Dr. Seuss' The King's Stilts (originally published in 1939) tells the rather whimsical story of King Birtram of Binn. This monarch is obsessed with protecting his kingdom from floods (caused by the destruction of pike trees by the evil nizzards) and attack. He also likes to ride around town on stilts, something which angers many of his subordinates.
When it was released, The King's Stilts received positive reviews. Kirkus Reviews, for example, loved the book and wrote that "Dr. Seuss has a faculty for telling modern tales with a folk lore twist, and this new king-with-a-quirk story has a novel element that nonsense loving children will love. The quality of magnificent exaggeration, carried to the nth degree." Still, The King's Stilts was a financial failure, selling less than 5,000 copies in its first year of publication.
