Essay Questions

How does oobleck come about?

King Derwin is unhappy with the weather and complains that nothing new ever comes down. He does not like not being in control of the skies because he considers himself to be all powerful. As such, he hires magicians to chant a spell to make oobleck, a green sticky weather.

What are the consequences of oobleck?

Oobleck was meant to be a solution for new weather but instead it ends up wreaking havoc on the kingdom. It clogs up the mountains where the magicians live so Bartholomew cannot ask them for help. It clogs the bell tower so he can not warn the kingdom to take shelter. It also clogs the hooves of the horses so Bartholomew cannot escape.

How does Bartholomew save the day?

Bartholomew tries to signal to the people about the danger of oobleck by ringing the bell tower. However, oobleck has clumped up the bell. He then tries to get the magicians to reverse the spell but the mountain they live on has been taken over by oobleck. Eventually, he tells the King to apologize, and this works to restore the weather.

What was the moral of the story?

The moral of the story was to be appreciate of what you have and do not meddle with nature. King Derwin wanted more power over the skies and tried to use magic to invent his own weather. But nature got its own back on him by releasing oobleck, which made the King miserable and sorry for ever having meddled in the first place.