However, the stacked turtles are in pain. Dissatisfied with the stone that serves as his throne (it's too small for him to rule the landscape beyond the pond), Yertle commands the other turtles to stack themselves beneath him so that he can see farther and expand his kingdom, each time marveling at what he believes he now rules. The eponymous story revolves around Yertle the Turtle, the king of the pond (located on the faraway island of Sala-ma-sond), where all the turtles swim happily. In 2001, it was listed at 125 on the Publishers Weekly list of the best-selling children's books of all time.
Though the book included 'burp', a word then considered to be relatively rude, it was a success upon publication, and has since sold more than a million copies. Though it contains three short stories, it is mostly known for its first story, 'Yertle the Turtle', in which the eponymous Yertle, king of the pond, stands on his subjects in an attempt to reach higher than the Moon-until the bottom turtle burps and he falls into the mud, ending his rule. It was first released by Random House Books on April 12, 1958, and is written in Seuss's trademark style, using a type of meter called anapestic tetrameter.
Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories is a picture book collection by Theodor Seuss Geisel, published under his more commonly known pseudonym of Dr.
