''The King's Stilts'' is a children's book written and illustrated by Theodor Geisel, under the pen name

Dr. Seuss Theodor Seuss Geisel (;"Seuss"
'' Random House Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...

. Unlike many Dr. Seuss books, it is narrated in prose rather than verse.

Plot

''The King's Stilts'' tells the story of King Birtram of Binn, who dedicates himself to safeguarding his kingdom, a low-lying land surrounded by high water that is held back by a ring of dike trees. Unfortunately, the dike trees are the favorite food of a species of pest-birds called ''nizzards''; the kingdom always faces the risk that the nizzards might compromise the dike-tree barrier and cause catastrophic flooding. The King's administration maintains a legion of Patrol Cats to keep the nizzards at bay; King Birtram sees to their care personally. When not attending to his royal duties, the King enjoys himself by frolicking in the streets on his red

stilts Stilts are poles, posts or pillars that allow a person or structure to stand at a height above the ground. In flood plains, and on beaches or unstable ground, buildings are often constructed on stilts to protect them from damage by water, wav ...

, which most of his subjects note with amused acceptance. One day, his minister Lord Droon, secretly a gloomy scoundrel who despises his King cavorting with such undignified happiness, plots to capture the stilts, persuading the King's page boy Eric to steal and hide the stilts. Deprived of his amusement, the King grows depressed and begins to neglect his duties. As a result, the Patrol Cats become less vigilant, and soon the nizzards make headway in eating away the dike trees. Seeing the results of his actions, Eric resolves to return the stilts to the King and succeeds in doing so despite Lord Droon's efforts to stop him. King Birtram, his personal morale restored, finds the energy to mobilize the Patrol Cats to fight off the nizzards and save the kingdom. Lord Droon is arrested and punished with a restricted diet consisting entirely of nizzard cooked in various ways. Eric is rewarded with his own pair of red stilts, and joins the King on his outings.

Publication and reception

''The King's Stilts'' was published in 1939, as Geisel's second book for

Random House Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...

and his fourth book overall. Although it was considerably more successful than his previous book, ''

The Seven Lady Godivas ''The Seven Lady Godivas: The True Facts Concerning History's Barest Family'' is a picture book of the tale of Lady Godiva, written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss. One of Seuss's few books written for adults, its original 1939 publication by Rando ...

'', its sales were still a disappointment: 4,648 copies were sold in 1939 and 394 in 1940.Cohen 2004, p. 201

Reception

References

* Cohen, Charles (2004). ''The Seuss, the Whole Seuss and Nothing But the Seuss: A Visual Biography of Theodor Seuss Geisel''. Random House Books for Young Readers. . OCLC 53075980. {{DEFAULTSORT:Kings Stilts, The American picture books Books by Dr. Seuss 1939 children's books Random House books Books about monarchs Books about depression