Summer Reading: 'The Wonderful O'
The Wonderful O tells of a man named Black who despised the letter "O." He deleted it from his language and omitted it from his words. Opals, moonstones, owls and oaks could not possibly be his items of choice. He preferred emeralds, rubies, sapphires and maps. At least they had no "O." Soon he wanted his entire village to omit the letter "O." But the villagers found words they would not do without- HOPE, LOVE, VALOR, and the most important one of all.
Glorious. Children's lit that's not condescending, or too sugary or moralistic, although it has a moral. And it rhymes, in a beautiful -- noticeable but not obtrusive-- way (see below). The first chapter is a compact version of all the swash-buckling, treasure-seeking, tavern-brawling, pirate-y beginnings ever to have begun a swash-buckling, treasure-seeking, tavern-brawling, pirate-y adventure story and it is pure awesomeness.
passage:
"'I wish that I could banish body; then I'd get rid of everybody.' Black's eyes gleamed like rubies. 'No more anatomy, and no morphology, physiognomy, or physiology, or people, or even persons. I think about it often in night. Body is blood and bones and other O's, organs, torso, abdomen, and toes.'
Hyde curled his upper lip. 'I'll build you a better man,' he said, 'of firmer flesh and all complete, from hairy head to metatarsal feet, using A's and I's and U's and E's, with muscular arms and flexible knees; eyes and ears and lids and lips, neck and chest and breast hips; liver, heart and lungs and chin, nerves and ligaments and skin; kidneys, pancreas and flanks, ankles, calves and shins and shanks; legs and lashes, ribs and spleen--' Black had turned a little green, and then Hyde held up both his hands. 'Brains and veins and cells and glands--'" (25)
Glorious. Children's lit that's not condescending, or too sugary or moralistic, although it has a moral. And it rhymes, in a beautiful -- noticeable but not obtrusive-- way (see below). The first chapter is a compact version of all the swash-buckling, treasure-seeking, tavern-brawling, pirate-y beginnings ever to have begun a swash-buckling, treasure-seeking, tavern-brawling, pirate-y adventure story and it is pure awesomeness.
passage:
"'I wish that I could banish body; then I'd get rid of everybody.' Black's eyes gleamed like rubies. 'No more anatomy, and no morphology, physiognomy, or physiology, or people, or even persons. I think about it often in night. Body is blood and bones and other O's, organs, torso, abdomen, and toes.'
Hyde curled his upper lip. 'I'll build you a better man,' he said, 'of firmer flesh and all complete, from hairy head to metatarsal feet, using A's and I's and U's and E's, with muscular arms and flexible knees; eyes and ears and lids and lips, neck and chest and breast hips; liver, heart and lungs and chin, nerves and ligaments and skin; kidneys, pancreas and flanks, ankles, calves and shins and shanks; legs and lashes, ribs and spleen--' Black had turned a little green, and then Hyde held up both his hands. 'Brains and veins and cells and glands--'" (25)