I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew

Last updated
I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew
I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew.jpg
Author Dr. Seuss
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Genre Children's literature
Publisher Random House
Publication date
1965 (renewed in 1993)
Media typePrint (hardcover and paperback)
OCLC 1425583
Preceded by Fox in Socks  
Followed by The Cat in the Hat Song Book  

I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew is a 1965 children's book by Dr. Seuss. The story features classic Seuss rhymes and drawings in his distinctive pen and ink style.

Contents

Plot

As the story opens, the protagonist lives a happy and carefree life before tripping over a rock one day and being bitten and stung by various creatures. A passing traveler says that he is bound for the trouble-free city of Solla Sollew, so the protagonist joins him. The journey itself is beset by many more troubles, including a draft animal that falls sick, a bus that breaks down, a flood, and a general who conscripts the protagonist into his army. The army retreats during battle, leaving the protagonist alone against a pack of wild Poozers. Escaping into a dark tunnel, the protagonist suffers numerous further mishaps before finally reaching an exit door that opens near Solla Sollew.

The protagonist discovers that Solla Sollew is surrounded by a wall with only one door. The doorman apologizes that he cannot open it, because a Key-Slapping Slippard recently nested in the key hole. Since the city no longer needs a doorman, he has decided to set off for yet another untroubled city that he has heard about. The protagonist declines to go with him and instead returns home, determined to face troubles rather than run away from them.

In Seussical

In Seussical , the character of General Genghis Kahn Schmitz makes an appearance as a secondary character. He introduces JoJo to the military school in song. This sets up a subplot concerning JoJo in which he is thought to be lost in battle. The character of Schmitz in the play is a cross between General Schmitz seen in the book and the unnamed generals in The Butter Battle Book .

Solla Sollew is the subject of a song in which the main characters yearn for a happy resolution to their problems. It is referred to as "a faraway land, so the stories all tell / somewhere beyond the horizon". It is said that "troubles there are few" and that "maybe it's something like heaven".

Solla Sollew is believed to be a place of hope and wonder, where "breezes are warm" and "people are kind". It is a dream of the characters to find this incredible place, where they will find each other and be happy once and for all. However, they cannot ever find it, saying in the song "when I get close, it disappears".

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dr. Seuss</span> American childrens author and cartoonist (1904–1991)

Theodor Seuss Geisel was an American children's author and cartoonist. He is known for his work writing and illustrating more than 60 books under the pen name Dr. Seuss. His work includes many of the most popular children's books of all time, selling over 600 million copies and being translated into more than 20 languages by the time of his death.

<i>The Faraway Tree</i> Series of childrens novels by Enid Blyton

The Faraway Tree is a series of popular novels for children by British author Enid Blyton. The titles in the series are The Enchanted Wood (1939), The Magic Faraway Tree (1943), The Folk of the Faraway Tree (1946) and Up the Faraway Tree (1951).

<i>Seussical</i> Musical by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty

Seussical is a musical comedy by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, based on the many children's stories of Dr. Seuss, with most of its plot being based on Horton Hears a Who!, Gertrude McFuzz, and Horton Hatches the Egg while incorporating many other stories. The musical's name is a portmanteau of "Seuss" and the word "musical". Following its Broadway debut in 2000, the show was widely panned by critics, and closed in 2001 with huge financial losses. It has spawned two US national tours and a West End production, and has become a frequent production for schools and regional theatres.

<i>Horton Hears a Who!</i> 1954 childrens book by Dr. Seuss

Horton Hears a Who! is a children's book written and illustrated by Theodor Seuss Geisel under the pen name Dr. Seuss. It was published in 1954 by Random House. This book tells the story of Horton the Elephant and his adventures saving Whoville, a tiny planet located on a speck of dust, from the animals who mock him. These animals attempt to steal and burn the speck of dust, so Horton goes to great lengths to save Whoville from being incinerated.

"Battleground" is a fantasy short story by American writer Stephen King, first published in the September 1972 issue of Cavalier magazine, and later collected in King's 1978 collection Night Shift.

<i>Green Eggs and Ham</i> 1960 childrens book by Dr. Seuss

Green Eggs and Ham is a children's book by Dr. Seuss, first published on August 12, 1960. As of 2019, the book has sold 8 million copies worldwide. The story has appeared in several adaptations, starting with 1973's Dr. Seuss on the Loose starring Paul Winchell as the voice of both characters, and more recently an animated TV series of the same name on Netflix.

<i>The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins</i> 1938 childrens book by Dr. Seuss

The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins is a children's book, written and illustrated by Theodor Geisel under the pen name Dr. Seuss and published by Vanguard Press in 1938. Unlike the majority of Geisel's books, it is written in prose rather than rhyming and metered verse. Geisel, who collected hats, got the idea for the story on a commuter train from New York to New England, while he was sitting behind a businessman wearing a hat; the passenger was so stiff and formal that Geisel idly wondered what would happen if he took the man's hat and threw it out the window. Geisel concluded that the man was so "stuffy" that he would just grow a new one.

<i>Horton Hatches the Egg</i> 1940 childrens book by Dr. Seuss

Horton Hatches the Egg is a children's book written and illustrated by Theodor Geisel under the pen name Dr. Seuss and published in 1940 by Random House. The book tells the story of Horton the Elephant, who is tricked into sitting on a bird's egg while its mother, Mayzie, takes a permanent vacation to Palm Beach. Horton endures a number of hardships but persists, often stating, "I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. An elephant's faithful, one hundred percent!" Ultimately, the egg hatches, revealing an elephant-bird, a creature with a blend of Mayzie's and Horton's features.

<i>And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street</i> 1937 Dr. Seuss book

And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street is Theodor Seuss Geisel's first children's book published under the name Dr. Seuss. First published by Vanguard Press in 1937, the story follows a boy named Marco, who describes a parade of imaginary people and vehicles traveling along a road, Mulberry Street, in an elaborate fantasy story he dreams up to tell his father at the end of his walk. However, when he arrives home, he decides instead to tell his father what he actually saw—a simple horse and wagon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grinch</span> Fictional character created by Dr. Seuss

The Grinch is a fictional character created by children's author and cartoonist Dr. Seuss. He is best known as the main character of the 1957 children's book How the Grinch Stole Christmas! He has been portrayed and voiced by many actors, including Boris Karloff, Hans Conried, Bob Holt, Walter Matthau, Anthony Asbury, Jim Carrey, Rik Mayall, Benedict Cumberbatch, Matthew Morrison, David Howard Thornton, and James Austin Johnson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mo Willems</span> American childrens books illustrator and writer

Mo Willems is an American writer, animator, voice actor, and children's book author. His work includes creating the animated television series Sheep in the Big City for Cartoon Network, working on Sesame Street and The Off-Beats, and creating the popular children's book series Elephant and Piggie.

<i>Evil Dead: A Fistful of Boomstick</i> 2003 video game

Evil Dead: A Fistful of Boomstick is an action hack and slash video game developed by VIS Entertainment and published by THQ. It was released for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, and based on the film trilogy The Evil Dead. It is set eleven years after the events of Army of Darkness, and three years after Jenny, was killed in a bus crash. Bruce Campbell returns to voice Ash, and the voices for supporting characters are provided by several notable voice actors, including Debi Mae West, Rob Paulsen and Tom Kenny.

<i>In Search of Dr. Seuss</i> 1994 American television film

In Search of Dr. Seuss is a 1994 American television film chronicling the adventures of a news reporter, Kathy Lane, who enters the world of Dr. Seuss by opening a magical book. Also starring in the film were Matt Frewer, Christopher Lloyd, Andrea Martin, David Paymer, Patrick Stewart, Andraé Crouch, Robin Williams, and Eileen Brennan.

<i>The Cat in the Hat</i> (film) 2003 film by Bo Welch

The Cat in the Hat is a 2003 American fantasy comedy film directed by Bo Welch in his directorial debut and written by Alec Berg, David Mandel and Jeff Schaffer. Loosely based on Dr. Seuss's 1957 book of the same name, it was the second and final live-action feature-length Dr. Seuss adaptation after How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000). The film stars Mike Myers in the title role along with Alec Baldwin, Kelly Preston, Dakota Fanning, Spencer Breslin, Amy Hill and Sean Hayes in supporting roles.

<i>Horton Hears a Who!</i> (film) 2008 animated film

Horton Hears a Who! is a 2008 American animated children's film based on the 1954 book of the same name by Dr. Seuss, produced by Blue Sky Studios and distributed by 20th Century Fox. The film was directed by Jimmy Hayward and Steve Martino, from a screenplay written by the writing team of Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio. It stars the voices of Jim Carrey and Steve Carell as Horton the Elephant and Mayor Ned McDodd, respectively, alongside Carol Burnett, Will Arnett, Seth Rogen, Dan Fogler, Isla Fisher, Jonah Hill, and Amy Poehler. Recurring Blue Sky collaborator John Powell composed the film's musical score. It is the fourth screen adaptation of the book following the 1970 Chuck Jones television special, the 1987 Soviet animated short, and the 1992 Russian animated short.

The Icemark Chronicles is a series of books consisting of The Cry of the Icemark, followed by Blade of Fire, and Last Battle of the Icemark and the prequel called Prince Of The Icemark. The books were written by Stuart Hill from Leicester. Fox 2000 Pictures optioned the film rights to the book. The film was set to be produced by Courtney Pledger and Sarah Radclyffe, but it is unknown if or when it will be released. The books are published by Chicken House.

The Cat in the Hat is an American animated musical television special originally broadcast March 10, 1971 on CBS. It was based on the 1957 Dr. Seuss children's story of the same name, and produced by DePatie–Freleng Enterprises. With voices by Allan Sherman and prolific vocal performer Daws Butler, this half-hour special is a loose adaptation of the book with added musical sequences.

Horton Hears a Who! is a 1970 American animated television special based on the 1954 Dr. Seuss book of the same name, Horton Hears a Who! It was produced and directed by Chuck Jones who previously produced the Seuss special How the Grinch Stole Christmas! for MGM Television and first broadcast March 19, 1970 on CBS. The special contains songs with lyrics by Seuss and music by Eugene Poddany, who previously wrote songs for Seuss' book, The Cat in the Hat Song Book.

Razi Hirmandi (with the real name of Seyed Mohammad Razi Khodadadi is an Iranian writer/translator who translates from English into Persian for children and adults.

Anna Sarfatti is an Italian writer of children's books.

References