The King's Stilts Paragraphs 1-19 Summary

Now Entering the Kingdom of Binn 

  • Once upon a time, there was a King named Birtram who loves stilts. Yep, you read that right. But hey, he doesn't take them out during the day. He's too busy being good at his job.
  • He spends all morning—starting at 5 o'clock!—signing paperwork in all sorts of odd places, such as his bath and at his breakfast table (1-6). Hey, a man's gotta do…
  • We would find it a bit odd to be signing papers in the bathtub, especially with weird Lord Droon watching, but hats off to the King for avoiding procrastination.
  • The real work, though, involves caring for the Dike Trees that surround Binn, protecting it from the sea. Healthy Dike Trees mean Binn won't find itself underwater any time soon.
  • The only problem is, there are these horrible birds called the Nizzards, which are like something out of Hitchcock. And these Nizzards try to eat the Dike Trees, subjecting the Kingdom of Binn to the threat of flood (7-8). Yikes.
  • To combat this, the brave King Birtram gathers a huge crew of Patrol Cats (yep, cats) that guard the kingdom 24/7 (9-12). In fact, he employed a thousand cats altogether.
  • The King takes care of all the cats' needs, buying them yummy fresh fish and making sure their huts are nice and tidy. He even makes sure they have regular whisker trims. How's that for thorough? (13-19)