The King's Stilts Theme of Courage

Isn't it odd that the littlest character in The King's Stilts would be the most courageous? But, hey, that's how the age-old underdog story goes, right? Little Eric becomes the hero of this tale when he goes above and beyond to save the Kingdom of Binn and restore the king's beloved stilts to him, despite all of Lord Droon's meddling power. Though King Birtram is the one who rounds up the Patrol Cats and drives off all those cackling Nizzards, it's Eric who, through sheer bravery and courage, manages to save the day for all the citizens of Binn. To which we say, hip hip hooray.

Questions and Answers

Questions the little ones might ask and how you might respond

Q: How come Eric doesn't tell the king right away that he's buried the stilts?
A: Oh now there's a doozy of a question. I'll bet he's a little frightened of what might happen to him, thanks to Lord Droon. He's just a little kid, and he probably hasn't realized yet what the right thing to do is.

Q: Yikes! Isn't he scared of all those Nizzards? Or Lord Droon? He's creepy.
A: I'll bet he's totally terrified. But you know what? I think he knows that sometimes, being scared is not as important as doing the right thing. What's that folks are always saying? Courage is being afraid and doing it anyway?

Q: What would have happened to him if Lord Droon and the soldiers had caught him?
A: Well, he probably would have fought back, right? He seems like a pretty brave little guy.