The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins

Very interesting book.

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.

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.

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!

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.