The soft black-and-white illustrations—brightened only by spots and splotches of green oobleck—earned Dr. Seuss a Caldecott Honor award for this book. Told in prose instead of Seuss’s traditional rhyme, this story tells of the time King Derwin wanted something else to fall from the sky. Despite warnings from his sensible young page, Bartholomew, the king has his magicians conjure up something different—oobleck! But oobleck creates a gloppy, gloopy mess all over the kingdom. In wonderful Seussian style, readers see that it’s not magic words, but rather the simple words “I’m sorry” that have the power to solve problems–a wonderful message for everyone!

Tie-in Activity: Make Oobleck! Cover a work surface with newspaper. In a disposable plastic bowl, mix 1 cup of cornstarch with a few drops of green food coloring. Slowly add ½ cup water, mixing until the oobleck feels sticky and goopy. (It should pull apart and stick back together easily—add more water or cornstarch as needed.) A less-messy idea for younger children is to mix instant vanilla pudding with green food coloring in a sealable plastic bag. Squeeze the air out of the bag, seal, and let your child squish the oobleck through the bag.