Poor Richard Scarry

I'm sure that there are loads of new children's book authors dying for their opportunity to get published. So I find it so distressing that creative authors are tainted by greedy capitalist publishers and money-grubbing heirs trying to maximize on the good name of geniuses and our generation's sentimentality. For example, Dr. Suess's My Many Colored Days supposedly written by him, but illustrated by someone else. I will allow for the value of helping a child identify with their feelings. Sammy will often tell us that he is purple i.e. sad; while it is sometimes for attention, it also is an effective way to convey that he isn't thrilled that he's just been punished. However, on principal, I find the concept annoying.

The books that have really inspired this rant are a seri es of Richard Scarry-based bits put out by "The Estate of Richard Scarry". Read as Lowly Worm has been sold to the highest bidder. We have several of these little nuggets and the boys *love* them.

Here's a synoposis of "Humperdink's Busy Day":
Humperdink the Baker and his assistant, Able Baker Charlie (good thing he didn't decide to go into medicine with that name) go to work. They bake the bread and decided to have a donut raffle. The assistant is in charge of lottery tickets and Humperdink the donuts. (I'd like A. B. C.'s job) Charlie goes out on a delivery after the taxing work of writing numbers while Humperdink burns the donuts and the firemen come. What the hell is Humperdink doing that he burns the donuts - he's the baker!! Allowing for everyone to have a bad day and everyone makes mistakes...then they burn the baked goods two more times. Really??? Are you kidding me? And once is when they are napping while Humperdink's daughter is playing on the floor. Somebody call the Child Welfare Bug Patrol and get Humperdink a desk job.

That's it. That is the whole story. Am I missing something or does that totally bite?

And this, my friends, is the bunk that my children insist on hearing, repeatedly!

By the way, the firemen won the raffle.