Online Journey

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.

Solla Sollew is an Odyssey-tale told in the first person by a young narrator who experiences troubles in his life (mostly aggressive small animals which bite and sting) and wishes to escape them. He sets out for the mythical city of the title ("where they never have troubles / at least very few") and learns that he must face his problems instead of running away from them. He then goes back home to deal with his "troubles," arming himself with a big bat and resolving that "Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!" The journey includes several fantastic encounters, some with mild political implications. In one instance, the protagonist is forced to haul a wagon for a bossy companion. ("'This is called teamwork. I furnish the brains. You furnish the muscles, the aches and the pains.'") In another scene, he is drafted into the army under the command of the fearsome General Genghis Khan Schmitz, who abandons him at a critical moment.