurries around the palace trying to sound the alarm, but everyone is incapacitated by the gluey stuff. Only after the entire kingdom is buried in green glop does the king apologize. The words "I'm sorry" have a miraculous effect: The oobleck melts away, and the chastened ruler decides that the old-fashioned kinds of weather will do just fine.

Is It Any Good?

5

This is a satisfying (though longish) read-aloud experience for adults, especially closet comedians. And while children may be attracted to chaos, they also crave order; Dr. Seuss characters such as the Cat in the Hat and the Grinch are mesmerizing because of their power to make messes -- and speedily clean them up again.

The unrhymed prose in the opening pages may lose the youngest listeners, but the royal magicians will keep them giggling until the oobleck begins to fall. This moldy troop of weirdos has some of the funniest lines (and the only rhyming ones) in the book: "Shuffle, duffle, muzzle, muff. / Fista, wista, mista-cuff. / We are men of groans and howls, / Mystic men who eat boiled owls."
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