“Yertle the Turtle” Was Based on a Much More Sinister Character
If you haven’t read the story of Yertle the Turtle, here’s the gist of it: Yertle is the king of the pond, but he wants more. He makes other turtles stack themselves up so he can sit on them to watch over the land. Yertle then notices the moon and is angry that anything dares to be higher than himself.
Source: Turning the Word
Dr. Seuss admitted that Yertle was a representation of Hitler. Yes, him. And interestingly, despite the political nature of the book, the only thing that was disputed in the story was one character’s burp (Mack the turtle). No one had ever mentioned a burp in a children’s book before. But it was ultimately kept in.