The King's Stilts Theme of Man and the Natural World

With all of those Nizzards, Dike Trees, and the encroaching sea, it sometimes seems like the Kingdom of Binn is in the middle of a zoo—or at least some sort of wild animal preserve. It would be easy to say that The King's Stilts is a story about the struggle of man versus nature, but it's not that simple. In fact, this isn't a story about man versus nature (because if it was, we wouldn't need those Patrol Cats)—it's a story about man in harmony with nature. The two can coexist—quite well, in fact.

Questions and Answers

Questions the little ones might ask and how you might respond

Q: Is Binn really a place? Can we go there?
A: Not so much. But we can totally go in our imaginations. Let's give it a whirl.

Q: How do the Dike Trees keep the sea out?
A: By employing one of the physical laws of the Seussian universe: The Law of Arboreal Dynamics.

Q: Why don't they just tell the Nizzards to go away?
A: Um, have you tried talking to a bird lately? They're not exactly great listeners. And Nizzards are notoriously smug.