Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories

Reading level: Ages 4-8 Hardcover: 96 pages Publisher: Random House; First Edition edition (April 12, 1958) Language: English

Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories is a wonderful collection of stories written by Theodor Seuss Geisel, also known as Dr. Seuss.  First released by Random House Books on April 12, 1958, it has sold over a million copies.  In 2001, Publishers Weekly reported that it had become the 125th best selling children's book of all-time. The book is written in Seuss's trademark style of flowing rhymes and rhythm using a type of meter called anapestic tetrameter.  It is well known for it's first story, "Yertle the Turtle", in which Yertle, the king of the pond, builds a throne using his subjects (also turtles) in an effort to command a view of more and more of the surrounding landscape.  Eventually his reign is ended by a small burp by one of his subjects, at which point Yertle's throne is shaken and he falls to the mud. Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories is classic Seuss at his best, incorporating political, cultural and sociological "lessons" if you will, that we can only hope resonate with our children profoundly.  “Yertle the Turtle” The first story involves Yertle the Turtle, the king of the pond.  At the beginning of the story, Yertle becomes upset that he has such a small throne, and as such he cannot see very far.  Equating his line of sight with power, he commands the other turtles in the pond to stack themselves beneath him in order to create a taller throne. Unfortunately for Yertle, the turtles underneath him do not enjoy the feeling of being squished.  Mack, the turtle at the bottom, repeatedly asks Yertle for a reprieve.  However, Yertle tells him to be quiet and continues to call for more and more turtles to add to his throne.  As Yertle's throne grows, he becomes more and more greedy for power.  However, when his throne has reached stupendous heights, Yertle soon realizes that the moon is rising above him.  In his anger and jealousy over being outdone by the moon, Yertle decides to order even more turtles to raise his throne even higher. But in the end, before Yertle can give the command, Mack, at the bottom of the enormous pile, gives a little burp.  This burp shakes the foundations of Yertle's throne, causing the king to lose his balance and plummet into the mud of the pond, freeing the turtles and ending his rule. Tidbits At the time of publication, the word "burp" was considered to be vulgar, and the publisher initially balked at its inclusion in the story Seuss has stated that the lead character, Yertle the Turtle, is a representation of Adolf Hitler, with his desire for expansive totalitarian rule. In 2003 the reporter John J. Miller compared Yertle to Saddam Hussein:  "its final lines apply as much to Saddam Hussein as they once did to the European fascists". Many movies of Dr. Seuss' work have been created, most notably The Cat in The Hat, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Horton Hears A Who.