Hello Everyone,

I heard Mr. Pinkwater on the Sat. edition of Morning Edition and heard his lugubrious statements about the usage of pundit. I would like to know how he feels about these two words; "Realtor" and "Jewelry". I have heard so many people pronounce these words as "Real-a-tor" and "Jewel-er-y." As one who aspires to do and say things correctly whenever possible I would like some help with this situation. Can you give me your thoughts please?

I love hearing Mr. Pinkwater on the radio and look forward to his next installment. I especially enjoy his readings with Scott Simon. Please forgive any grammatical errors in this message.

Daniel:

Perfect. "Pundint" drives me crazy too. Even otherwise smart people are saying it now. For example, Jim Lehrer on PBS. Maybe if you bump into him in the hall at NPR or PBS you could have a word with him.

Your comments about "looking up 'pundint' in the dictionary" reminded me of a childhood memory. When I was a child, I brought home a word that I had learned on the school bus. It was the word Jean Shepherd referred to as "the Queen Mother" of dirty words. F blank blank blank. Fudge. Well when I used the word in front of my mother, she (being a progressive student of child psychology) took me right over to the dictionary and told me to look it up. Of course, it was nowhere to be found. She then told me "There's no such word. Never say it again."

Needless to say, the technique did not work.

Robert Witriol

Rochester, NY

In answer to Donna Haight's question of July 13: The author of the story about Christmas customs in Holland, involving six to eight black men, is David Sedaris. Here is a link to a CD of him reading that piece: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1586215647/103-7853059-4151053?v=glance Just a warning, some of his material may be too risque for kids.

My own question (I sent this several years ago, but if there was a reply I didn't catch it): why does the audio book of Borgel end in the middle? Is there a complete version somewhere? My kids and I loved the half we heard, but then I was forced to read the rest to them myself, a pale shadow of DP's great reading.

I decided to check out this website again because I'm writing a column about children's authors' websites for some papers in upstate NY and the Berkshires. I'd love to interview DP -- maybe I'll get up the nerve one day. Thanks!

Mr Pinkwater;

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for writing so many great books for kids. I distinctly remember really enjoying your books as a child. It is with such fondness and emotion that I recall entering the world of Pinkwater fiction....it was another world for me. A different world. A world full of hope and positivity without being patronizing or preachy. I will always recall fondly the rebelious ways of the snarkout boys, the freaky gadgets of Alan Mendelson (are such things really possible??) and the way the Dadaists turned everything upside down. When I think of your work I always remembered your description of an avacado (was it on ice?) in a room, hooked up to a bunch of electronic equipment.

Do not doubt for a second that your work inspired me and helped mold me into who I am today, and that my memories of reading your books are some of my best! These reccolections and thoughts are based on twenty year old memories, so you know there was some real impact.

At thirty I know that there's no way I'm too old for Daniel Pinkwater! So, I'm going to start buying ALL of your books. Starting with re reading the ones I so fondly remember, I intend to buy every one I can find. My wife is pregnant now, so I figure I have about 7 years to buy and read them all before my child will be ready to start reading these precious "books from when Dad was a kid" .

If you ever doubt that you have done good work in your life, cease. Your books entertained and inspired me and no doubt did the same for countless others.

Again, You have my sincere gratitude and deepest respect.

Sincerely.

Boone A.E.S.

P.S. I like avacados and eggplants too! Coincedence??

P.P.S. I'm still working on acheiving omega state.

Mr. Pinkwater, I'm glad to see you are consistent in your recommendation that people not meet famous writers that they admire. I read that in your forum archives, as well as in a note you wrote to me 10 or so years ago when I was a high-school aged fan of yours. I do have one thing I've always meant to write you about, though. A correction. In Fish Whistle (or Chicago Days/Hoboken Nights) you state that you only got one fan letter for Norb, and that it was from some famous writer. However, when Norb was still in my newspaper every day, I wrote you telling you that it was the finest strip ever wrought by human hands. My question: Was this some creative minimization, not to be taken literally, or (as I suspect) were you demonstrating some prophetic powers and declaring that I will be a famous writer some day. If it's the latter, then I'm glad you weren't slighting a loyal fan, but instead were bestowing a boon, a blessing, a declaration of what we both surely hope will turn out to be true (unless you have any long-standing objections to _becoming_ a famous writer as well as meeting same). Seriously, though, thanks for your books. I picked them up years ago & never put them down (boy are my arms tired), and recently had the opportunity to introduce my little sister to a copy of Lizard Music, which she enjoyed. Authors we admire in common have been a big part of our relationship, since we live in different cities, and I appreciate your part in that. Next I sent her Salinger, and Hesse. I think that's the company in which you belong.

A loyal fan,

Devin Collins

I love The Big Orange Splot! Thanks a million for creating this masterpiece!

Hi Mr. Pinkwater,

UC Berkeley's student newspaper the Daily Californian just began a new feature in their arts section called "Taster's Choice," where the paper's writers recommend pieces of art that they've loved throughout their life or recently discovered that they need to let the Berkeley population know about, and the first column was written about your book "Lizard Music."

The mini-feature ran in the arts section of our issue on Thursday, July 29 and can be found online at http://www.dailycal.org/article.php?id=15714 - I hope you enjoy it!

Rich Bunnell

Arts Editor

The Daily Californian

Mr. Pinkwater, I just heard something that I don't know if you'll find hilarious or appalling. Apparently a library patron in Chester, New Hampshire has asked that "Fat Camp Commandos" be removed from the library's shelves because it "makes fun of fat people." I didn't realize your books were such a source of controversy! No word of a fatwa being issued, but I'll keep you posted.

J.Z. Smith

New Hampshire

BR

We just had the Grandmother of a young patron come in and she returned the book "Fat Camp Commandos" by Daniel Pinkwater and she asked for it to be removed from our shelves. She was given and filled out a Request for Reconsideration of Materials form. Her complaint was that the book "made fun of fat people", however she did not even get past the first few pages. She thinks it should be taken off the shelves. We are very familiar with the Library's Bill of Rights what we were wondering is has anyone else had a challenge on this particular book and if so what did you tell the patron.

Thanks for any info.

Melissa Rossetti

Asst. Director

Chester Public Library

Chester, NH

Hello.

I just wanted to say thankyou to Daniel for entertaining an almost 40 year old woman. Some years ago I was ambling around the children's library with my son looking for something I'd not already read (See, I'd taken my boy as a ruse.....he was only a few weeks old at the time) and there was your copy of Borgel....although I'm sure it wasn't called that then. I read it, raved about it, took it back to the library and then decided to buy my own copy. But, being a total duffer I managed to forget a. what it was called and b. who it was by.

Now, this makes buying a book very difficult. I tried all sorts of combinations at the bookshop....did it have 'popsicle' in the title? No, as it turns out....but at the time I was convinced it did. The poor bloke in the bookshop thought I was crackers, but he was too polite to say so.....remember this is England.

Now we fast-forward a few years. My son is now 12 and I'm still searching for this great book. But now I have a computer. And the amazing thing is you can sit for ages and try all kinds of combinations without feeling guilty about boring anybody else....and you can find the book you are looking for....and I did. I had to order it second hand from someone in America and it was now called Borgel (which it wasn't before) and it cost me an arm and a leg but it was worth every penny....it is such a good book....so mad and imaginative and funny.

Since then I've managed to get a copy of The Hoboken Chicken Emergency, Lizard Music and The Afterlife Diet. I just wanted to let you know how good I think your books are and to say thankyou very much indeed Mr Pinkwater.

By the way have you read The Eyre Affair/ Lost in a Good Book/ The Well of Lost Plots.....all by Jasper Fforde? If you havent, then find them and read them......I think you would like them. They are a little bit Lewis Carroll, a little bit SF, very original and very clever.

Thankyou again,

Amanda Easton.

DP's a big sneak. He appears to write for the Inner Child, but I think he's really writing, in an adult voice, for the Innerer Adult.

Ah.. Subversive. I thought so!

Just a note to say "Thanks" after listening to your Fresh Air interview. One seldom gets to listen to a salubrious adult.

My husband keeps bringing up the subject of seeing someone he thought might have been you in Glenfinnan Scotland in May. Any chance you were there? I didn't think so.

We both enjoy hearing you on public radio.

Thank you!

Mr. Pinkwater

I must respectfully disagree with your comment on NPR that your best book is your first, Lizard Music. As good as that one is, your best book is The Education of Robert Nifkin, which has possibly one of the best opening lines in literature: "My father was a son-of-a-bitch from Eastern Europe." How could anyone fail to be pulled into a book that starts that way?

It also contains a line whereby a morose girl insults her father by saying that he has "tiny tree frogs on his soul," a line that, the first time i read it, made me laugh until i cried, then continue snickering uncontrollably for the rest of the evening whenever I thought of it.

Oh, I so wish you'd put out another young adult-to-adult level book. I know the kiddies love you, but we big kids do too!

Your fan, Dianna in Denver

Hello Mr. Wonderful,

Please could you explain the dog behavior I've observed in a variety of parking lots? When owners run into the store and leave their dog in the car, why does the dog move into the driver's seat? And for those few dogs who do not move into the driver's seat, why not?

Also, I am looking for the eggplant-vegetable recipe on your site and cannot seem to find it. Would you be so kind as to direct me to the recipe?

Thank you, Mr. Wonderful. I am still somewhere beyond the ozone over having won Morty & Ray, a totally lovable story. My friend Iliana in Albuquerque would like more Mush stories. She's not yet ten years old, but she has impeccable literary taste.

Your devoted fan,

Pamela

Mr. Pinkwater,

I happened to hear the interview with you on "Fresh Air" several days ago. Even though I was on my way inside with groceries I waited in the car to find out who you were. I wanted to know, not because I appreciated what you had to say, but because I was appalled. You talked about writing for adults with distain saying that adults were only looking for something to read before falling asleep. It seemed that you look down on this idea, and yet you said that you purposely write in such a way as to contribute to that. I do not understand why you feel that you can arrogantly say critical things about the way adults read (and their choice of reading material) and then turn around and churn out the garbage that you complain about. I have never read one of your books and probably never will since I am not interested in someone "drooling on the page" as you put it. If writing is not about art why bother?

Thank you.

Mr. Pinkwater,

I was traveling with my children one weekend near christmas and we heard you (I hope it was you!) telling a wonderful story about how santa and his helpers deliver gifts to children in different parts of the world. Madison, my daughter laughed about it the rest of the trip. Told her friends the story and her birthday is coming up on August 4th. I would like to obtain a copy of it. I'm not sure if it is a book or just a tape but it would add a little humor to her 12th birthday.

The one line I remember is that in some countries seven to eight blackmen come to the home. A liitle boy says, "Did you say seven to eight?". The story goes on to say how they would have run around the house trying to board it up so they couln't get it. We laughed so hard over this delightful story.

Please let me know is it is available for purchase.

Thank you for your wonderful sense of humor.

Mr. Pinkwater,

Years ago, my wife dined at a restaurant she heard about from one of your shows - La Parmigiana in Kingston as she remembers it. We'll be in the area and want to go there, but there doesn't seem to be one in Kingston. On the net I found a La Parmigiana Trattitoria (sic) in New Paltz and a place that was called La Parmigiana Trattoria but seems now to be Marco Polo's in Rhinebeck. Any thoughts?

My 6-year-old son wants to know where Yellowtooth is. My atlas shows Yellowtail and Yellowhead, but no Yellowtooth. So I went on the Internet and wound up on this site.

Could you divulge the location of Yellowtooth? We'd like to go there one New Year's Eve. (I'm teaching him to play a mean hand of Casino.)

Thanks!

By the way, have you ever tried explaining to a 6-year-old why a town in a book might not really exist?

Humbly asking for a teensy bit of advice...Namely, could you recommend a good agent for a children's book? I've finally reached a draft which needs an eye far more professional that mine own. In other words, when I've asked for advice, people tell me to look up either your agent or the late Shel Silverstein's. But, since this advice never includes a name or address for such fabulous beasts, it's not exactly the most useful.

Please accept my massive and abject apologies if this information has been discussed on your forum before, or if I've missed it elsewhere on your website. In fact, if that is the case, please imagine one of Fu Manchu's minions begging forgiveness. That'd be about right.

(It's 5,000 words about a kid who gets revenge on his cruel schoolmates. Yes, food is mentioned, at least: Boil'n'Eat, which has all the nutrition of a steak dinner without the taste.)

I accidentally ended up at this site, sort of like a beagle, tracking a gravy-soaked wease,l finding itself standing on a median strip. However, as long as I am here, I wanted to give proper homage* to your efforts, with your daughter Jill, on the "Larry" books. Being that I am not much of a reader of ....like....you know...text, having an option to read your work in a more digestable format and simultaneously continue the gradual work of warping my twin boys, it would seem that some cosmic tumblers are in.......sorry. It appears I am no longer on the median strip. Yep, the old nose led me to a cosmic tumbler.

(*proper homage in this case typically requires jumper-cables and a wood-wind instrument , oh and lots of improperly hyphenated words.)