At the end of June, I took a side trip from exploring words
in Be-Worded to exploring books in Be-Booked. (See “Be-Booked—Beyond Katrina”
30 June 2013.) In this blog entry, I will make another foray into the land of
Be-Booked.
From the time I learned to read, I have been a voracious
reader. Somewhere in the clutter of my
home, I have a certificate from 2nd grade testifying that I read an
enormous number of books during that school year. I hold dear that proud car trip home from the
public library during which I read all of the books I had checked out—a reading
rite of passage, graduating from children’s literature to young adult
literature. During a spat with my best
friend Charlene during high school, she accused me of using too many big words
(because I read all of the time).
One book that I still hold dear to me--and the only one I
still possess from my childhood—is Eleanor Cameron’s The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet. My parents bought it as part of one of many
Scholastic Book orders in my 6th grade year—1968. The cover price is
50 cents. I have kept the brittle book in a plastic zipper baggie for many
years now.
Originally copyrighted in 1954, the book presents a stereotypical
family where Dad, a medical doctor, goes to work and Mom keeps house. Young David, an only child, discovers an ad
in the newspaper one bored night: “Wanted: A small spaceship about eight
feet long, built by a boy, or by two boys, between the ages of eight and
eleven.” The ad gives further details
regarding specs and contact information.
Of course, young David is immediately enthralled. Dad takes an adamantly skeptical attitude
while Mom gently encourages young David to follow his dream.
David enlists the help of his best friend, Chuck. They make contact with Mr. Bass, who needs a
spaceship and boys to fly to his home planet, the Mushroom Planet, and save his
people, the Mushroom People, from some strange plague which is killing their
race. At the last moment before David
and Chuck blast off, Mr. Bass informs them that it is imperative that they take
a mascot. The frantic boys grab Mrs.
Pennyfeather, a hapless hen. I will not
reveal the finer details, but Mrs. Pennyfeather comes through in true chicken
form and saves the Mushroom People without sacrificing her chicken self to a
deep fat fryer.
This book represents imagination and hopes and dreams and
making the best with what you have at hand.
I will end this blog entry with the literary lesson: Wherever you go in life, do not forget to
bring a chicken.
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