dear mrs.mr.pinkwater i was wondering how your dogs juno and arnold are i read all about them in superpuppy! the best book ever!! i know that maybe they have passed but they were great dogs! well bye!!
Juno and Arnold are pulling a sled in the Great Beyond. They had happy lives. Now there are other dogs here, Maxine and Lulu, who reminds me of Juno.
Mr. Pinkwater, Sir:
A number of years ago, I heard an essay of yours on NPR in which you quoted your typical response to any person that had written to you complaining about “dirty” words in your books.
I recall that in part you stated that you believed that in was important to learn to distinguish between polite and impolite intentions behind what is said, and further that when you were alone you rarely used any words other than short old ones!
I was delighted by your essay at the time, and would very much like to have a copy of the text of letter referred therein.
Perhaps you can request someone on your staff to email me a copy of this letter.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Oh, yeah--like I have a staff. If the essay isn't in HOBOKEN FISH & CHICAGO WHISTLE, published by Xlibris, (which I dimly recall it may be), then it's lost. Good luck.
Dear Mr. Pinkwater,
Although I have no steamed dumplings to offer you, I have a question. My question is as follows: Why do you mention Romania so much in your books? It is always a subtle mention for instance in Alan Mendelsohn, the Boy from Mars [which I am currently reading, instead of doing a project for school, for the umteenth time] you say that the Old One’s vacuum will take 8 months to repair because they need to order parts from Romania. I beleive in Borgel you at some point mention that the radio staton will continue its program of Rumanian music.
Keep writing your excellent stories and please respond,
Ilan
P.S. My old english teacher looks like you, just thought you might like to know that.
Because one of my favorite songs is ""Rumania, Rumania,"" as sung by Aaron Lebedeff. Sorry to hear about your old English teacher. And the dumplings are for webmaster Ed. I have never received a single one.
Neither have I. --Ed
I and my wife moved to Hoboken from New York City a couple years ago. It is now a lovely, yuppified bedroom community just about to get its first Wolfgang Puck restaurant — miles away from the grimy, poor, but probably much more interesting community you moved to in (was it 1969)?
I once heard you on NPR telling your funny story about moving to an apartment over a bar in Hoboken. I am very curious — where did you live? As the second most famous person to live in Hoboken (and the only one so far to write a book with the word Hoboken in the title) I would like to be able to point out your historic domicile to tourists staying on our yuppie sectional convertible couch.
By the way I have been compiling a stack of other Hoboken trivia if you are interested. For example, did you know that Frederick Douglas used to meet his longtime mistress in Hoboken? Or that Hetty Green, the infamous “witch of Wall Street” used to live on Washington street?
It was 1966. I first lived at Hudson Street near 2nd, now torn down, and later owned 22 Hudson Place. I knew about Hetty Green, but not about Frederick Douglas's mistress. Stephen Foster lived in Hoboken. Gugliermo Marconi lived in Hoboken. Willem deKooning lived in Hoboken. Hans Hoffman lived in Hoboken. The guys who wrote ""Hair"" lived in Hoboken. The leader of the Hari Krishna movement lived in Hoboken. The inventor of the zipper lived in Hoboken. Charles Dickens lived in, or visited, Hoboken. Napoleon the Third lived in Hoboken for a year. Alexander Calder lived in Hoboken when he went to Stevens Tech. And Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr used to visit Hoboken, and went across the town line to Weehawken to have their duel. So, I am not the second most famous.
Hi,
I am a new admirer of your work and I just enjoyed your story The Big Orange Splot. It was just a wonderful dear story that made my holiday vacation more enjoyable.
Sincerely,
Maude from Michigan
Thank YOU!
Dear Mr. Pinkwater,
I’m a 4th grader at the French American School and in English class we have to write a book report each month.
For December, I’m writing about THE HOBOKEN CHICKEN EMERGENCY and I was wondering if you could tell me if it won any awards and what award was it?
If you can help me, please write back to me.
The Hoboken Chicken Emergency won the Best Book About A Giant Chicken award, from the Friends of Giant Chickens.
DANIEL;
I KNOW THAT YOU’RE TIRED OF ANSWERING THIS QUESTION. BUT, WHAT EVERY HAPPEN TO BOGEL PT.(2) TAPE FROM DOVE AUDIO?
I GIVE A LOT OF YOUR BOOKS ON TAPE AWAY TO KIDS IN EUROPE WHO CAN’T READ ENGLISH, BUT TO HAVE AN AUDIO BOOK WITH YOUR VOICE MAKES THEM WANT TO LEAN… I BUY USED ONES FROM AMAZON.COM…
WOULD YOU CONSIDER PUTTING YOU BOOK ON TAPE/CD AND SELLING THEM ON YOUR WEB-SITE LIKE: www.hankthecowdog.com
LOVE YOUR PHOTO GALLERY….
YOURS,
JOHN
Yes, I am tired of answering this question, but...Dove Audio was highly unsatisfactory to deal with. I mean, highly unsatisfactory. When I recorded the entire Borgel for them, someone mistakenly ordered the wrong boxes--with a space for only one cassette--so they just issued one cassette's worth of the book. Get the picture?
I just got “4 Fantastic Novels” from the library for my 12 year old son. (Yeah, right.) I like Scott Simon’s foreword, which reminded me of a favorite quote of mine. Unfortunately, favorite though it may be, I can neither remember who said it, nor the exact words.
A rough approximation was that there is a lot of garbage that is passed off as kid lit, but truly good kid lit is recognizable as good by adults as well. The argument goes that although there exists adult stories and concepts that kids cannot appreciate simply because of lack of life experience, a truly good “children’s book” can and will be recognized as such by any adult because it is, simply, truly good.
Your books fall into that latter pile, as far as I can say.
Any hints about the exact quote, and who said it? My first guess (who knows why) is that it was W. H. Auden who said it.
Well, I've been saying it for years in various ways--maybe the quote is mine.
Daniel-
I don’t have a Big Orange Splot on my forehead, but I did paint one on the roof of our back shed and I sense you might be a kindred spirit.
I’d like you to review my first of seven illustrated children’s books. It’s a Seussian tale of a man’s adventures sneezing himself to and fro.
People who’ve seen it are ordering multiple copies, but I didn’t realize until yesterday that I need someone in the field to review The Man with the Sneezes to have any credibility with the media. Shel Silverstein and Dr. Seuss are gone. That leaves you. How about it? You can see what a lot of unknown people have said about my books by clicking on the Review link on the web page. www.itzahckret.com
Sincerely,
Itzah C. Kret
P.S. A former school superintendent and grandfather wrote “Itzah C. Kret seems to have found the magic formula for helping children, laugh, think, and talk about his many topics-what a wonderful gift for you and the young ones in your life”
P.P.S. Please.
I don't review books on my own, but only in association with a certain radio program--however, we will display your web address with your posting so interested people can visit.
Daniel,
I loved your piece on NPR today. I’ve written a couple of dog books I think you and Lulu would love. Especially since Lulu reads. The new book is called Koans for the Inner Dog: A Guide to Canine Enlightenment. It is a hoot. You can read about it at Amazon.com.
I’m gonna try the flash cards with Cosmo. Funny thing is, he calls me Lulu. Hmmmm.
You can do a sequel called Cohens: A Guide to Kosher Kanines.
PS: Maybe you should change your name.
As a young child in the mid-to-late 1950s I had a book that I recently recalled. I don’t remember the name or author but I do remember the salient content of the story. It is an woman who has somehow acquired a bone. At night when she tries to go to sleep, a voice calls out, “Give me back my bone!” At first quietly. She responds by moving the bone to a better “hiding” spot. As the night (or nights) go by, the voice grows increasingly louder, always with the same and only command, “Give me back my bone!” Each time, the old woman grows more and more frightened and each time she tries to hide the bone more and more securely. She also tries to lock her bedroom more and more securely, moving a number of items to block the doorway, finally pushing her heavy bureau in front of it. It is in the bureau, by the way, where she has hidden the bone. Finally, she can bear it no more when the voice screams out “GIVE ME BACK MY BONE!” Bone weary and frightened beyond belief, the old woman bolts up in bed and shouts back at the top of her lungs “TAKE IT!” And so ends the tale.
Do you know this book? Its title? The author’s name? Whether it is still in print and available? I would love to know.
Thank you for your time. I enjoy hearing you on NPR and look forward to you and Bob E. reading aloud together.
Not a clue. And that's Scott S. I read with.
Mr. Pinkwater,
I am a second grade teacher, who has recently been introduced to the INK DRINKER books by Eric Sanvoisin. I was especially intrigued by the author’s comment at the end of the book encouraging people to write to him to receive a straw. I thought this would make a great writing assignment for my students, and they would really love receiving something from an author. My problem is that I have been unsuccessful in finding an address for the author. I am hoping that you can help me in this regard. I would truly appreciate any help you can give. Thank you in advance.
Have you written to him in care of the publisher?
After over thirty years of teaching I retired, in part to write a novel that’s been kicking the back of my head since I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Marshall Islands. Then, a few weeks ago, I was suddenly inspired to write a children’s book based on a strange thing I observed while driving from my home in central Florida to the family’s cabin in the Smokeys.
I have a friend who is an excellent, though unlettered and completely amatuer, painter. I would like to contact her about illustrating this book. What is a fair split between the originator of the idea/author and the illustrator. This book would rely heavily on the illustrations.
I would appreciate your advice in this matter. I have enjoyed listening to you read your works with Scott Simon on NPR. “The Picture of Morty and Ray” sounds absolutely hilarious.
Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.
You taught for over thirty years--I've been an author for over thirty years. Your email is roughly equivalent to me asking you, ""I've decided to be a teacher. What advice can you give me?"" Next to impossible to convey all you need to know.
I can tell you that publishers usually prefer to pick the artist themselves--except for categories with don't appear to apply to your case. There are a great many books about how to go about getting pubished. My advice is to read five or six. And read a hundred recently published kids' books, maybe a couple hundred. Then you'll have a general idea.
Good luck, and thanks for the kind words.
I am doing a report for college on cults and alternative religions.
I know you were raised Jewish, but I recall hearing somewhere, might have been NPR, that you belonged to a sect or cult of some sort at one time. Is this true and if so was it a Jewish Cult? Could you elaborate some? Would you elaborate some if you could? I am serious in my desire here as I feel it would make a nice addition to the paper I am writing.
Thank You
Matter of opinion whether I was raised Jewish. And as to cult membership, or even schools or styles of meditation I may have practiced, I prefer not to be specific, lest someone who enjoys my work, and supposes me to be a smart guy, get the idea that I am endorsing. I think meditation and allied practices can be positive things, but each person should find his/her own connection. A Jewish cult? Oy.
Hi there….:) I am an NPRofile AND a Kindergarten teacher in Florida….(that is quite a combo!) I have bought books to read to my kids based on a couple that you reviewed with Scott Simon…the latest was about Murphy the dog…that’s the one we will read on the first day of school…thanks! My question is, did you hear or read the story this past week about the temporarily purple polar bear in the Buenos Aires zoo? I was thinking I would tackle that as a subject for my first children’s book…what do you think? I may try my hand at illustrating it too… thanks for your thoughts….you have great taste in kids’ lit!!! Gail George
Yes, the purple polar bear was called to my attention. Ordinarily, I don't like that color for bears, but this one looked very nice in the picture. You know, it's less the subject than what you do with it. A polar bear or a doorknob--if it piques your interest, and you have a good time with it--then, there you are!
