Monday, March 12, 2007

James Thurber: Many Moons

If you know of James Thurber, it's probably because of his hilarious stories and cartoons in the New Yorker, or maybe from his multiple collaborations with colleague E. B. White. But did you know that he wrote an absolutetly sweet, endearing children's book?

Many Moons, illustrated by Louis Slobodkin is a charming, whimsical fairy tale with Thurber's signature goofiness and humor. My sister used to read it to me whenever I had the flu or a cold, and it always brought a smile that made me feel better.

The story revolves around Princess Lenore (age 10 going on 11) who is in bed sick. The king, beside himself, calls in all his wise men to heal her. Each one has a different, equally thorough, equally scientific, and equally useless analysis of the situation. Enter, of course, the Court Jester.

I won't tell you the rest of the story, because I don't want to spoil the fun. Suffice it to say that this book is highly recommended. Even as an adult, reading it never fails to bring a smile. And reminds me that many things in life are simpler (and more lovely) than we think!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dear Josephine,

I like your blog very much! And I look forward to hearing your songs...as soon as I can figure out how to get them to play...I'm kinda challenged that way. Fortunately, my partner isn't, though, so please check out our new website (which he designed) at www.slobodkin.org. (Especially the Many Moons page!)

Best,
Carol

Josephine Cameron said...

Thanks, Carol. What a great website! I can't believe how thourough and informative it is...including all the great excerpts from the books! I have been a huge fan of Louis Slobodkin's illustrations (I was an avid Eleanor Estes reader as a child), and I had no idea he was a sculptor too. I'm looking forward to spending some time on the site this weekend, and I wouldn't be surprised if it ended up as my Monday feature next week. Thanks so much for the link, and my thanks and congratulations for all the hard work that went into developing www.slobodkin.org!