Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories facts for kids
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| Author | Dr. Seuss |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's literature |
| Published | 1950-51 (Redbook) 1958 (Random House) |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| OCLC | 255164 |
| Preceded by | The Cat in the Hat Comes Back |
| Followed by | Happy Birthday to You! |
Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories is a collection of picture books written by Dr. Seuss. His real name was Theodor Seuss Geisel. Random House Books first published it on April 12, 1958. Dr. Seuss wrote the stories in his famous rhyming style. He used a special rhythm called anapestic tetrameter.
This book contains three short stories. The most famous one is "Yertle the Turtle." In this story, Yertle is the king of a pond. He tries to become taller than the Moon by standing on other turtles. But the turtle at the very bottom of the stack burps. This makes Yertle fall into the mud, ending his rule.
Even though the book used the word "burp," which some people thought was rude back then, it became very popular. It has sold over a million copies since it was published. In 2001, Publishers Weekly listed it as one of the best-selling children's books ever. It was number 125 on their list.
Contents
Story Summaries
“Yertle the Turtle”: A King's Fall
The main story is about Yertle the Turtle. He is the king of a pond. Yertle is not happy with his stone throne. He wants to see farther and make his kingdom bigger. So, he orders other turtles to stack themselves under him. This way, he can stand on top of them.
But the turtles in the stack are in pain. A turtle named Mack is at the very bottom. He has a shell that looks like a checkerboard. Mack is suffering the most from the weight. He asks Yertle for a break. But Yertle just tells him to be quiet.
Then Yertle decides he wants to make his kingdom even bigger. He orders more and more turtles to join his stack. Mack asks for a break again. The extra weight is causing extreme pain and hunger for the turtles at the bottom. Again, Yertle yells at Mack to be quiet.
As night comes, Yertle sees the Moon rising above him. He gets angry that something "dares to be higher than Yertle the King." He decides to call for even more turtles to try and rise above the Moon.
However, before Yertle can give the command, Mack has had enough. He lets out a big burp. This shakes Yertle's turtle throne. The turtle king falls off the stack and lands in the water. He becomes "King of the Mud," and the other turtles are finally free.
“Gertrude McFuzz”: The Bird with Too Many Feathers
The second story is about a "girl-bird" named Gertrude McFuzz. She only has one small, plain tail feather. She is jealous of another bird, Lolla Lee Lou, who has two feathers.
Gertrude goes to her uncle, Doctor Dake. She wants something to make her tail grow. He tries to tell her that her tail is perfect for her kind of bird. But Gertrude throws a tantrum. So, he gives in. He tells her where to find special berries that will make her tail grow.
The first berry makes her tail look exactly like Lolla Lee Lou's. But Gertrude gets greedy. She now wants to be better than Lolla Lee Lou. She eats the whole vine of berries. This makes her tail grow to a huge size.
Because of all the extra feathers, she becomes too heavy. She cannot fly, run, or even walk. She gets stuck on a hill and starts yelping loudly. Her uncle hears her cries for help. He sends other birds to rescue her. Many birds have to carry her home. Then, they spend weeks plucking out her tail feathers. This makes her very sore.
In the end, she only has one feather left, just like before. But now she is "smarter." She realizes that one feather is "enough."
“The Big Brag”: A Worm's Wisdom
The third and final story features a rabbit and a bear. Both animals boast that they are the "best of the beasts." The rabbit brags about how far he can hear. The bear brags about how well he can smell.
However, a small worm makes them humble. The worm claims he can see all around the world. He can even see right back to his own hill. From there, he sees the rabbit and the bear. He calls them "the two biggest fools that have ever been seen." After saying this, the worm "dived in his hole and went back to his work."
Other Appearances
Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories has not been made into a movie directly. However, characters from the book have appeared in other shows and plays.
Yertle is a character in the TV show The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss (1996–1997). In the Broadway musical Seussical, Yertle acts as a judge. Gertrude McFuzz is also in Seussical. She becomes Horton the Elephant's love interest. The story of Yertle was also a dance number in the 1994 film In Search of Dr. Seuss.
In 1992, an animated version of Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories was made. Ray Messecar directed it. John Lithgow narrated the stories.
The band Red Hot Chili Peppers also used the story. They made a song called "Yertle the Turtle." It is on their second album, Freaky Styley, released in 1985.
In 1961, RCA Camden Records released an album. It had "Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories" on one side. "Bartholomew and the Oobleck" was on the other side. The album notes said Dr. Seuss himself set the stories to music. Marvin Miller provided the music.
