Sleep Story: McElligot's Pool, By Dr. Seuss

Let your imagination drift into a peaceful sleep with this delightful story by Dr. Seuss. In this story, we meet a young boy named Marco as he embarks on a whimsical adventure fueled by optimism and imagination. Despite being told that the small pool he’s fishing in is useless, Marco’s vivid imagination transports him to a world full of colourful, exotic fish and endless possibilities.

It’s a story that celebrates creativity, hope, and the belief that something extraordinary can happen, even in the most ordinary places. I hope you enjoy listening as you drift off to sleep.

Transcript

Hi there,

Welcome to this bedtime story.

My name is Susan Guttridge,

And tonight I'll be reading the story,

McElligot's Pool,

Written and illustrated by Dr.

Seuss quite some time ago in 1947.

McElligot's Pool is a story about a young boy named Marco who lets his imagination take him on a pretty interesting adventure.

I have been looking forward to reading this one to you because,

Similar to many of the stories by Dr.

Seuss,

It celebrates the boundless power of imagination.

Marco is an optimistic boy who goes fishing in a small pond that some other people think is useless.

As he sets out,

One farmer even tells him not to bother that there's no point in trying to catch anything,

But Marco's belief in what might lie beneath the water is stronger than the farmer's words.

Marco imagines an endless world of possibilities,

Full of color and exotic fish,

Far beyond what anyone would expect.

This story is one of my favorites because of the way it emphasizes the power of imagination,

Staying hopeful,

And seeing opportunities where others might not.

It reminds us that sometimes,

All it takes is a little creativity and optimism to discover something extraordinary,

Even in places that might seem ordinary.

Before we begin,

Let's get you nice and comfortable.

Give your body a stretch.

Shift as you need to loosen up any tightness or tension that you might not have even noticed was there.

Settle into a position that feels just right for you,

And dim your lights.

Notice the weight of your head resting comfortably on your soft pillow,

Feeling into all those bits of relaxation as they spread throughout your body.

Pull your sheets or blankets up around you so that you feel just warm enough.

Notice the blankets softly cuddling around you,

Like a gentle hug.

You might notice your mind wander during the story.

It's okay if that happens.

Try to just notice it with a gentle,

There I go again,

And then bring your attention back to the story.

Allow your mind to open up to the idea that,

Like Marco,

We can choose to see possibilities everywhere,

Even in the most unexpected places.

As you softly drift your eyes closed,

I'll begin the story.

McElligot's Pool by Dr.

Seuss Young man laughed the farmer,

You're sort of a fool,

You'll never catch fish in McElligot's pool.

The pool is too small,

And you might as well know,

When people have junk,

That's the place that they throw it.

You might catch a boot,

Or you might catch a can,

You might catch a bottle,

But listen young man,

If you sat fifty years with your worms and your wishes,

You'd grow a long beard,

Long before you'd catch fishes.

Hmm,

Answered Marco,

It may be you're right,

I've been here three hours without one single bite,

There might be no fish,

But then again,

Well,

There might,

Cause you never can tell what goes on down below.

This pool might be bigger than you or I know.

This might be a pool like I've read of in books,

Connected to one of those underground brooks,

An underground river that starts here and flows right under the pasture,

And then,

Well,

Who knows?

It might go along,

Down where no one can see,

Right under State Highway 203,

Right under the wagons,

Right under the toes of Miss Ambroso,

Who's hanging out clothes.

It might keep on flowing,

Perhaps,

Who can tell?

Right under the people in Sneedon's Hotel,

Right under the grass where they're playing croquet,

Then under the mountains far,

Far away.

This might be a river,

Now mightn't it be,

Connecting McElligot's pool with the sea,

And maybe some fish might be swimming toward me.

If such a thing could be,

They certainly would be.

Some very smart fellow might point out the way to the place where I'm fishing,

And that's why I say,

If I wait long enough,

If I'm patient and cool,

Who knows what I'll catch in McElligot's pool?

I might catch a thin fish,

I might catch a stout fish,

I might catch a short or a long,

Long-drawn-out fish.

Any kind,

Any shape,

Any size,

Any color,

I might catch some fish that would open your eyes.

I won't be surprised if a dogfish appears,

Complete with a collar and long,

Floppy ears,

Woofing along,

And perhaps he might chase a whole lot of catfish right straight to this place.

I might catch a fish with a pinwheel-like tail,

I might catch a fish who has fins like a sail,

I might catch some young fish,

Some high-jumping friskers,

I might catch an old one with long,

Flowing whiskers,

I might catch a fish with a long,

Curly nose,

I might catch a fish like a rooster that crows,

I might catch a fish with a checkerboard belly,

Or even a fish made of strawberry jelly,

I might catch a seahorse,

Now mightn't I now?

I might catch a fish who is partly a cow,

Some fish from the tropics,

All sunburned and hot,

Might decide to swim up,

Well,

They might,

Might they not?

Racing up north for a chance to get cool,

Full steam ahead for McElligot's Pool.

Some fish from beyond Hudson Bay might decide to swim down,

Might be headed this way,

It's a pretty long trip,

But they might,

And they may.

I might catch an eel,

Well,

I might,

It depends,

A long,

Twisting eel with a lot of strange bends,

And,

Oddly enough,

With a head on both ends.

One doesn't catch this kind of fish as a rule,

But the chances are fine in McElligot's Pool.

I might catch a fish with a terrible grouch,

Or an Australian fish with a kangaroo's pouch.

Who wants to catch small ones like mackerel or trout,

Say I'll catch a sawfish with such a long snout that he needs an assistant to help him about.

If I wait long enough,

If I'm patient and cool,

Who knows what I'll catch in McElligot's Pool.

Some roughneck old lobster,

All gristle and muscle,

Might grab at my bait,

Then would I have a tussle.

To land one so tough might take two or three hours,

But the next might be easy,

The kind that likes flowers.

I might catch some sort of fast-moving bloke who zips through the waves with an over-arm's stroke,

I might,

And I may,

And that's really no joke.

A fish even faster,

A fish if you please,

Who slides down the sides of strange islands on skis,

He might ski on over and pay me a visit,

That's not impossible,

Really,

Now is it?

Some circus fish,

Fish from an acrobat school,

Might stage a big show in McElligot's Pool.

Or I might catch a fish from a stranger place yet,

From the world's highest river in far-off Tibet,

Where the falls are so steep that it's dangerous to ride them,

So the fish put up chutes and they float down beside them.

From the world's deepest oceans,

From way down below,

From down in the mud where the deep divers go,

From down in the mire and the muck and the murk,

I might catch some fish who are all going glerk.

Whales,

I'll catch whales,

Yes,

A whole herd of whales,

All spouting their spouts and all thrashing their tails,

I'll catch fifty whales,

Then I'll stop for the day,

Cause there's nothing that's bigger than whales,

So they say.

Still,

Of course,

It might be that there is something bigger,

Some sort of a kind of a thingamajigger,

A fish that's so big,

If you know what I mean,

That he makes a whale look like a tiny sardine.

Oh,

The sea is so full of a number of fish,

If a fellow is patient,

He might get his wish,

And that's why I think that I'm not such a fool when I sit here and fish in McElligot's pool.

Thank you for listening,

And let's take a moment to appreciate the storyteller and cartoonist Dr.

Seuss for reminding us of the power of imagination.

Let's also appreciate Marco,

Who dreamed big enough and never let anyone's doubts stop him from dreaming about the possibilities beneath McElligot's pool.

His unshakable belief teaches us that even when others don't see what we see,

It's important that we hold on to our hopes and our creativity.

As you drift off to sleep,

Remember Marco's faith in what could be,

And let your dreams carry you to places full of endless possibilities.

Just like Marco imagined,

Maybe there's a whole world of wonders waiting for you right beneath the surface of sleep.

There might be,

And there may,

And that's really no joke.

Good night,

Sweet dreams,

And be well.

Reviews

I love this story!!!!! For my first middle school play we did the Seussical jr. and I got to be in the big dance parts especially it’s possible. It’s possible is basically the song version of this story so this story holds a very special place in my heart🎶❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹
Xoxo, Nabi

I loved this. A new Dr Seuss story for me. Thank you.

Delightful! Thank you for this tale, including your introduction to it. And I’ll have to listen again…as I fell asleep before the ending! 🐟🐠🌀🙏

Thanks for the nice escape, its wonderful to have you read to me🙂

What a delightful tale. I don’t know why I’ve never read this Dr. Seuss book. A tribute to the imagination. 🐳