“Won’t Somebody PLEASE Think of the Children?”: Three Children’s Books the Snark Loves

I have a confession to make.

I don’t really feel right reviewing children’s books…at least not in any traditional way.  Let’s face it, kids are finicky, and there’s no telling what books a young’un will gravitate toward. Case in point: me.  The book that started my literary love affair was Morris Goes to School by B. Wiseman.  When I was a wee snarkbabe, I would make my mother read Morris to me night after night after night.  This is surprising because Morris the Moose is inspired to attend school because he wants to learn math.  And math has never been my thing. Even as a kid, numbers held no fascination for me whatsoever.  I think it was more the fact that Morris was a talking moose, he was adorable and cuddly and a bit of a buffoon, and his teacher was a hot little number named Miss Fine.  She wore granny glasses, a short skirt, and had these fascinating little pointy boobs.  But enough about that.

Though most sources I’ve looked into have all said that “talking animal books” aren’t really the rage anymore, two of the three children’s books I love most feature talking animals.  And the third is also an animal-driven story.

Morris Goes to School by B. Wiseman (1970, HarperCollins).  The epic tale of everybody’s favorite moose, I’ve learned this one is not only a favorite of mine, but has achieved the status of a minor classic.  And with good reason.  Morris Goes to School is the inventive story of a big lumbering animal who only wants to buy some gumdrops.  But being that he can’t read, he goes to the wrong store.  When he gets to the right store, he can’t figure out how to count his change to pay for those delicious gumdrops.  So off Morris goes to Miss Fine’s classroom, where he learns the ways of the world, emerging, of course, triumphant - and stuffed to the antlers with gumdrops - in the end.  Wiseman’s writing is warm and witty, and his illustrations are simple, skilled, and poignant.  A masterpiece.

And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson, Illustrations by Henry Cole (2005, Simon & Schuster Children’s). I’m a sucker for any kid’s book the American Library Association can call “the most challenged book of 2006 and 2007″. Tango is the true story of two male penguins in the Central Park Zoo that were, much to the surprise of just about everyone, a happily monogamous couple. The two desperately wanted a baby and were seen trying to hatch a rock, prompting zookeepers to give them an egg of their own from a penguin couple who previously had trouble hatching two eggs at once.  Thus, Tango is born into the loving arms of his two fathers.  A brilliantly told tale, And Tango Makes Three introduces children to non-traditional families, the courage to be yourself, and the fact that, really, all you need is love.  Revolutionary.

Samsara Dog by Helen Manos, Illustrations by Julie Vivas (2007, Kane/Miller Publishing).  My friend Molly introduced me to this startlingly original children’s book about Buddhism, reincarnation, and the power of positive change.  We watch as the dog of the title lives through many lives and existences but is always reborn and sent back to Earth.  Here he is tested again and again, the universe desperately trying to teach this pooch what it is he has come here to learn.  I don’t want to tell you how it ends (it’s a kid’s book, so you can probably figure it out), but Samara Dog floored me.  Here is an intelligent, comprehensible, warm-hearted story about Buddhist thought and philosophy, without being morose or unnecessarily complicated.  And it’s filled with lessons we can all relate to, regardless of religious affiliation.  But just a heads-up: this book will inspire a lot of questions from the kiddies, so get ready for a golden opportunity to expand some young horizons.

September 4, 2008 | Filed Under Young Adult | Leave a Comment 

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      WHAT IS A SNARK?




      The Snark is a creature created by Lewis Carroll in his poem "The Hunting of the Snark". To give a proper description of Snarks, one must look no further than Carroll himself, who summed them up in one word: Unimaginable.

      But this much we do know: some have feathers, some have whiskers. Snarks sleep a lot, yet they are an ambitious lot -- with very little sense of humor. They love bathing-machines and tend to bring them wherever they go; they are also handy for striking a light. Snarks live on a far-off island, a place filled with chasms and crags, and are constantly on the lookout for Snark-hunters. Their mortal enemies are hope, care, thimbles and forks.

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