Thanks for all of your wonderful stories! Would love to hear more of them on audio format. My copy of Chicago Days and Hoboken Nights has long been broken. My kids and I deeply enjoyed it and still quote from it often.
Any chance of a CD copy in the future?
Thank You,
Dwaine Hodges
Stay tuned to this website for news of audio, and downloads, and ........ (you will not be disappointed).
Mr. Pinkwater,
I am sooo excited that I found a way to send you a message. I just want to say that “The Big Orange Splot” is an inspirational book. I believe it (along with many other things) was part of what helped me devlope into a dreamer.
Anyway, I named my new photography/art gallery “The Orange Splot Gallery”. Today was my first official day open, and I have 100 copies of “The Big Orange Splot” ready to sell (as th inspiration for my store name).
I hope you are touched by this sentiment, or at least not angry..
Also, I think a really cool shirt design would be a wrap around illustration of all the dream houses on the street. I’d love to sell something like that in my gallery as well. Who could I talk to for the rights on such a shirt?
Thanks again for writing one of the best (if not THE best) children’s books ever.
Sincerely,
Kevin (age:32)
I love it when people find ways to integrate stuff I have done into stuff they have done/are doing. You could confer with the highly knowledgeable webmaster about the t-shirt -- and as far as I am concerned you are welcome. Best possible or even impossibly better luck with your gallery!
I just read The Neddiad and loved it, as well as re-reading some of your older stuff. I passed Chicago Days , Hoboken Nights on to my mother, who grew up in Chicago in the 50’s and appreciated the setting. My siblings and I have loved your books for some time now, we won’t be specific to save us all the embarassment of accuracy, and two out of three of us have grown up to be librarians, which might be a coincidence, but I blame you and those lizards and the moose and that errant chicken, not to mention the avocado of death. What I would really like to know is – could the moose have some continued adventures? I loved him so and was pleased beyond belief when the books got reissued and I could pass them on to my nieces and nephews. Perhaps he could try making Manhattan clam chowder or travel to France and make bouillabase, or vichychoisse. Really, I think that blue moose is capable of anything!!
I just got word that the publisher is putting that moose re-issue out of print already, presumably to make room for the more wonderful books that are coming out in such profusion. So grab a few before it is extinct. The Blue Moose was an opera, did you know?
My family and I, including our two daughters, Fiona (10) and Georgia (6), both fans of Irving and Muktuk, were in Mount Desert Island this August, and came across an intriguing front-page headline from the Bangor Daily News, August 17, 2007:
“Reward offered in blueberry theft”
Needless to say, we bought a paper and I was thinking I should send it to you. Let me know if you’d like the copy, or a JPEG of the newstand.
We are all fans of your work–thanks for all of the chuckles!
Monica, Ian, Fiona, and Georgia
That's pretty far south for polar bears in August. I don't think the culprits are anyone I know.
I am five and a half and when we read, mostly I am Roy, and the Bunny, but sometimes I am Mr. Goldberg. My mom is Muktuk and my dad is Irving. They eat blueberry muffins, but I eat the codfish.
I love the Larry and Irving and Muktuk books. My mom and dad say that Bear #1 and Bear #3 in the Larry books are Irving and Muktuk. I say they are not because if they were Irving and Muktuk you would call them that. However, I cannot answer the question they ask “who is Bear #2?”
Can you tell me the answer?
Of course, I know the answer to this, and so many other questions. But is it right for me to tell? Some think that Bear #1 and Bear #3 _are_ Irving and Muktuk...known to the zoo by bear numbers. And some think that Bear #2 is Roy. Same deal. I am not saying yes, and I am not saying no. An author has the responsibility not to mix in with the critics. (However, here's a hint, useful for dealing with all polar bears: look at the eyes).
Hello Water of Pink-ness,
Answer me these questions:
1. Do you use a pencil?
2. Do you have a beret?
3. What color are your toe-nails?
4. Foot?
5. What is 78-?
6. Can potted plants be schizophrenic carnivores?
8. Does my dog have magnetic powers?
1. Only for certain dishes.
2. 7 1/4
3. It is seasonal
4. No thanks
5. IQ means nothing, don't worry
6. no
7. yes
As a retired 2nd grade teacher (and about to be retired instructor os Fiber Arts at WNMU), I listen with relish to your interviews and story telling with Scott Simon on NPR.
I have a concern. My 6 year old niece refuses to eat almost anything but sweet things. We won’t go to reasons this happened, but she is protein deficcient and very resistant to change. Do you have a book, or story that addresses an issue like this. She won’t last as a ballerina (her dream) and as you know will face multiple problems in the future. She is an avid reader. Maybe you have a book for her wake-up call.
Thanks and keep on writing.
Jacque
Sorry. So happens such a book is under discussion, between Jill and me, but doesn't exist yet. Of course, I know nothing about human children, and extrapolate from my experience with dogs and cats--but I know how I would approach such a problem.
Dear Mr. Pinkwater,
I have just finished reading, The Agony and the Eggplant, by Walter Hogan. I was enthralled by his analysis of, Alan Mendelsohn, the Boy for Mars. I honestly hadn’t seen in the book what his careful analysis uncovered, yet, now that I have seen it, I cannot unsee it. I am thinking of having my 11 year-old son read Hogan’s chapter on that book. He enjoyed the story, and I wonder if he might benefit from reading literary analysis of it, or, perhaps, I would spoil the story for him. I cannot decide. What do you think?
Also, what do you think of people who review books for a living?
Yours,
Robin
I forget what professor Hogan wrote about Alan Mendelsohn, but I am sure he would agree that five other professors would probably see the book in five completely different ways.
Dear Uncle Borgel –
I want to tell you a story from my life. Mr. Pinkwater may be interested, too, since he introduced us. Around 1962, as a physics graduate student, a fellow student, John Kopf, would arrive each morning and greet us with cheery words that I took to be in the spirit of “How’s it going?” or a number of less polite phrases I won’t mention. I never knew exactly what he was saying, and never thought to ask. I recalled it as something like “Vot’s schmack de pop?”. Imagine my delight when, 40 years later, I found the truth in your story – “Nov shmoz ka-pop?”. Later a web search related the magic phrase to a comic strip. It must have been something like Smokey Stover with its “Notary Sojac” (which you could probably explain to me).
If you see Mr. Pinkwater, please tell him, “Thank you!”
Yes, it is the role of the novelist to make clear the subtle and important things in our culture.
Has any movie studio talked to you about making one of your books into a movie? They should definitaly do that!
They talk from time to time, but nothing ever comes of it.
Dear Mr. Pinkwater,
I need to thank you at least twice.
First, your stories on NPR had me laughing through several awful, bumper-to-bumper commutes. Thank you (belatedly).
Second, I am thrilled to report that–just today–a nine-year old boy I am crazy about (the same one who hasn’t been terribly crazy about reading books) belly-laughed his way through “Fat Men from Space” and is begging for more.
Thank you in advance for the joy the next Pinkwater book will bring (soon) to this family.
Colleen (Andrew’s very happy mother)
I can't honestly claim to have any socially-positive motives in writing books for kids. I just happen to think they are a worthy readership, and I like to think I write worthy books that deserve worthy readers. Of course, I do like it when some kid likes a book of mine enough to overcome an understandable mistrust and distaste for reading in general.
Dear Mr. Pinkwater,
Around the age of 10 or 11 (I am now 34), I read Lizard Music and various other books you authored. Over the intervening years, I remembered aspects of the unique plots that fascinated me as a child, but forgot your name and the titles of the books. On occasion, I would perform an internet search or ask a librarian questions in hopes of determining your name or finding your books. I eventually came to the conclusion that you were one of many authors whose talents were not appreciated and had faded into obscurity (thank goodness I was wrong). More recently, I frequently (and with great interest) listened to you on NPR, but did not realize that you were the author I sought until the host mentioned Lizard Music while introducing you about a year ago. I am glad to have finally found you again.
Byron
I am one of many authors whose talents were not appreciated and had faded into obscurity -- but not completely....yet. Glad you found me too!
I read the snark out books over and over when I was a kid. DMP is my fave writer / large mammal.
I got older and tried going to college but mostly I just hung out at this sprawling used bookstore in Detroit called John King. I learned how much fun it can be to discover and redistribute treasure. Books have a life of their own.
My mom teaches first grade in Detroit and every year she reads the Big Orange Splot to her kids and has them draw their dream homes. My dream is to open a used bookstore in Chicago. I want to call it Plumbean Books.
If this is okay I will get you a subscription to one of those societies where they send an interesting cheese to your home every month.
Fondly,
Ben Ness
The cheese-a-month might get ahead of me. At one time I used to negotiate a ""fruit clause"" in contracts, and once got a whole year of monthly baskets of deluxe pears and such. Good luck, I hope you open Plumbean Books.
Are you going to write a sequal to the Neddiad? My favorite line is “Somebody eat that kid”.
From
Daniel Yim age 12
Yes! I am writing it right now! And I will be interested to learn if your favorite line in that one is the same as mine.
First of all, I have never dreamed about authors before–until last night. It was disturbing. I had invited you and your wife Jill to my home for supper, for today, Monday the 20th, August, at 4:30 PM. I called you and confirmed everything, and looked at my calender a couple of times. Then I started to panic, because I realized you were traveling all the way to New Hampshire for this and we have no room for you to sleep over. I also realized I have an appointment at 7pm I can’t get out of. I also realized that I had not discussed this with my wife. So I am writing to you to say that I may have to change the date and time for now, and hope this doesn’t mess up your plans–in YOUR dream state, anyway.
It is fortuitous that you told me this. I am a trained, and fully not-quite qualified psychotherapist, and thus able to interpret and explain your dream. It means: You should play number 224. (This is a free service of pinkwater.com and is offered solely for entertainment).
