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I've been a huge fan of "The Big Orange Splot" for years. Even have one adorn my 5th grade classroom. This project by a California photographer got me thinking of you. She has been capturing images of houses built in Santa Clara in the 1950s. Originally designed to look identical, in the ensuing 50 years Mr. Plumbean's message to make your house look like all your dreams has been acted upon.
http://juliabaum.com/artwork/949914.html
All the best.
Does anyone else find a lot of those houses kind of scary?
Dear Mr. Pinkwater,
Reading The Yggyssey, the first hardcover edition, I noticed a few instances of last minute corrections in the text, judging from the typesetting. Now I think that there may be more corrections in the paperback edition, and my question is: should I buy the paperback, too, to have the final, corrected version?
I liked the book, of course, as I have liked every one of your books I have read. There is something in your writings that reminds me of R.A. Lafferty. Do you like Lafferty's books?
Best regards,
R.J. Laaksonen
Many years ago--you will know how many when I mention typewriter and carbon paper--I was looking at television, and saw an interview with Rex Stout. Stout said he enjoyed writing but hated to rewrite, so he wrote slowly and carefully, and never revised. "That is for me!" I said. I bought lots of "carbon sets," single-use carbon paper packed with sheets of thin paper attached, and wrote all my good novels of the 1970s slowly, being careful not to make mistakes, with four carbons--and except for ignorant misspellings and misplaced punctuation, and a very few typos, what I typed is what is in the printed book. Today, I write more or less the same way--but the advent of the word processor allows one to think on the screen, try things out and see how they look, and this gives rise to other kinds of errors, (see the comments following chapters of the serialized Adventures of a Cat-Whiskered Girl, on this website). I will not speak of errors and corrections made by the publisher and printer after the manuscript has left my hands. No book is perfect, especially mine, and this does not cause me any concern. If you are concerned, you can buy the paperback, and even search for copies of the bound uncorrected proofs that publishers send out to reviewers, and compare them to the raw text we post as serial chapters here before publication. Then you will know all. I have no idea why you would want to, but God bless you. I do not know the work of R.A. Lafferty.
I offer my condolences regarding Lulu. I had a chihuahua who got under my skin--he survived being snatched up by an owl (he was mistaken for a rabbit) and a confrontation with a large buck. He fought two other dogs to win the affection of his lady. And he sang in obscene German when I played the harmonica. Yes, dogs rule.
Were the songs anything like:
"Unglück geschieht, zu mir. Wo ist mein Herr dessen Aufgabe es ist, mich zu schützen?"
My Four-year-old son, Elie, told me today: "Mr Plumbean's body is shaped like a plum and his face is shaped like a bean."
Hm. I never noticed that. A lot of art is unconscious.
I don't read kids books much since I spend more time getting through college. I have to say that every once in awhile it is quite refreshing to hear them though. Your book as aired on Reading Rainbow 'The Tooth Gnasher Superflash' was one of my most remembered and enjoyed stories from my youth. Maybe you will put that up on your site too?
I see no reason not to.
It is happening again! I am reading, "Lizard Music" to the class and first there is a girl in the room named "Liz", then last Saturday Turner Classic Movies has that movie about a giant lizard from Venus, and today lizards on our weekly program, "Newsdepth"....
RS
But no actual lizards turning up in unexpected places yet? Let us know when that happens.
hi my name is Abba-Natan, (but everybody calls me Abie) I am 18 years old and i just wanted to say that i grew-up reading your books. (ok, thats not true most of the time my mother read them to me) my all time favoret was your "Hotel Lary" series. some day when i have children of my own i will read your books to them. i look forward to that day. be well and keep writing.
Thanks to you, and your mother!
I just finished reading The Neddiad out loud to my 7-year old son and 10-year old daughter. The book was selected by my daughter's junior girl scout troop for their book cub. The 18 girls in the troop will be meeting this Friday to discuss the book and their impressions of it. We loved the book and have just started reading The Ygyssey.
I somehow stumbled upon your books in a strange fashion. I heard about them by reading a review of one of Kevin Brockmeier's children's books on Amazon.com. I read his books Grooves and City of Names out loud to my children. Grooves is still in print but I had to order a used copy of City of Names because it is out of print. I was curious if you have read these books and have an impression of them. Kevin Brockmeier is well-know because of his adult book A Brief History of the Dead, but I'm not sure if his children's books are as well know. My children and I thought that his children's books were very entertaining and might be worth mentioning on your radio program.
We'll let you know our impressions of the Ygyssey and hope to read The Adventures of the Cat Whiskered Girls on-line and in print form when it is published.
Thanks for the fun time you've given me with my kids.
Everyone stumbles on my books in a strange fashion. I didn't plan it this way, but I like it. I don't know the work of Kevin Brockmeier -- I'll be on the lookout. I'm glad you're enjoying my stuff.
I am so sad that, after stating so clearly why you hate Walt Disney, you would be enthusiastic about Inga Moore's bowdlerized version of "Wind in the Willows". Yes, the illustrations are magnificent, but when she claims to have "abridged" the book, what she has actually done is ripped out it's heart.
Do I exaggerate? Well, find a copy of the Michael Hague illustrated "Wind in the Willows" and look at the chapter entitled "Piper at the Gates of Dawn." You will find the most beautiful picture of baby otter asleep at the feet of Great Pan, the god of the animals. Read ANY version for a beautiful description of religious awe in the great god's presence, (even if not illustrated) then try to find that chapter in Inga Moore's version.
This was not an "abridgment" but a very deliberate censorship. Young minds must not be made aware of the pagan gods at all costs! I pity the children who grow up with this version as much as those who only knew the Disney version. Shame.
I always suspect/blame the publisher in cases like this--and the illustrations are so good! Also I doubt it was deliberate censorship--you may give them too much credit. More likely there were considerations of length, readability, fear of losing the attention of readers, or simply not understanding the passage. This sort of thing happens all the time. At least this publisher, unlike Disney, does not make a specialty of watering down literature. You are right to point out the omission, and I am right to point out the work of a gifted illustrator.
I am a youth services librarian who loves the Irving and Muktuk books. I am doing an ice cream making program for 40 children and will be reading Ice Cream Larry to the children before the program. If you will be on Long Island on October 13 and would like to make some ice cream, we would love for you to come.
I used to be on Long Island, and in Huntington even! Why didn't you ask me then? Now I am here, and will be here on October 13th. I would love to come and make ice cream...but I can't. Eat some for me!
I read your books the Yggyssey and the Neddiad in one day over the summer. Now that school has started I need to do an "Author Talk" and I picked you as my author. I am having fun getting to know you better!
My question is how do you pronounce the "Yggyssey" and "Neddiad." I want to make sure I say it right in my author talk.
PS. Is there anything special you want me to say about you in my author talk? I am in sixth grade. I like that the whale from Moby Dick is one of your favorite characters. I like Whales, too.
Lauren
Hi, Lauren!
"ig-ah-see" and "ned-ee-yad" Here is something you might want to include in your author talk: Writing is not hard. The whole trick is learning to write a good sentence. (What is a good sentence? I don't know, but I know one when I see one.) Once you get so you can write a good sentence, you can write paragraphs, whole pages, or a whole book, because those things are made up of sentences. That is all there is to it. You don't have to be smart or anything....look at me. I notice that your email is made up of good sentences, so you can be a writer if you feel like it.
Daniel
Many years ago, my mother and I heard you on NPR talking about your dogs (anything dog gets our attention). It was the story where you were looking for another dog with "eyes like Juno."
The long and the short of it is that as dog lovers, that struck a chord and we understood perfectly. And, to this day, when we're looking at a dog (potential housemate or otherwise), we look for a dog with eyes like Juno.
So the tale (tail?) of Juno lives on in the lives of others. Just thought you should know.
Kristi
For your further information, "eyes like Juno's" are loving, intelligent, and laughing.
Hey, first off I just want to say I love your books!! Haven't come across all of them, but I keep looking. Anyway, recently I've been quoting and babbling about the Snarkout Boys books to my friends, and most think I'm absolutely insane, but I have gotten a few of them to read your books and they are all very impressed. I'm an aspiring writer myself, and so are a couple of my closer friends, and we like to work on stories together. When we get our books published, you will be cited as an influence! Thank you for existing!
Thank you for acknowledging my existence.
Hello Daniel,
I have been a fan of your work since "Aunt Lulu" and was very sorry to hear about your dog Lulu on NPR last weekend.
Adventures of a Cat Whiskered Girl has me hooked. I have been posting my own serialized story "The Amazing Adventures of Madebonne and Henry" which I have written with the help of my 8 year old friend. Madeleine answers a question at the end of each chapter which determines the direction the story takes. You can check it out at madebonneandhenry.blogspot.com
Thanks for all of your entertaining stories.
Linda
Thank you. We'll all take a look.
Hello. In grade school my sullen 4th grade teacher read us a macabre tale of a little girl who was summoned by a witch or some spirit to stick her hands in a fire. She did. It burned her hands, but eventually she had the power to shake hands with people and determine what type of animal best exeplifies their soul. It portrayed a bleak picture of the human condition, and even of the condition of the barnyard. I cannot remember the name of the book, or its author. Do any of the people in the children's book business that read these emails have any recollection of this book?
Thanks.
Mark D. Parker
Is it a Berenstain Bears book?
Dear Mr Pinkwater,
When I was approximately 8 years old I received the best gift of my life. A copy of Fat Men From Space. I read it in one day and was so excited. I immediately asked my dad for more. Coincidentally many more of your books happened to be on our bookshelf.
Since then I have read every one of your books I could get my hands on and continue to do so. My favorite is the Snark out Boys and the Avocado of Death.
My goal in life has been to create a literary revolution at my school whereby everybody reads your books. Sadly it has not happened. But maybe it will work if I try employing mind control techniques from Alan Mendelsohn.
Sorry to tell you, I tried the mind-control myself--still, the regular people did not read my books. I have gotten used to this, and even like it.
Hello-
While I have been a devoted Pinkwater reader and fan since the tender age of 10, I did not discover the hilarious antics of Irving & Muktuk until the ripe age of 39, or when my own son was 3. We have loved them ever since and after raiding all the local library had to offer, we added our own copies to the family library. Blah blah blah, worship, praise etc.
Anyway- today (9/13/09) in the Washington Post Magazine is the most interesting story about the polar bears of Churchill, Manitoba written by Kieran Mulvaney.
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/04/AR2009090402431.html)
I did not realize that other than the lovely aurora borealis inspired illustrations by Jill Pinkwater that the lives of Irving & Muktuk were based on polar bear fact!
Most shockingly similar was an amazing photo of two bears being carted away in nets by helicopter to polar bear jail!!! Fwop, Fwop, Fwop indeed!
All the polar bears pix here are fantastic and there is another that looks like Irving & Muktuk after they have been discovered posing as muffins. It seems though that the bears of Churchill have a weakness for bacon. All your Irving & Muktuk fans will undoubtedly enjoy this article.
Thanks to you and Jill for all your engaging work-
Jeana Foley
Irving and Muktuk are possibly Jewish, Muslim, or vegetarian--if the publisher had wanted more books, we might have found out which. At any rate, they don't seem to have much interest in bacon. Anyone can pose as a muffin--I have done so many times, and recommend it as an entertaining activity.
Dear Mr. Pinkwater,
I was saddened to hear on "Weekend Edition, Saturday" of Lulu's passing. Over the years of listening to you and Mr. Simon share books, I have enjoyed hearing about your family. (I also enjoy it when you visit with the Car Guys!) Besides taking your recommendation of books to share with my classes, I also used many of your books to entice my students to find an author they could enjoy. At the beginning of each school year, I always included AUNT LULU as one of the read alouds. The students would sing out the names of the sled dogs as the story went along. Of course, we had to read it again so they could do so all the way through. It has always been one of my favorite. Were any/all of the dogs patterned after your dog, Lulu?
Thank you for all the terrific stories in books as well as on the radio. Even though I have retired from teaching, I still check out the books you share on "Weekend Edition" as well as any new ones you publish.
Thanks for the kind words. Lulu's name came from the book--and we've had sled dogs off and on for 40 years. Lulu's successor, Kee, is a very lovable little shepherd plus something else, (we don't know what). When I can get a picture of her that is not a blur of movement, I will ask webmaster Ed to post it on the site. We miss Lulu very much, but Kee is doing her best to help us get over the loss.
Hi Daniel,
Thanks for your James Warhola reading...I am a fan, a storyteller myself...Singer/songwriter/puppeteer and improvisationalperformer at home in Cornwall on Hudson.
Kathy Byers and I are playing at TASTE BUDDS CAFE SUNDAY SEPT 13 12-2pm. 40 west Market St. Red Hook NY....we are singing for our Culinary Institute grad Dan Budd' meal. Howz that for a run on..Love to meet you!
Lydia
www.LydiaAdamsDavis.com
I never heard of this Taste Budds Cafe. Maybe we will turn up if we are moving around at the time.
Oh snap Daniel!
People around my town are burning your books in great big piles and blaming you for stuff. It's getting out of hand, somebody stole my dog yesterday and left a note containing anti-semitic slurs. I think you should dry my laundry.
I don't know what I'm saying. You don't know what I'm saying. You write cool books, man.
Everybody just needs to CALM DOWN. Tell me something in reverse numbering because of how my computer formats web pages, it's complicated. Please.
Thanks
Everything is normal. Sorry to hear about your semitic dog. I suggest you put posters around offering chowder for his return.
