I was reading “The Trumpet of the Swan” by the prescient E. B. White to my daughter tonight, and we drew near the end of the book.
The wise Mr. White had written this about New York:
“A single flight of planes no bigger than a wedge of geese can quickly end this island fantasy, burn the towers, crumble the bridges, turn the underground passages into lethal chambers, cremate millions… Of all targets New York has a certain clear priority. In the mind of whatever perverted dreamer might loose the lightning, New York must hold a steady, irresistible charm.” (from Here is New York, 1949)
Turning to lighter things, in the part of the book to which I refer, the endearing if pontificating father of the hero is trying to pay back a debt which he had incurred earlier on by stealing an object for his son. In the course of returning to the scene, he is injured by his former victim.
Wow, when I resume it like that, it sounds like a roman noir rather than a lovely and whimsical book for children!
“The Audubon Society is kind to birds. I want this money to be used to help birds. Some birds are in real trouble. They face extinction.”
“What’s extinction?” asked Alfred Gore. “Does it mean they stink?”
“Certainly not,” said the storekeeper. "Extinction is what happens when you’re extinct – "
(Interlude of helpless tear-inducing giggling from 9-year-old daughter and myself for slightly different reasons.)
And from that time on, the young Al Gore vowed to protect the planet and prevent further extinctions due to human activity.
The Trumpet of the Swan. I’m most pleased to see that the Wikipedia entry has the cover I remember, though the illustrations by the erstwhile Fred Marcellino in ours are quite charming as well – and they were, ironically, his swan song. We have Marcellino’s marvelous “Puss in Boots” as well and I would also highly recommend it.
If you don’t have children, these are worth checking out of the library anyhow. Trust me.
Whatever one thinks of The Elements of Style, E.B. White’s books for children (and their parents/grandparents/aunts and uncles) are well worth reading. The Trumpet of the Swan was my favorite as a child; glad to hear that it’s still being read (and loved), Heather.
I always thought it was funny that the swan with the trumpet is called Louis. :-D Though in our household, the name “Hugh” or “Herb” would have been just as funny.
Trumpet-playing animals was a fashionable tribute of the times, as you’ll remark that Disney’s 1967 adaptation of The Jungle Book has a mildly offensive (to me; I hope he took it more in the spirit in which it was meant) orangutan character named King Louie.
My dad’s first name is Louis; he disliked it, and always goes by his middle name. It’s definitely back in vogue since the late ’80’s in France.
When I didn’t want my in-laws to know the name of our baby, we referred to him as “Hugh” – which to us was funny (as it’s pronounced “ooeug” in French) and far from what we really chose. However, this name, too, enjoys a comeback: the related “Hugo”, virtually unknown before 1980, has been on the top ten list of most commonly given names for the last decade.
Kristi, do you think this common interest in birds is at the root of our having worked in avian embryology many years later? (Your interest in adult birds is more ongoing and developed than mine). Or rather, with your name?
Stupid grammatical question – does the verb agree with “tribute” or with “animals”, above? Everything looks wrong to me now.