Craig Brownlie

City: So what are you reading right now?
Random 9-year-old: Freddy in Peril, which I am near finishing.

What is that book about?
It is about a golden hamster that knows how to read and write.

So it’s a true story?
No.

No?
No, a golden hamster learns to read and write in the first book and in the second book he’s trying to escape Professor Fleischkopf who says that hamsters are capable of reading and writing if certain nerves are connected in their brains. He dissected hamsters’ brains while they’re still alive.

How did Freddy feel about this?
He was scared. Fortunately, he escaped. He got his head shaved by Professor Fleischkopf right here (motions down the center of his scalp) and Enrico and Caruso [Freddy’s friends] made pretend bald spots and put them on their head. Enrico and Caruso made fun of him a little.

There’s a first book?
I, Freddy. It’s about the hamster Freddy learning to read and write.

Why does he want to read and write?
I don’t know. I haven’t read it in a long time.

I thought you read it only two months ago.
Yes, but that’s a long time ago. He wants to learn to read and write for the good of golden hamsters.

A hamster dipped in gold?
Noooo, it isn’t. It’s a type of hamster. As you can see in the picture, his hair has a kind of golden color.

Who wrote the books?
Dietlof Reiche. He knows how to write a good story.

Would you recommend these books to someone else?
Um-hm. It’s a funny book. Kids who like animals and silly animals would like the book.

November, 2005

One of the delights of summer has to be the 33rd Annual Pigeon Droppings from the coops atop the Xerox Building in downtown…

— WE INTERRUPT THIS BROADCAST FOR A SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT —

Oooo, sends chills up and down your spine doesn’t it? I know, I know. You need to be in a very surreal existential place for mere typography to make you go all Noah. But what about the rest of your family? For a little fun on those long car trips, wait until everyone’s happily dozing and then slip in a tape of the Mercury Theatre’s War of the Worlds broadcast. (You know, the one that caused mass panic up and down the eastern seaboard about 70 years ago.) When your children wake, start the tape and watch the magic of radio drama unfold (keeping your eyes on the road, of course)
And don’t limit yourself to frightening your lads and lasses. A wide array of old-time radio is available, from libraries, websites, and retailers.
A long car ride is also a great time to expose the youth of today to some not-so-old-time radio. Many popular tales have been dramatized by the BBC, including: Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (which started on the radio). Modern domestic radio offers a few choice selections, notably Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion programs. The youngest of your clan will doubtless enjoy any of the radio stories produced for the defunct Rabbit Ears Radio show (recently re-released according to Audiofile magazine).
Finally, some folks even produce audio dramas without a broadcast signal. Angels of this sub-genre, the Words Take Wing Repertory Company, have produced wonderful adaptations of numerous youth titles.

August, 2006

Flying Saucer Drops Nessie Into Bermuda Triangle! Caught on Film by Bigfoot! “She Never Looked More Beautiful Than When She Was in Freefall,” Says Sasquatch!

Jinkies! When faced with complete absurdity, what is a parent to do, Velma? After all, your child talks intimately to Elmo and only vaguely approves of gravity. You don’t want to quash a normal fantasy life, but you want a responsible skeptic — not someone who argues for the sake of argument, but someone who is comfortable evaluating his world’s veracity. Sure, he’ll question your statements to bits as a teenager, but you also want him to question everything from the National Enquirer to the Pope and the Surgeon General. Sometimes the world throws parents a Scooby snack of support, as in Fred, Shaggy, and Encyclopedia Brown (the three wise guys).

Scooby Doo is actually pretty cool. The show debuted in 1969 as a mixture of The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis and I Love A Mystery. The ensuing generations who looked forward to Saturday mornings as cartoon time also learned that the world is not always as presented by those in authority. And absurdity is revealed as absurdity when you strip away the glowing paint and flippers.

For that matter, Leroy “Encyclopedia” Brown is also pretty cool. (“You thieving, lying crook! You should be elected president so you can grant yourself a pardon.” — The Case of Bug’s Zebra.) Created in 1963 by Donald J. Sobol, the boy detective always throws the case back out to the reader for a solution. And the truth is out there.

Both Scooby and Encyclopedia have gone through numerous updates, but the essential message has gone unchanged. At least part of the secret of their longevity is that pursuit of the truth is its own reward.

May, 2006