I Can Lick 30 Tigers Today (1969) is one of the Dr. Seuss books that I missed reading as a child. It would seem to be one of the lesser known books in the Seuss collection. Since it was published in my birth year, I decided to check it out--even though its length technically makes it ineligible to count as a candle on my birthday cake. The common theme of the three stories in the book is pride and overconfidence. The titular story has a younger Cat in the Hat type (his son?) bragging that he can take on 30 tigers. That number gradually dwindles until he decides that maybe he'll lick just one tiger...another day. "King Louie Katz" addresses the issue of aristocracy versus democracy when King Louie starts a trend of Katz carrying more important Katz's tails until the lowest Katz on the totem pole rebels. And "The Glunk That Got Thunk" shows what can happen when a little girl thinks up an idea that she can't control. The stories are enjoyable, but definitely not on a par with The Cat in the Hat, Horton Hears a Who, Green Eggs and Ham, and the like. ★★★ and a half.
1 comment:
Lesser known for a reason, sounds like! It's interesting to think that even Dr. Seuss had some books that didn't quite go, just as other "more serious" authors have greater and lesser works.
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