Yesterday our beloved dog, Buddee, a bagle dog, was diagnosed with cancer of the spleen that has spread to his lungs. We are heartbroken. Both of us remember listening to your tale on NPR years ago about feeding your dog boiled chicken and are wanting to hear that again. Last night we bought a big package of chicken breast and boiled one up for him. He was very happy. Please send a link to your story. Thanks, Beverlee
I really have not Ever talked to a writer of my favorite book before the one The Big Orange Splot. That one! That was a good one!
How are you doing with the coronavirus going around I heard about this website by reading a story all about you and your books I agree that u do a great job -stay really safe-patrick reese
Dear Mr. Pinkwater,
I read constantly to my son when he was a child and I have always remembered one specific detail from one of your books very clearly. ( At least I think it was one of your books but it may not have been Tooth Gnasher Superflash which for some reason I no longer have. And I keep thinking there were aliens in this book.) Did you dedicate one of your books “to your cat who threw up on your keyboard” ? That came to mind today while I was attending a class online which my son was teaching and his cat kept jumping up onto his desk and keyboard.
In addition to my question, I would like to thank you for writing so many wonderful books. When the time comes when we are able to venture outside, I plan to go the library (usually my second home) and look at many of your books again.
Stay well – Donna Tukel
Dear Daniel,
I can remember, as a young boy, listening to the Snarkout Boys audio-book, and one of the first things I remember is the snatch of classical music played at the beginning. Do you have any idea of the title of this piece?
Thank you!
I am getting through the COVID-19 quarantine by rereading your books. I just re-read Bushman Lives and liked it even more than I liked it the first time, which was already a lot.
I googled around and learned that you used Twitter to share some or all of a sequel to Bushman Lives, but I can’t figure out how to see those old tweets. Is it possible? If it isn’t, would you consider putting the sequel out in some other way? I really really want to read it. I mean, they got to go to the island in Lizard Music – in Victor’s case he got to go back – but we didn’t get to hear about it! Is the Museum of Memory still there? I think about that museum every day.
Please help.
Greetings, Mr. Pinkwater! After many readings and listenings to The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death/Baconburg Horror, we have ascertained that Osgood Sigerson is quite possibly Theobald Galt, Walter’s father, in disguise. The clues are these:
p. 107-8 (the first encounter with Sigerson near Beanbender’s Beer Garden) “…There was something familiar about the muffled voice coming from within the hood. I couldn’t place it…”
Sigerson and Theobald share an addiction to avocados and offer overlapping factoids regarding them. p. 114 “Many of [the avocado stories] I recognized from my father’s store of information about the disgusting things.:” and “I knew all about the banana-and-avocado fritters in Dar es Salaam…”
A very specific anecdote!
On page 137, Sigerson encourages everyone sitting at the Hasty Tasty to try the raison toast, which he insists is delicious. Walter then narrated, “As a general rule, I don’t eat raisin toast. I don’t know anybody who does, except my father.”
Hmmmmmm!
Osgood Sigerson is described early on as wearing a fake nose and on page 78 as having “…his whole face covered with some kind of white makeup.” Toward the end of the book, on page 152, Theobald is said to keep his collar buttons in an old NOSE PUTTY can.
Lastly, Walter says that he is “not going with [Theobald] to the annual American Avocado Fancier’s convention, unless it’s definite that Osgood Sigerson is going to be there. My father thinks that Sigerson won’t come. Apparently, they’ve never met. Sigerson seems to make it to the convention only every other year, and somehow those years my father doesn’t go.”
Is this because they are the SAME PERSON??
Was it your intent to beguile us readers with the possibility of a Theobald-Osgood symbiosis? Or is all of the social isolating messing with our heads?
All the best to you and your family. Stay safe. We love you!
Amy and Tilda
Dear Mr. Pinkwater, I am now 30 years older than when I first read and re-read your books. I’m now an early childhood educator working to support my students online during Covid school closures. For many years I featured your book, The Big Orange Splot, in my classrooms and I shamelessly copied photos from the books to help children learn to literally change your dream houses into their own. You never caught me because these mostly remained in backpacks and under beds in the housing projects of Chicago. Now it turns out that an NPR radio host, who will be reading your book to children, also adores your books. This time, I’d like to prepare online materials using whatever I have in my home (which turns out to be multiple copies of the Big Orange Splot) so I can create visual materials to help young children, especially our students with autism, follow along and extend their imagining after they hear the story. So I am wondering, if I scan and copy images of the book for this purpose, how many chickens are you likely to send to Boston to hen-peck me into ceasing the scanning of your artwork?
With gratitude either way for many years of delightful ridiculousness,
Erica
Hello, Mr. Pinkwater! My kids absolutely loved The Wuggie Norpal Story, as did the kids at the elementary school where I was the librarian and reading teacher for 15 years. My copy has gone missing and we are all broken-hearted! Why has it never been reissued? The prices for used copies are completely nuts, and I’m pretty sure you are not getting even a cut of that money! Re-publish, re-publish!!
Oi Pinkwater,
What does Norwegian Vole-moss tea taste like? I have always wanted to try it. I imagined it tastes like a smokey lapsang tea, so I drink that a lot. Do you know if I’m at all close? I want to try it. Please help me.
In solidarity,
…nick
Dear Mr.Pinkwater, My name is Sitara. I really like how you make the books so interesting. Where do you get your inspiration? I think your books are awesome!
Just this morning we read in The Hartford Courant of the death of Tomie DePaola. Our children, who are now in their forties, grew up reading all of Tomie’s and your books. We were, (and still are) great fans. Our favorite book of that vintage is The Wuggie Norple Story. It was such a good match of author and illustrator! Thank you so much!
We really miss hearing you review books on public radio.
Carol Schulz
Hello! When I was seven years old I discovered a copy of “The Hoboken Chicken Emergency” in my school library. I checked it out immediately and endeavored to keep it forever. After multiple renewals, the crusty librarian finally surrendered: “Take it! No one ever checked it out before you anyway “ (No offense, Mr. Pinkwater…I went to a very old Catholic School and anything less than “Lives of the Saints” or the Pope John Paul comic books were frowned upon during SSR. In fact, nature books, a few Beverly Cleary titles, and “Gorllas in the Mist” were all banned shortly after arrival. How your book made it past the nuns s is beyond me!) It became lusted after by my peers and I had to start leaving it home (per Sr. Marie Timmons’ order). I have kept it for more than three decades, always keeping it on my “treasured books shelf.” Yesterday, I went to take a picture of the cover (another long story related to panic chicken buying) and IT WAS GONE. There couldn’t be a much happier ending to this story, however, because I found it in my ten year old daughter’s room. It is now her favorite book and she has been reading from it to her best friend, Charlie, while they are on isolation break from school. I have read most of your other books, but “The Hoboken Chicken Emergency” is a multi-generational treasure. Thank you!!!
Dear Daniel,
Some of my first contact with the world of books was with your books, especially Lizard Music, Snarkout Boys, The Neddiad, and Alan Mendelssohn. This was all from the time I was one. You may have intended these books to be facetious, Daniel, but for years, your books were my expectation of the workings of the Real World. Avocado computers? Sure! Giant turtles? Sure! Musical lizards? All righty! You existed, and my father’s job used to be as a juggler who wore a hat shaped like a chicken, so why couldn’t the rest be real? This, understandably, changed me into the warped, crazy individual I have become, and will ever be, a human being who gets excited over the little hot dog stand in Hoboken Terminal (it’s still there) and who, early in life, adopted a religion made up of giant chickens, oriental gardens, and inter-dimensional superhighways. It was also you who helped, with Robert Nifkin, provide me with the courage to ask that I be placed anywhere but a public high school. For this, I feel compelled to offer my thanks to you for making me who I am today.
You are always so giving with your talent. Consider contacting @levarburton (twitter) for his www.levarburtonpodcast.com/. He is looking for childrens stories it’s legal to use. I think it would be welcome by everyone, and maybe introduce new kid-os to your delightful writing.