The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins

by Dr. Seuss

Book Overview

Dr. Seuss's classic treatise on bullying--now with fully color-enhanced illustrations!

As topical today as when it was first published in 1938, The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins is the story of a young boy (the same one featured in the Caldecott Honor Award-winner Bartholomew and the Oobleck) and his unjust treatment at the hands of a king. Written in unrhymed prose, The 500 Hats is one of Dr. Seuss's earliest...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 039484484X
• ISBN13: 9780394844848
• Release Date: December 1989
• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
• Length: 56 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 8.8" x 11.2"
• Age Range: 5 to 9 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 4

Customer Reviews

The 500hats

Very interesting book.

Iterative Wisdom for Creative Artists

I love this book. But not just because it is a great children's story, which is deservedly is. This book is great, because it illustrates what I beleive to be the principle of creative repetition.The 500 hats, start simply -- each hat is as simple as the one before it. Yet, the magic of each new hat, propels the story forward through all the attempts of people to stop the flow of hats. All sorts of nay-sayers, dis-believers, and the supposedly wise are challenged by what they see.Eventually, this creative process creates such conflict that takes the situations to new heights, which somehow inspire spontantous improvement and variety. What used to be simple, becomes increasingly ornate and valuable, culminating in a creation that transcends the entire situation.So rather than a simple story, I take this as a metaphor to inspire the creative process. Rather than attempt to create the great works, just do the simple acts repeatly and notice the small variety accumulate into something great. (However, it would be silly, to take this as a metaphor for compound interest. ;)My art teacher described it this way. "Even with the simplest of subject matter, if you create many versions, over and over, it gives your work stength, a backbone, if you will, that will allow you to see the great art among your own work."So, even though this is a childrens book, it is worth buying, because it represents a value that can be meaningful to adults.And it's a fine tale as well.

As relevant now as it was in 1938

The Bartholomew Cubbins books are examples of Dr. Suess's early children's stories ("The 500 Hats..." having been published in 1938), and thus they lack the sing-song poetry and and bright colors of his later works. They are my favorite Suess books, however, as they speak to any child who is frustrated and put upon by adults who talk down to them. The theme of The 500 Hats... is as relevant, if not more so, than it was when the book was originally published.The magically re-appearing hats is frustrating to bartholomew, but to the adults around him it is a terrifying and disturbing thing, not because it is dangerous but because it threatens their sense of what should be. The interventions they try range from the simple (calling in "experts" like a tailor, wise men and magicians) to the desperate and frightening (ordering Bartholomew's head and the offending hats cut off). Throughout it all, bartholomew's desires and needs are forgotten, and he is looked upon merely as an extension of this "problem." Also involved is the king's nephew, a "normal" child who spearheads the movement to do away with Bartholomew, not out of fear or concern but out of simple spite. In the end, however, the magic and wonder of the event is recognized and celebrated rather than condemed.I would particualrly recommend this book to parents of children with learning disorders. The themes descibed above would be particularly familiar, and the conclusion especially satisfying. The grim sections of the book (such as when the king orders bartholomew's execution) should not scare anyone off from what is a wonderful and inspiring story.

Brings back memories of childhood

Outstanding book for my 4 year old. My mother bought me this book when I was younger and I wanted it for my child, only in Spanish. Excellent.

An enduring classic and a great read-aloud

This volume differs from most of the Dr. Seuss books we are familiar with in that the text is unrhymed, and the book takes a good 20 minutes to read aloud. This is no liability; the story's interest develops immediately, and never lags. There is an impressively idiosyncratic cast of characters to enjoy and dramatize, and Seuss's use of language is a joy. Bartholomew himself is a gutsy, honest kid without a trace of arrogance or swagger. In addition, the drawings are more detailed than in later books, and really exhibit Seuss' s skill as a graphic artist, along the lines of Robert McCloskey's Make Way for Ducklings. I loved this book as a child, and my children adore it now. As enduring children's literature, I would place it above Cat in the Hat and Horton Hears a Who any day!

The Unsinkable Dr. Seuss

Theodor Geisel (a.k.a. Dr. Seuss) Wrote rhythms and rhymes guaranteed to amuse. Bartholomew Cubbins is a tale you may know Of a lad who has 500 feathered chapeaux. Each time he removes one, another's revealed (As far as the end goes, my lips must be sealed.) I marveled at Cubbins when I was a lad. Now my daughter is thrilled when it's read by her dad. Unless by fine writing you're gravely offended This Dr. Seuss classic is much recommended.