This children’s picture book by the world famous Dr. Seuss was first published in 1953.
Peter T. Hooper is quite the whiz in the kitchen, if he says so himself, and he wants to tell his little sister, Liz, all about his prowess. Why, just the other day when their mother was gone, he made something rather marvelous. It all began when he started to think about eggs. Why do people always use hen eggs, anyway? What other kinds of eggs are available to try?
For instance, there is the Ruffle-necked Sala-ma-goox. Those eggs are huge and red. Would they make a good breakfast? Juggling an egg in each hand, Peter made his way back to the house, but spotted a Tizzle-Topped Grouse. Her eggs might taste good too – what if he mixed the two kinds of eggs together?
He took them to the kitchen and added all sorts of spices, but it wasn’t quite right. Something was still missing. How about more eggs – why, he’d make Scrambled eggs Super-dee-Dooper-de-Booper Special de luxe a-la-Peter T. Hooper!
His travels took him all over the land, up hill and down, to treacherous heights and through the deepest jungles. He investigated the eggs of many a different species of bird, discarding any that weren’t of the finest quality or taste. After concluding his wanderings, he returned to the kitchen to continue his experimentation with seasoning. Only the best would do.
He used parsley, quite sparsely, but he really went to town on the beans, prunes, and cinnamon sticks. You can never have too much cinnamon, in my opinion. He mixed and stirred, then stirred some more.
By now little Liz is perched on the edge of her seat, wanting to know more. Peter says, “And how did they taste?”
After all that build-up, she’s ready for something quite fabulous.
“Why, they tasted like Scrambled eggs Super-dee-Dooper-de-Booper Special de luxe a-la-Peter T. Hooper,” he tells her.
The charm in this book is in the wide variety of birds and their habitats. The story itself doesn’t have much of a plot, but it’s fun to learn about birds in the world of Seuss.
Related Blogs:
Dr. Seuss Series: Hunches in Bunches
Dr. Seuss Series: Happy Birthday to You!