Fun Fare

A Treasury of Reader’s Digest Wit and Humor

With illustrations by Robert Day

Copyright 1949

I picked this book up in a thrift store a while back, not because I wanted to read this treasury through -  although what I have read is quite funny.  Rather, it is because of the pen markings I noticed inside it at first glance.  Scattered throughout are scratched-off words, with alternate words in cursive above them.  I can still see the words through the pen scratches.  

 

Some examples:

“Darned if I know” has been altered to “How should I know”

“He’s a dern sight safer” is now “He’s a lot safer”

“Where in the hell were the Marines” became “Where were the Marines”

The funny thing is, what I ended up doing was going through the whole book, looking for the “bad” words that this person tried to omit.  If they hadn’t tried to censor, I would never have noticed these words.  

Isn’t that the way it is when we try to censor a child’s reading?  Their attention is immediately drawn to what is banned and they will go to any means possible to get their hands on the book to find out what is so bad.  Much like during a news program, when the announcer says, “You may not want to watch this as the images may be disturbing”.  Isn’t that the moment that our attention is drawn to it, and we can’t help but watch?

If you want a child to read a book, maybe you should try “banning” it.  That makes it all the more enticing and intriguing!

Ten Apples Up On Top!

By Theo. LeSieg

Illustrated by Roy McKie

Copyright 1961

Besides the well-known pseudonym, Dr. Seuss, Theodor Geisel also used the name Theo. LeSieg for some of his books.  Those written under Theo. LeSieg are easy readers that were not illustrated by Geisel.  Somehow, I didn’t realize until this week that LeSieg is Geisel spelled backwards!  I thought I was quite observant, but perhaps not!

Ten Apples Up On Top has been a favorite Seuss book since childhood.  It’s a simple story.  A lion, a tiger, and a dog have a friendly competition, one upping each other to see who can balance more apples on top of their heads.  If you’ve read the book over and over, either as a child, or to your own child, you may very well know the text by heart.

                “Eight!  Eight!

                And we can skate.

                Look now!

                We can skate with eight.

                But I can do nine.

                And hop!

                And drink!

                You can not do this,

                I think.”

The competition continues until a bear with a mop comes running after them, trying to knock those apples off their heads.  Soon, everyone else is chasing the three animals – perhaps jealous of their apple balancing ability!  After a crash with a giant apple cart, the book ends happily, with every animal’s head topped with ten apples.

A child can learn counting and rhyming from this book.  They can also learn that reading can be fun.  

I can learn something from this book as well.  I’ve never been one to enjoy competition, but in some cases, a little competition can push us to do things we hadn’t thought possible.            Would the lion, tiger, and dog have gained that spectacular apple stacking ability separately?  Probably not.  But competing pushed them to work harder to say, “Look, you.  I can do it, too.”

The Phantom Tollbooth

By Norton Juster

Copyright 1961

The Phantom Tollbooth is the story of a bored 10-year-old boy named Milo.  He was tired of school, bored with his toys – really not interested in learning or doing anything - until the day a mysterious tollbooth appears in his bedroom and he starts on an exciting journey through a magical kingdom.  An adventure awaits him.  He and two new companions, a watchdog named Tock and a bug named Humbug, are charged with the responsibility of returning the two princesses, Rhyme and Reason, to the Kingdom of Wisdom.

At one point, while driving peacefully along the road, Milo and his friends are suddenly flung from the car and sail all the way to a small island.  Where have they landed?  On the Island of Conclusions, of course.  How did they get there?  The way most people do – by jumping.  

Unfortunately, it’s not as easy to leave the Island which is why it is quite crowded.  There is no jumping away.  The only way back is to swim.  Humbug complains that he doesn’t like to get wet.  

“Neither do they.  That’s what keeps them here.  But I wouldn’t worry too much about it, for you can swim all day in the Sea of Knowledge and still come out completely dry.  Most people do.”

This book is so packed with wit and allegories about knowledge and learning that I want to go back and read it again soon because I’m sure I missed some gems.  

What have I taken away from The Phantom Tollbooth this time?

It’s all a matter of viewing the world around us with wonder and excitement.  It’s about taking risks, learning new things, and taking on adventures.  As far as the Island of Conclusions – don’t fall into the trap of judging someone without knowing all the facts.  It’s a waste of time and it usually results in poor decisions.  It’s much harder to swim through the Sea of Knowledge, but the effort is worth it! 

The Mitten

An old Ukrainian folktale retold by Alvin Tresselt

Copyright 1964

One very cold winter day, a little boy loses his mitten while gathering kindling in the snow.  His misfortune turns to an opportunity for the animals of the forest to gain shelter from the cold.  One by one, starting with a tiny mouse, each animal pops into the warmth of the mitten.  A frog, an owl, a rabbit, a fox, a wolf, a wild boar, and then a bear each squeeze into the little mitten.  Each time, the animals think there will not be room for one more, but each time, they move a little bit closer to let another forest friend in.  All is well until a little black cricket comes along, her legs aching with the cold.  That was all that was needed to finish off the mitten.  POP!  Apart it flew, sending all of the animals sprawling into the snow.  

When the boy discovers he has lost a mitten and retraces his steps to find it, all he sees are little pieces of his ripped apart mitten.  

It is the generosity of the forest animals in this story that impresses me.  Although they worry that their cozy spot will burst apart, no one remains out in the cold.  There is no attitude of “I was here first”, or “This is mine”.  There is instead an attitude of "I'm not sure if we'll manage it, but we sure will try".  They stretch and stretch what they have until there is nothing left to give.  Now that is generosity!