A Third Act for Maurice Sendak, An Encore for Dr. Seuss

Would you believe I didn’t read Dr. Seuss until I was eleven? It’s true. In my childhood library I had not one Seuss book to my name (gasp)! I watched the cartoon versions of The Lorax, How The Grinch Stole Christmas!, and Horton Hears a Who!, but hadn’t actually read Dr. Seuss until I stumbled upon a copy of Oh The Places You’ll Go at my grandmother’s house in the 6th grade. I read it out loud-- the only way to read Seuss-- ten times in a row until I got the rhythm perfect.

I’ve only read a few titles since so I know I’ve got a lot of catching up to do, but for those of you who’ve read every last word the good doctor wrote, I’ve got news for you: No you haven’t!

Turns out there are seven forgotten Dr. Seuss tales that are coming to print later this year. The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories comes out in September, and promises to be every bit as good as his classics. The stories were written during the height of his career and some even inspired The Cat in The Hat Comes Back and A Fish Out of Water.

My Dr. Seuss-loving friend Tina wears her devotion on here arm. I hope she has room for a few more.

But if that isn’t enough good news my fellow children’s-bibliophiles, how about this:

After a thirty-year absence Maurice Sendak has written and illustrated a new book, Bumble-Ardy! It’s about a pig whose parents have never celebrated his birthday, so he decides to throw a party for himself and invite his rowdy neighbors to join.

Here’s an early animated version of the story that aired on Sesame Street in the 1970s:

Notice that Bumble Ardy is a boy in this cartoon? When asked why he changed him to a pig for the book, Sendak said it was because “boys tend, generally speaking, to be pigs.”. (Good old Sendak, blunt as always). Other changes have been made as well: Bumble Ardy’s career-obsessed parents get sent to slaughter and he’s sent to live with his aunt. And now the party-goers get pickled on brine instead of wine, (thank you political correctness?)

I’m not sure how I feel about sobered-up version of the story. Sendak was never known for writing “safe” stories, but maybe this is just a sign of the times. How do you feel about this edit?

Both books come out this fall and would make excellent Christmas presents if you’re shopping for me or [other] children. Welcome back old friends, we’ve missed you!

Peace out!

--Jovan