Children's book: Bartholomew and the Oobleck

Overview
Bartholomew and the Oobleck is a cautionary fable set in the Kingdom of Didd, where royal whim collides with natural order. Dr. Seuss brings back the sensible page boy Bartholomew Cubbins to confront a monarch whose boredom with ordinary weather unleashes a gooey catastrophe. Told with rollicking rhythms and vivid pictures, the story moves briskly from comic dissatisfaction to creeping dread, then to a clear moral resolution built on humility and responsibility.

Setting and Premise
King Derwin of Didd wakes up disgruntled. Sunshine, rain, fog, and snow seem tiresome; he wants something new to fall from his sky, something that will mark his reign as extraordinary. Ignoring the quiet good sense of his young page, he summons his royal magicians and commands them to invent a new kind of weather. They oblige with a promise of a wondrous substance, green and unheard-of, that will descend from the clouds by royal decree.

The Disaster Unleashed
At first the oobleck drifts down in small, sticky drops. Curiosity turns quickly to alarm as the green goo thickens and multiplies. It clings to rooftops, gums up doorways, seals chimneys, and glues tools to hands. Birds are trapped midflight, livestock are mired in their pens, and streets become impassable. What seemed like a novelty begins to smother the kingdom’s daily life, revealing the peril in tampering with forces beyond one’s ken.

Bartholomew’s Vigil and the King’s Pride
Bartholomew sees the danger long before the king will admit it. He rushes through the palace and town, trying to warn people and raise an alarm, but the oobleck keeps spreading, silencing bells, freezing gears, and stopping commerce. When Bartholomew pleads with King Derwin to call off the storm, the king refuses to yield, insisting that a king’s command cannot be wrong. He sends the boy to fetch the magicians, but they can offer no quick remedy; what was conjured by vanity is not easily recalled by trickery. The king’s pride deepens the crisis, as his insistence on being obeyed prevents him from taking the one step that might undo the harm.

The Turning Point and Resolution
As rooms fill with ooze and the royal finery itself becomes smeared and stuck, Bartholomew confronts the king. He speaks plainly, urging him to accept blame and to ask his subjects, and the natural world, for forgiveness. The king resists, clinging to the idea that sovereigns never apologize. Yet the dire spectacle around him and the boy’s steady courage break through his stubbornness. When he finally offers a sincere apology, the sky clears; the oobleck ceases to fall and a cleansing rain washes the kingdom clean. Ordinary weather, once scorned, returns as a blessing, and the king’s contrition restores peace.

Themes and Significance
The book distills big ideas into a simple, memorable arc. It warns against the arrogance of power and the careless hunger for novelty, showing how grandiose schemes can spill beyond control. It champions personal responsibility, suggesting that real leadership means admitting error and making amends. Bartholomew stands for conscience and clear-eyed practicality, a child’s wisdom set against adult conceit. With the green ooze as a playful yet menacing image, the tale balances humor and suspense while asserting that humility, expressed in a heartfelt “I’m sorry”, has the power to repair what pride has broken.