Childhood Wandering

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, by Ian Fleming.

The creator of James Bond’s [posthumous] children’s book. A film tie-in from Scholastic, the picture on the cover and the name of the car are almost the only elements the two have in common. “Decorated” with illustrations by Ron Wing. Something of a rage with the release on TV when we were in grade school, with commercials the movie was a long length beyond a child’s attention span. The book was offered in the Weekly Readers of the time.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Children’s Book. Paperback.

The Gnomobile, by Upton Sinclair.

With a cover from the Disney movie. I always rather liked the film; it used the same camera tricks to make little people as “Darby O’Gill” had, and starred Walter Brennan and ‘those Mary Poppins kids’. Sinclair was, of course, the author of “The Jungle”, and he has an underlying moral here, connecting the vanishing forests with the vanishing gnomes, and ‘speaking for the trees’. While I was engaged with the movie as a very young child (that fascination with secret little people), I can’t say I’ve read the book (gotten years later), although peeking into it I can’t see why not. Probably afraid of the (boring) Sinclair name.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Children’s Book. Paperback.

Jonathan Livingston Seagull, by Richard Bach.

Or, ‘Buddhism for Seagulls’. With a little masking of Christianity, to make it more palatable for the Flock. The inexplicable best seller, even made into a movie, and a nice short favorite of ‘deep’ types in the 70’s. The only reason I have it is because I won a copy in Fourth Grade (I think), the only prize I remember ever winning in grade school, and I don’t even recall what it was for. Illustrated by copious and pointless black and white photos. Not the sort of book I would ever choose for myself. I got this newer copy to replace the original. To remind me.

Ranking: Probably Dispensable, by now.

File Code: Paperback. Bestseller.

The Little Prince, Written and Illustrated by Antoine de Saint Exupery.

It is beautiful, and melancholy, and was everywhere when I was a little boy. It was made into a disappointing movie, because movies have a hard time with prose/poetry and will try to be musicals. I can’t say it is one of my favorite books, or that it is even an influence, but it is one of those sad, wise books that do sometimes get made for children.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Deep yet whimsical meditation on the nature of love and meaning. Paperback.

The Little Leftover Witch, by Florence Laughlin.

Part of my childhood witch itch. Magic powers? Flying around? Just what a powerless little kid wants. Not so much the wickedness. From grade school, and I have a feeling maybe it was read to us by a teacher (Miss Nowotny?), but I also saw the book in one of the classroom libraries. Each teacher in McQueeney had their own class libraries, as well as the school library. Got this copy later. Illustrations by Sheila Greenwald. The mischievous little witch has conformed by the end into a good little girl.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Children’s Book. Fantasy. Paperback.

The Mothman Prophecies, by John A. Keel.

Read it first in a hardback in Middle school, part of the 70’s High Weirdness craze. This edition came out in conjunction with the movie in the early 2000’s. Keel was an engaging kook who never firmly asserted anything one way or the other, just raised speculations and passed along dubious reports. That is the way to keep the mystery – and the franchise – bubbling. I’m not saying he did it on purpose, he seemed a rather sincere seeker, but that’s the way it worked. Reads like a novel.

Ranking: Keeper

File Code: Weird Science. Paperback.