- story about a king who wasn’t content
- mostly non-rhyming Seuss book
- magicians and creepy magic is the main theme
Type: longer picture book
Ages: 30+
Author/Illustrator: Dr. Seuss
The magicians’ first scene has them chanting:
Shuffle, duffle, muzzle, muff.
Fista, wista, mista-cuff.
We are men of groans and howls,
Mystic men who eat boiled owls.
Tell us what you wish, oh King.
Our magic can do anything.
Then they return to their “Mystic Mountain” and work magic all night with creepy mumbling and more chants and fire. The result ends in a catastrophe for the kingdom.
The magic is broken when the king realizes what he’s done, so it ends well, but it’s still one of my least favorite Seuss books.