[BOOK REVIEW] The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins by Dr. Seuss

Title:  The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins

Author:  Dr. Seuss

Genre:  Magic / Royalty / Fantasy

Year Published:1938

Year Read:  2006

Publisher:   Random House Books for Young Readers

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 6+ (Threats of Death)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

 “The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins” is one of Dr. Seuss’ earlier books as it is not written in the rhyming text that Dr. Seuss has been well known for. “The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins” is about a young boy named Bartholomew Cubbins who discovers that everytime he takes a hat off his head, a new one sprouts up on his head, which cause trouble for him when the king finds out about it. This book may be a bit too dark for smaller children, but older children will definitely enjoy this classic tale from Dr. Seuss.

Dr. Seuss’ early book is not written in the traditional rhyming text that he has been known for, but is instead written in a splendid narrative that is told in an extremely exciting and effective way. The story is also extremely creative as hats appeared on Bartholomew’s head with a real explanation which makes the matter mysterious. Dr. Seuss’ illustrations are once again in black and white with the exception of Bartholomew’s hats which are colored red, which effectively show how the hat has a huge importance to the story.

Parents should know that the scenes where the King threatened to cut Bartholomew's head off because Bartholomew could not take the hats off might disturb some children. Parents might want to read this book first to see if their child could handle such intense subject matter.

“The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins” is a wonderful tale that is both exciting and suspenseful for many children and will be enjoyed by many children for years to come. I would recommend this book to children ages six and up because of the extreme dark tone that this book presents that would scare smaller children.