Monday, July 07, 2014

Fred Gwynne

Friends of ours loved this years ago and tried to interest us.  I had loved puns, but this did not grab me.  I reread it a few months ago and suspect why.  The puns were already outdated in the 1970's and are hopelessly beyond the reach of children now.  Our four bears are from Scotland - who uses the word "forebears" anymore?  When you are bad you should do pennants - another seldom-used word.

It had the air even then of a book where adults got the joke, but children did not.  I have always disliked such things as unfair to children.

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3 comments:

  1. Texan999:00 PM

    I don't mind if the book succeeds on both levels, adult and child. But there definitely has to be something good happening for the child. If so, then it can be nice that the child grows up and gradually begins to get the adult jokes, too.

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  2. Sam L.12:48 PM

    Much like the Warner Bros. cartoons, T99.

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  3. Donna B.3:36 PM

    It depends on the child. One of my grandchildren would likely love this book.

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