Humor: Be Still My ‘Beeting’ Heart
Posted on October 25, 2009 by Suzan Woodard in Personal Experiences.
Tags: Edgar Allan Poe, Funny, George Bernard Shaw, humor
Big Universe Learning tackles problem eaters with its humorous book 'Edgar, Allan, and Poe, and the Tell-Tale Beets'
Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw said, “Never give a child a book you would not read yourself.” I couldn’t agree more. He also said, “If you cannot get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance.”… Something tells me he would heartily approve of the children’s book “Edgar, Allan, and Poe, and the Tell-Tale Beets.”
This humorous book written by Natalie Rompella, illustrated by Francois Ruyer and published by Lobster Press is one of those great stories that appeals to kids and adults at the same time. Author and artist deliver graphic descriptions through word and illustration, highlighting the aversion kids have for “yucky food” while winking at literary references – courtesy of Edgar Allan Poe and his dark short story “The Beating of the Tell-tale Heart.”
This modern rendition is clever and funny and makes me smile on so many different levels.
First, Poe was the topic of my senior English term paper in high school. Secondly, while my husband and daughters are generally adventuresome eaters, they DESPISE beets. The few times I have tried to convert them, I was NOT met with the usual warmth or culinary accolades. The three of them most definitely were looking for loose floorboards. Thirdly, I was raised as a member of the “Clean Your Plate Club” and still harbor a grudge somewhere in the back corner of my psyche.
It should have come as no surprise when my daughters pulled a few tricks from their sleeves. They do, after all, come from a long line of food hiders.
Their grandmother threw bread crusts up to the very top shelf of her bedroom closet to keep from having to eat them when she was little. The petrified remains were not discovered until she was grown and long gone from the home. She also tossed milk through a window screen when her parents left the dining room – but she got caught on that one.
I have to admit I used deception to get my desserts, as well. The corner braces up under the edge of the dining room table were a perfect hiding place for balancing things like mushrooms and lima beans. The ol’ baked potato skin had a short-lived crime spree, as well. And so, the circle of life goes on!
Humor is an important catalyst for literacy, so find a funny topic that resonates with your child and have at it! These books keep us parents young at heart, too.
“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.”
— George Bernard Shaw
“Edgar, Allan, and Poe, and the Tell-Tale Beets” is one of two books offered online for free this week at BigUniverse.com. For more funny stories, click the website’s Read tab, then the Browse by Categories listing and scroll down to Humor.
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[...] Humor is a great way to engage readers, both young and old. Check out “Humor: Be Still My ‘Beeting’ Heart,” a blog I wrote about another children’s book that deals with eating issues. It’s on Big [...]