Let's face it: Babs and Poppy did not do a very good job of bringing up their children.
L'il George,
Jeb and
Neil have hurt many people. Forgive me if I am not impressed with their parenting skills.
Everyday America pays for the fact that l'il George never developed basic reading comprehension skills, nor how to process a large, complex set of information. To his credit, he did make an attempt to address this shortcoming early in his presidency when sat in on a reading group grappling with The Pet Goat. Unfortunately that effort was cut short by other events. To our eternal regret and injury, he has never gone back.
We still have almost three years with George in charge (so to speak), so perhaps it is time we took a more positive tack. Namely, let us put together a remedial reading list for George. I don't mean books like The Federalist Papers, Our Endangered Values, or American Gospel. Great books all, but clearly a bit out of his league. (Nor do we want him to read CTG, lest he know what is coming).
I mean Children's Books, books that even George would understand.
More on the flip.
When I was a wee lad, my absolute favorite book was
Frederick. For those not familiar with it, it tells the story of a small field mouse who sits idly by while the other mice prepare for winter. The others deride him for not pulling his weight; he is labeled a lazy, good-for-`nuthin oddball. Later, in the cold days of winter when the other mice are overtaken by gloom and shortage, Frederick steps forward to nourish their souls with poetry and art.
Frederick appealed to me first and foremost because of the pictures, the colors and the mice. That said, my favorite part of the story was Frederick's eventual triumph, when others recognize his value and embrace him. That part always sent a chill down my spine. Little did I realize that I was being indoctrinated with an anti-GOP message: tolerance of differences, that there are other important ways to contribute to society outside of the production system, that art can enrich our lives.
Another favorite book was Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel. Here, too, I loved the part where Mary Anne (the old steam shovel) triumphed over her new-fangled competitor, and eventually found a productive role as a boiler in the basement of the new town hall. This was before I realized that it was secretly promoting anti-GOP values such as resource management, lifecycle extension, and fighting age discrimination.
So my question to you, fellow Kossacks, is two-fold:
1. What was your favorite book as a child, and why?
Be honest about it--doesn't need to have any social value. If it was really Barbie Meets the Power Rangers, just say so.
2. What children's book would you recommend to George to help him develop as a contributing member of society?
Let us know!