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Hi Ken, I was so pleased to be reminded of this powerful story. I hadn't thought of it for years! (Must check my kids' bookcases and see if they still have it.) A great pity about the librarian. In a way I hope she hadn't read to the end (with any attention anyway)..that would mean there was some hope for her. best, Sue >Chug-chug, puff-puff, ding-dong-ding-dong:-). Some of those children's >books are vastly underrated for their understanding of that vague >entity, Human Nature, if it even exists. I'm in a digressive mood--I >had to read tons of children's books to my kids, including the one who >did his Moms Mabley imitation on the phone yesterday. I just recalled >Maurice Sendak, whose work was perhaps more fun for me to read that it >was for my kids to hear...and I didn't read them, I acted them out as >much as possible. _In the Night Kitchen_ and _Where The Wild Things >Are_ were the obvious choices...the latter especially was a masterpiece >on the internal consequences of pique and defiance. But my favorite was >one called _Outside Over There_, which Sendak drew in a series of panels >evoking Mozartean characters or even, perhaps, Fragonard and Watteau. >It went over particularly forcefully with my older kid as he struggled >with his anger at his parents and his younger brother. The young girl >in the story is left by her sailor father in charge of her baby sister. >Much resentment. Then trolls steal the baby and substitute and ice >changeling baby. The older girl behaves like an epic character >descending into Hell--she goes into the earth where the trolls live and >takes back her sister. I doubt Sendak intended a Christian allegory, >but he young girl joins a line that includes Orpheus, Aeneas, Jesus, and >Dante the ultimate underground traveler...her quest seems to be to >reconcile her jealousy of her sister with her love for her. Love wins. >At the end the children sit and listen to their mother playing the >harpsichord as the older girl reads a letter from her father who is far >off at sea. > >Strange footnote. I didn't own the book, and so went to the library to >re-borrow it. I got reamed out by the children's librarian. "Why, that >book is horrible! Sendak's books are horrible! We only have his work >here because he's won Caldecott medals! The little girl wants her >sister dead! It's sibling rivalry!" Duh, lady, and for this you had to >get an advanced degree? Did you read to the end? Were you able to do >that?.... > >Ken > >-- >Kenneth Wolman >Proposal Development Department >Room SW334 >Sarnoff Corporation >609-734-2538