The Tale of Sandy Chipmunk

A Sleepy-Time Tale

By Arthur Scott Bailey

Copyright 1916

I’ve always enjoyed anthropomorphism in children’s books.  Giving animals human emotions and actions is an imaginative way to tell a story.  Even I have my limits, though.  I recently picked up a new picture book about some forest animal friends.  A little rabbit was in trouble and the other animals weren’t sure how to help her.  No worries!  Along came Mr. Owl who snatched up Little Rabbit in his claws and lifted her to safety.  The picture of the little rabbit happily flying along while grasped in sharp talons was just a little too much.

This little Tale of Sandy Chipmunk was much different.  Sure, Sandy Chipmunk wore clothing and went shopping at Uncle Sammy Coon’s store.  The difference was the educational value of his shopping trip.  Sandy paid for the coveted beechnuts, butternuts, and chestnuts in Sammy’s preferred means of payment:  ears of green corn.  

Sandy then worked diligently digging out his new house, being careful to carry the loose dirt away from the openings so predators cannot find them.  He left plenty of room for storage of nuts, seeds, and grains to carry him through the winter.  I even learned a new fact:  chipmunks like to eat bird eggs!  

Humor is not lacking in this story.  Sandy is curious about the farmer’s mailbox.  After climbing up and seeing a letter with a picture of a chipmunk on it, Sandy assumes the letter is his and carries it away.  Unfortunately, neither he nor the other animals can read, so he doesn’t know what the letter says.  Later, Farmer Green is confused as to why he never got the letter that all of his neighbors received about an effective new poison to get rid of those pesky chipmunks, squirrels, and mice.  Good going, Sandy!

This book is just one of a series of ten, each telling a tale of a different wild animal.  I’m curious to read The Tale of Jimmy Rabbit.  My guess is that he never enjoyed a pleasant ride in an owl’s talons. 

Food Problems

To illustrate the meaning of food waste and what may be accomplished by economy and intelligent substitution 

By A. N. Farmer and Janet Rankin Huntington

Copyright 1918

THE WHEAT AND MEAT WE DO NOT EAT WILL HELP TO SAVE UP FROM DEFEAT.

FOOD IS AMMUNITION.  DON’T WASTE IT.

MORE CORN – LESS WHEAT KEEPS THE ALLIES FROM DEFEAT.

Coming out of World War I food rationing, this book is designed to teach school children about food conservation in order that they may do their part to ensure that America and the world has enough food. 

It is lavishly sprinkled with motivating phrases and full of arithmetic word problems that illustrate not only how much food is wasted, but that each of us can do our part to remedy the waste.  For instance:

In 1915, the average amount of meat consumed by each person in the United States was 193.5 pounds a year.  Experiments show that the adult man does best on ¼ pound of meat a day.  How many pounds more than he needs does he consume per year?

Mary has been using 2 level tablespoonfuls, or 1 ounce of sugar on her oatmeal every morning.  Her mother decides to cook the oatmeal with dates, figs, or prunes, so as to need no sugar.  How many pounds of sugar will Mary save in a month?  In a year?

The authors have aimed to not only develop their students’ math skills, but also character-building qualities such as thrift and consideration of others.  Regardless of the social and political climate in which this book was written, it still serves as a reminder today, especially as we prepare for our Thanksgiving feasts and the Christmas season.

Food for thought:

EAT TO LIVE, NOT LIVE TO EAT.

The Household Searchlight Homemaking Guide

The Household Magazine – Topeka, Kansas, 1937 

 

This volume is a compilation of advice and tips for all areas of homemaking.  The 1937 homemaker could reference this book for help with etiquette, weddings, menus, health and beauty, stain removal, insect extermination, entertainment, and the mental health of children.  

The editors put this comprehensive volume together because they believe “the American family does not live by bread alone:  that beauty, dignity, emotional adjustment within the family, and wholesome interest in community affairs are integral ingredients of a satistfying home life.”

Surely I would be able to glean some useful bits of information from such a thorough manual.

Here it goes:

Belching usually can be controlled.  If there are occasions when you cannot control it, say “I’m sorry.”  These words will not prevent your embarrassment, however.  There is nothing you can do to cover up this sound.

Every bride should remember when she buys her house dresses that looking lovely at home often does as much to insure the success of a marriage as being a good cook or keeping a neat house.

The fact that these healthful rays of the sun can reach us only when we are in direct sunlight is another reason for regular exercise out-of-doors.  Sun-bathing is the means of getting the greatest benefits from the sun and it is wise to take a sun-bath whenever you can.  

A man likes definite lines.  He wants strength and substantiality.  He abhors ruffles, unstable legs, and easily soiled or rumpled fabrics.  His room should be comfortable and inviting.  It should offer a haven of escape from the feminine members of the family.  

After taking in all this information, I think I will follow one piece of advice I found:

A brisk walk with your arms free, your spine erect, your head up, your feet in comfortable, sturdy shoes, is one of the best ways to get daily exercise.

Off I go!

Pinocchio

By C. Collodi

First written in 1881-1882.

This edition printed in 1940.

 

 I recently returned from a visit to Columbia, Mo. with a couple of Bur oak acorns, some hedge apples, a recipe for a delicious gorgonzola cheese cake, and many fun memories.  Oh, and one more thing – a vintage copy of the book Pinocchio. (Thanks to the Myers.) This is the real, unabridged, non-Disney version, and I have to say I was in for a shock.  

My prior knowledge of the wooden puppet came from the Disney musical in which a wooden puppet carved by Geppetto learns the lesson to be brave, truthful, and unselfish through a few encounters with some unsavory characters, ultimately living happily ever after as a real boy.  However, when Jiminy Cricket appears in chapter 4 of the book, he is swiftly murdered by Pinocchio.  

 “When he heard these words Pinocchio jumped up in a rage and, snatching a hammer from the table, threw it at the Talking Cricket.

It struck the unfortunate insect exactly on the head, so that he had hardly breath to cry ‘Cri-cri-cri’ before he died, dried up and flattened against the wall.”

Yes, this would definitely be different tale than the one I knew!

Pinocchio, without Jiminy to guide him, falls into innumerable tragic situations before the story’s end.  

His feet burn off while he warmed himself by the fire.

He was hung from a tree by swindlers, one of whom had a paw bitten off by Pinocchio.

He is chained to a doghouse and forced to become a watchdog for a farmer.

His foot gets stuck in a door after he became impatient with a snail was taking too long to answer his knock.   

Pinocchio remains a spoiled, selfish, ungrateful little puppet for much longer than he should have with all of these potential learning experiences.

Lesson learned:

If you think you know a classic story because you’ve seen the Disney movie, think again!  Read the book!

The Big Green Book

By Robert Graves

Illustrated by Maurice Sendak

Copyright 1962

Not long before writing Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak illustrated this book for early readers.  In it, an orphan boy who is unhappy living with his aunt and uncle finds a book of magic spells in the attic.  He launches a plan to teach his guardians a lesson.  After turning himself into a little old man, Jack cheats his aunt and uncle out of “about a hundred thousand dollars” and their house in a game of cards and forces them to become his servants for life.  He plays other pranks too, including making his uncle’s fingernails grow through the palms of his hands. “Ow!”  Eventually, Jack turns back into himself, freeing his guardians and allowing them to remain in their home.  

This is a strange tale – certainly not the same type of plot as your typical easy reader book today.  But I can see why a child would be captivated by the story.  What child wouldn’t love to find a book of spells?  Lacking the ability to control most of what happens in their day-to-day lives, a child could imagine all sorts of possibilities for spells to cast.  

 This story reminds me that any book can be magical for a child if it reaches him at the right moment.  In this case, an unhappy and lonely little boy finds a book in the attic.  This one happens to be a book of spells.  Regardless, any book has the power to transform.  Escaping temporarily into a fictional world just might give one the strength and rest to endure hardship and pain in the real world.