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Thursday, January 13, 2011

Horton Hatches the Egg


I have the joy of spending a few hours with one of my best friends each week. He happens to be a four-year-old boy who I've watched since he was 18 months. My little, baby Joseph Thomas. Who is not a baby anymore. He grows up each time I see him, talk to him and pick him up. He is currently in a stage of wanting to beat me, hit me with plastic swords and even burn me. I let him have his fun. I am not the nanny at Oz park who refuses to let their children play with sticks. Kids will play with sticks. They have lived for centuries playing with sticks.

Each time I'm with Joe, I convince him he wants to be read to. At first, he is reluctant, whining can't we keep wrestling just a few hours longer? No, no, I've been cut in to so many little pieces, even the most skilled magician could probably not put me back together. Eventually, he climbs into my lap with his blue blanket and my voice brings to life the characters on the pages. Dr. Seuss is an inspirational writer, Horton one of the most noble characters ever created by an author.

My sweet blonde-haired boy will sit and listen for an hour, as long as I can keep him close to me, reading and reading. I can't wait for him to start to read the words on the pages for himself. To begin to imagine himself as the hero, the captain, even the brave elephant who is faithful one hundred percent. Fiction can bring to life what we know should be true of non-fiction.

When that egg hatches that Horton has sat on for 51 weeks, and that elephant with tiny wings flies forth, proving that this was Horton's egg and not the selfish mother bird who abandoned him, Joe and I applaud, the hero has won, all is right and good.

If only truth and goodness really did win out as it does so simply in this story. Maybe it does? I know it will, someday. Let us live fiction out in real life, fighting for good. For good is exciting, dangerous, and will bring a satisfaction that badness only has the appearance.

As Jane Austen would put it "One has got all the goodness, and the other all the appearance of it." (Darcy and Wickham).

I can help raise Joe to be good, he already learns what it means to be good, because goodness does not come naturally. Before we can even fight for goodness, we must learn what it is. Perhaps that is where some of must start.

And remember Horton's words today, "I said what I meant and I meant what I said, an Elephant's faithful, one-hundred percent."



3 comments:

Donna Boucher said...

Sweet.
I always think of Horton hearing a Who.
I forget that he hatched an egg also.

The very best children's books teach very important lessons.

Beth said...

"A person's a person, no matter how small." I know that's from when Horton Hears a Who, but it's still my favorite of his quotes. I'm a reader of your mom's and found your blog yesterday. You are a beautiful writer with thoughts that are "deep and wide". Keep it up!

Unknown said...

Oh. Loved this post : ) I will read Kaish a Dr. Suess book tonight at bedtime inspired by you Emma!

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