Runny Babbit - A Billy Sook

Author: Shel Silverstein
Ages: Anybody who can afford to be silly and have a good laugh!

Spoonerism: NOUN: a verbal error in which a speaker accidentally transposes the initial sounds or letters of two or more words, often to humorous effect, as in the sentence you have hissed the mystery lectures.Origin: early 20th century: named after the Revd W. A. Spooner (1844–1930), an English scholar who reputedly made such errors in speaking.

The New York Times called Shel "That rare adult who can still think like a child". If you read this book with your kids, you will get to know how true that statement is! 

To giggle at deliberately committed spoonerisms is a silly pastime of all children. I used to do it all the time with my sister, and my mum was quite an expert at it as well. To make a book out of the silliest lot of spoonerisms is just pure genius. How many books have you seen out there made of jumbled words, yet read and enjoyed by millions of people all over the world!

Now to the book, Runny Babbit is a Bunny Rabbit who has so fuch mun. Sorry, so much fun and hilarious adventures alongside Millie Woose, Snerry Jake, Toe Jurtle and other frilly siends. Okay sorry again, silly friends, I meant! And with him, you end up having so fuch mun as well! 

The collection of poems about Runny and his friends and their adventures will have your tongue (and brain) all muddled up and eyes extremely watery from all the giggling and chortling. I mean, you can let out your inner child and have the most wonderful family reading time with kids ever! Even the grumpiest child is bound to be in stitches after reading this. At least, that is what always happens in our house. Needless to say, we kind of monopolise this library book and borrow it the moment we spot it, again and again!

And it is this exact page that has entertained many a tea-time and bed-time in our house :o)

The boys sure love to "shake a tower" but not to "bake their med". What a hilarious set of reminders!

This book was completed prior to Shel's death in 1999, but published much later and bears testimony to the remarkable talent that Shel had in connecting with children instantly and making readers of all ages laugh a lot, and ponder a lot as well. 

And if you think all this word play is utter nonsense and waste of time, think again. Or read again. It takes quite a bit of rearranging and some sharp observation to order and read the words. Actually, the children would be exercising their brain and phonetics (or phonemes or phonics or whatever name that goes by these days- in olden days I suppose it was just called "reading") without even realising it, in fact thoroughly relishing it!

Runny Babbit. What a bovely look! Mot to be nissed at all :o)

The Giving Tree

Author and Illustrator: Shel Silverstein
Ages: age no bar!

Caution : Tear Jerker ( for adults, kids are a whole lot braver!)

When my dear sister reminded me of Shel Silverstein's works, I ended up getting a couple of his books from the library. The books were adored by the boys. This book, though, is... I just don't know, I really have no words to describe it. I only had my tears bearing testimony to the beauty of this book.

Once there was an apple tree who loved a little boy. The boy played with the tree, ate the apples, gathered leaves and made crowns, swung in her branches and slept underneath when he was tired. He loved the tree very much. And the tree was happy.

Soon, the boy grew into adolescence and his visits to the tree became less frequent. And when he did come, the tree was overjoyed and asked him to come and play on its branches again. The boy said that he was too big to play and that he wanted loads of money to succeed in life. The tree said that she had no money, but he could take her apples and sell them and make money. The boy did just that. And the tree was happy.

A long time of absence, and then the boy came again. The tree's happiness knew no bounds and she again asked him to play and rest with her. But the boy said that he was too busy for that, and that he badly wanted a house for his wife and children, so he could keep them safe. The tree said it had no house, but the boy could take her branches and build a house for himself. The boy did so, and the tree was happy.

And a really long time later, the boy ( who is no longer a boy, but an old man) came again, rather sad. This time when the ecstatic tree asked him to play, he said that he was so tired and sad and wanted to go far far away and needed a boat. The tree offered her trunk for the boat and the boy took the same. The tree was happy, but not very much. She missed the boy, maybe she couldn't bear to see him so sad. Now she was just a barren stump.

Finally, haggard and really old, the boy came again. The tree apologized and told him she had nothing to give. The boy ( now a really old, hunched man) said he only wanted a place to rest. The tree said that her stump was just the place and asked the boy to sit there. The boy did so.

And the tree was happy.

My sister said that after reading this, her little boy commented that "even when you lose everything friends ( like the tree) will be there for you. And the tree was foolish to give away everything, it should have been smarter and the boy was greedy... he kept taking and taking from the tree". These, I thought, were really lovely interpretations made by a wee child!

My elder son had just one thing to say, " Why, that selfish brat of a boy!". But it hit a more sensitive note with my little one. He felt so sad that the tree was reduced to a stump, and kept saying it was a sad story. So I pointed out to him the really, really special part of the story - The tree was happy.

Loving memories, hurt, guilt, unconditional love, revelations, security... the feelings that the story evokes are all so raw, so deep.

For me, it is a testimony to the love of my parents, my in-laws. It is all about that magical gift of being able to give unconditionally. It is such a blissful state that is unfazed by the lack of reciprocation. It only cares about giving. With all the heart, with all the body, as much as possible, as long as possible. Whatever it takes to keep the little one happy. If this is not love in its purest form, if this is not a realized state, then what else could be!

It also reminds me of children. Us as children, and our children. Somehow, parents are the ones who push them to extremes, hammering down the importance of succeeding, of money, fame. And then the children simply go ahead in pursuit of it all, get so absorbed in it, ignore what is important - or who is important, get worn down and tired and finally, realize the whole picture.

If only the realization happens when the stump is still there, waiting...

I am gifted to have experienced the giving tree.

I wish I were the giving tree to loved ones.

I leave the remaining interpretation to the readers.

Here is an online version of the book.

The Giving Tree. Gift it. Receive it. Cherish it.