Gypsy S
Post #2428 – 20080719
July 19, 2008
Around 22 years ago I wrote a letter to say that I’d discovered you’re books in the library in Dunedin, New Zealand and was very much in love with them. I just wanted to say nothing much changes… and I’m glad you are still around and writing I’m looking forward to reading your books to my own kids now. Gypsy
PS Thanks for the postcard you sent me way back then… I treasured it for a VERY long time!
Daniel replies:
I am still around and writing--and I checked recently, and found that New Zealand is still there! Hooray for the status quo!
Lisa Lewis
Post #2427 – 20080718
July 18, 2008
What does one need to do to invite you to visit an elementary school? I’d offer you my first born son, but he’s the reason I’d like to invite you.
His school is just a stone’s throw across the river from you. Would you consider visiting?
Daniel replies:
Does your firstborn son possess a large sum of money? That can be a factor--I like to charge a.) a lot, or b.) nothing--my choice. Other factors include geographical proximity, and whether there is some reason I would want to visit a particular school, library, woodland mushroom circle, prison, hardware store, etc.
Whistlepig
Post #2426 – 20080715
July 15, 2008
Mr. DP,
When I think “DP”, my mind automatically associates the initials with “death penalty”.
So, are you for or against the death penalty?
Daniel replies:
I am against answering questions from people whose minds make such unfortunate associations.
A fan
Post #2425 – 20080710
July 10, 2008
Dear Mr. Pinkwater,
I am very happy that you are finally writing a book with a girl as its main character (the Yggysey). The Snarkout Boys series did have Rat, but she was not the MAIN character. Likewise, Henrietta was female, but she was not human and couldn’t speak.
Thank you,
A fan
Daniel replies:
Actually, forthcoming are _two_ books with female main characters--one happens to be a chicken, but she speaks, and the other is someone you will recognize.
Rachel & Hannah
Post #2424 – 20080630
June 30, 2008
Dear Mr. Pinkwater,
Just a quick question regarding “Dancing Larry” and “Sleepover Larry” books.
Are Bear number one and Bear number three actualy Irving and Muktuck?
Thanks your friends
Rachel & Hannah
Daniel replies:
It would seem quite likely, would it not?
Jonathan Packman
Post #2423 – 20080627
June 27, 2008
Dear D.P.,
A while ago (like 8 years) I heard you and Scott Simon read parts of “Henry Hikes to Fitchburg,” and I liked it so much that I bought 2 copies: one for a friend’s child and one for a future child that I was confident my wife and I would one day have.
Well, Henry Hikes is now a part of our repertoire, as well as “Big Orange Splot” and “Two Bad Bears.” (We call our two boys Irving and Muktuk).
Thanks to you, our older son is convinced that our front yard would be perfect alligator habitat, and has started digging a moat in preparation for our trip to the zoo to collect our new reptile friend. We hate to disappoint him. Any advice?
Sincerely,
Dad of Muktuk
Daniel replies:
You should be able to find much information on the web about preparing suitable environments for crocodilians. More important are guidelines for selecting same. Temperament is the first consideration.
Dave King
Post #2422 – 20080624
June 24, 2008
Hi Daniel,
Thanks for playing my song on your podcast!
I have another cat related song on PMN called Pretty Kitty that you might like too!
Thanks, again.
Daniel replies:
I'll bet I do. You have Webmaster Ed to thank for playing your very excellent song on the podcast. Bravo! Bravo! Great stuff.
Bill Hildebrandt
Post #2421 – 20080623
June 23, 2008
I have searched high, low, and elsewhere for the words to a song (or a skit) by Jimmy Durante, the only excerpt of which I remember is:
…”one tooth, a half-a tooth, no tooth, a whole tooth…”
I play banjo and guitar (one at a time) and have a small skiffle band. I have been invited to the retirement party of our dentist of many years, and I’d like to sing, recite or otherwise vocalize that number at the affair.
Your help will be appreciated.
…Bill Hildebrandt
Daniel replies:
Sorry not to be of any help--I don't know the song. How about Bridge Over Troubled Waters?
Dayna DiPreta
Post #2420 – 20080622
June 22, 2008
Dear Mr. Pinkwater:
I just wanted to take a moment to tell you as a child growing up my favorite book was “The Big Orange Splot” I have great admiration for you as a writer and as a teacher i try to find time to read your literature to my students every chance i get.
Thank YOu,
Dayna M. DiPreta
Daniel replies:
Occasionally we hear from great teachers here--as in this instance.
Howard Cowan
Post #2418 – 20080611
June 11, 2008
Here I am, trying to express my regard for your existence by possibly enlightening you to the existence of “The Rabbi’s Cat,” a strangely wonderful graphic novel by Joann Sfarr (and its sequel)and do you read it? No. You use the excuse that you are writing books, training dogs, writing to fans, messing around on NPR, and generally overachieving. Aren’t you ashamed?
Howard Cowan
Daniel replies:
Two emotions I never feel are shame and guilt--this may be because I am defective and a monster, or because I am careful not to do anything to be ashamed or guilty about. I do sometimes feel embarrassment, very often for others, such as ones who try to use this forum for purposes of promotion.
Daniel replies:
Readers who travel with bears should note this establishment's enlightened policy.
Alex Szatmary
Post #2417 – 20080610
June 10, 2008
I heard your reading of “A Visitor for Bear” on NPR, and your theory that bears are proxies for adults in childrens’ books. I would like to mention Blueberries for Sal, in which a girl, Sal, mistakes a bear for her mother, and a baby bear mistakes Sal’s mother for the mother bear. This corroborates your theory, and suggests that books written for bear cubs feature humans as proxies for fully-grown bears.
Daniel replies:
Bears and humans, humans and bears--it's so complicated.
Kim Stryker
Post #2415 – 20080609
June 9, 2008
Oh boy. I was just telling my husband about how I came to a booksigning you did at the Cheshire Cat bookstore in D.C. when I was in 6th grade with my best friend. We were entirely obsessed with your books and had started a DADA club -of which we were the only members.
Anyhoo, the bookstore gave you an umbrella as a gift and you accepted it by opening it and then slowly closing it over your own head. Then you just sat there for a few moments as umbrella-head man. My friend and I applauded and shouted “Bravo!”.
I have a photo of my friend and I on either side of you that I saved and kept in my grade school suitcase, which is appropriately plaid.
Because of your books, I had confidence as a kid that I could keep seeing the world in my own squirrel-y way, because someday I would find others who were like me. And because of that I was open to Fellini and Duchamp and all the other great weirdos.
I am re-reading your books as I can find them. And as my friends are all starting to have kids, I pass them on. Keep up the good works!
-Kim
p.s. My cellphone ring is a chicken squawking.
Daniel replies:
I wonder where that umbrella is. You didn't happen to take a picture of me using it to protect myself while taking a mini-siesta at that D.C. bookstore? Thank you for the complimentary and nostalgic posting.
Martin Macaroni
Post #2414 – 20080608
June 8, 2008
Hi D.P.
Any chance that some of your out of print pictures books might find a home online? Like scanned into some kind of a slide-show format or something, they are lots of fun and make great read alouds and they could be used in classrooms that have projectors.
I do think that it’s kind of fun to search for them used, although some are really expensive for non-book collector types (I’m really curious to read ‘the Terrible Roar’ since it’s the first one you wrote but it’s like 40 something dollars in ‘acceptable condition). I for one would rather pay you something to download them…
Also which of your out of print books would YOU most like to see available in print and which (if any) are you happy to see forgotten?
Love the books, thanks for them!
Keep em’ coming please!
Daniel replies:
Lots of stuff, in-print and out-of-print, is available free in audio form right here on this website. Look around! Except for two or three books, which I will not name, I wouldn't mind seeing all the O-O-P ones come back...and some have, and some will! When society and the economy collapse, I will download books one by one, or come to your house and tell the story in exchange for a chicken dinner.
Marcus Eliyahu Mann
Post #2413 – 20080607
June 7, 2008
Dear Daniel:
There should have been a warning on the radio box: “Never drink Pinkwater and listen at the same time.” … After laughing till I SNORTED, I then heard you champion that wonderful children’s book about the bear and the mouse! I have written a brief and ALSO wonderful children’s book, The Colorblind Bower Bird, and — Daniel — he CHEEPED inside me when I heard you read.
I do want to send it to you. I ask you, with all due humility-covered chutzpah (and vice versa):
Will you read it? (It’s timespan, truly, is much shorter than its wingspan: Just a few minutes of your time to help the worthy fella out of the nest.) You will not regret it.
Do it for the Bird!
May I please email it to you?
If you love it, I would want your help getting it published and/or into the hands of the right publisher and/or literary agent.
(I know: He’s an ambitious bird, huh?)
🙂
THANK YOU for considering giving — at least in my imagination — the great mentoring you have inside you. Thank you for BEING the person I would ask.
Marcus
Daniel replies:
Sorry, I am prohibited by state law and international convention from looking at unpublished manuscripts...and, my mentoring license is expired.
