Sjoekje Sasbone

February 24, 2022

Please pass this on to Mr. Pinkwater:

     In 1980, I read your book when I was 8 yrs old at the Artesia Library in CA. I enjoyed it so much, I checked it out from the library a few times. But as I got older, I forgot the title & “Lizard People” always wrongly came to mind.   

     Technology got better & I still couldn’t find it. “Lizard Music” would come up, your name as the author sounded highly familiar, but the cover that popped up (a kid on rocks w/ lizards) didn’t look familiar. Nevertheless, your story lived rent free in my mind for decades.      

     Yesterday, I messaged the Artesia Library & although they don’t keep a copy of our old library cards, they said they could search for it if I gave them descriptives. This is what I recalled & messaged them: “It was about this boy who found his way to a pond or lake, & a lizard somehow convinced him to swim under & come out the other side into an alternate dimension w/ a plastic bag of clothes. I want to say the lizard in our world was able to speak. I’m not sure. Everyone was a lizard in this world, shopping, working, etc., like humans. He would go back a few times where the story would unfold. Maybe it was a red cover?” They led me back to “Lizard Music,” except they provided me with a YouTube narrating Ch. 1 & replied, “I just listened to the YouTube you sent me. That’s was great because I was able to hear that chapter. It was missing when he swam underwater to get to the other city. Perhaps that’s the floating island? I was trying to see if the wording in the story was familiar. It is an unsupervised boy. I’m sure the hippie references were over my head….. What was very familiar was the Salisbury steak reference, which is interesting.” But I listened to each chapter, found the red cover w/ the lizards, & this was it! Truth be told, I became emotional when it all came together. 

     When I looked you up, I noticed that your birthday is Nov. 15th, the same birthday as my father, who passed in 2016, 1 month shy of 92 yrs old. Long story longer, thanks for writing a fun, weird book that spawned my lifelong love for hidden worlds & left an impression for nearly 42 years. I’ll be 50 on July 15th.

     Finally, I want to acknowledge the librarian who not only helped me, but checked out the book for herself to read. I hope you enjoy knowing all of this & the your literary impact. 

Philip Fairbanks

January 28, 2022

Dear Mr. Pinkwater,

From the time I was in elementary school you became one of my favorite authors. Especially Lizard Music. There was something about that book that just opened the possibilities of other worlds hidden below the surface that people don’t see only because they aren’t looking. I used to regularly check that book out of my rural hometown library as a kid. In my 20s I checked it out a few times again. Found it interesting that (despite the shoddy marker job scratching out names) it was easy to tell that apparently I always chose August to read your book. Lol perhaps the proximity to Sirius amplifies the Lizard Music haha.

Anyway, just wanted to say that you were an incredible influence on me. I am a writer myself now, maybe not much of one, but passable to date. Mostly entertainment reporting, music reviews, news (esp. related to nat.sec corruption and the like) but I really feel some media I ingested as a child, definitely Lizard Music but also Pete and Pete helped germinate the seed of wonder and doubt about the world around me that led me to where I am today.

As I said, most of my work is non-fiction but I still love children’s and YA lit as much as ever and occasionally reread them hear as I’m nearing 40 this November. (Oh, always thought it was cool, our birthdays are a couple days apart). Anyway, for years I’ve wanted to drop a line but finally decided to try to track down your contact information.

Hope you’re doing well, that the covid/pandemic is bearable. I’m actually planning on releasing my first kid’s book (a sort of scifi story about a girl with very guarded, protective scientist parents who live on a rocket ship with their adventurous to a fault daughter). Anyway, I don’t want to waste too much of your time but had to send a word of thanks. I’ve literally spent hours reading your works off and on for phew 3 decades now lol?

Anyway, as I said, hope you’re doing well and thanks for the memories. I’m sure I’m just one of thousands, maybe millions of kids who, like me felt the same way but (also like me) were shy or didn’t know how to contact you. Hope you receive this letter in good health and spirits. Best of 2022!

Your dear fan since about the late 80s/early 90s. If you’re ever interested in doing an interview, would be honored, but if you don’t have the time or inclination completely understand as well.

Best of 2022!

Philip Fairbanks

Dylan

December 29, 2021

2003. Third grade. Nine years old. My class is instructed by our teacher to find a book to read for a book report. Problem is, I don’t like reading.

Enough time passes and everyone has a book except for me. My teacher is frustrated with my indecisiveness and pulls a random book from the shelf. I don’t like reading but whatever, there are lizards playing the saxophone on the front so that’s pretty cool.

What unfolds over the next week molded my taste in books. I was glued to it. I still remember little bits of the story, and I don’t have many memories of anything around that age. I don’t know what you call it, and I didn’t know how to describe it then, but I remember asking my teacher for more “weird books.” I say weird with the upmost respect, I was tired of hearing stories that stayed too close to reality.

At this point I think its safe to say you laid the ground work for my love for science fiction. You took nine year old me to another world. Something that I only thought was possible with video games at that time. One day when I have my own kids I will be picking up a copy to read them. Thank you for giving me a happy memory and stimulating my childhood imagination by sharing a piece of your own. Best wishes!

Jackie Hertel

November 23, 2021

Mr. Pinkwater,

I just wanted to thank you for the wonderful book Tooth-Gnasher Superflash. It was one of my favorite books growing up. My father read it to my siblings and me. My father has always been a larger man and his voice would go so high-pitched every time the five little Popsnorkles shouted, and we would all laugh. I was able to find a copy this week of the Tooth-Gnasher Superflash and watch my father read it to my two year old daughter. What joy you have brought to my family over the last 30 years. Thank you.

Jackie Hertel

Tony Homer

November 16, 2021

I’ve been trying to lose weight and I remembered listening to the ratatouille diet segment on NPR, but I couldn’t remember what show it was on or how long ago it was.  I had imagined it was a few years ago.  I searched on NPR and was shocked to discover it was actually 25 years ago!  Funny how recall works.

www.npr.org/1996/05/02/1043293/never-fail-diet

www.npr.org/1997/03/04/1040787/pinkwater-diet

I sent a support request to npr.org because the audio files are missing and I’d like to listen to them again.

My question for you is, do you think the ratatouille diet would work for someone trying to lose weight today?  My plan is to use Soylent powder (soylent.com/collections/all-powder) for most of my calories.  Unfortunately, Soylent alone, leaves me with satiety problems.  I was thinking about what to do about the satiety problems and the ratatouille diet popped into my head!  I think ratatouille could solve the satiety problems for me.  What do you think?

Kathleen Black

November 16, 2021

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!  I hope that you are having a wonderful day and that you’re receiving some of the same enjoyment that you give to others through your books.  –KB

Wendy Bolender

November 16, 2021

Thank you so much for the Wuggie Norple story.  I began reading it to my children in 1985, and today continued reading it to my 3 year old grandson.   He loves it just as much as we all have.  Thank you so much and many blessings.

Wendy

Carissa

October 21, 2021

Hi Mr. Pinkwater – we have read Adventures of a Dwergish Girl approximately five times out loud.  We are in Kingston this week, and my kids and I are wondering where The Real Babatunji’s is?  If it doesn’t exist, where is your favorite pizza in Kingston?  We will avoid all imitations of hot dogs. Thank you!  Carissa

Ben Duff

September 29, 2021

Dear Daniel,

I can no longer access ABC Piano on my internet radio. Can you please tell me if it has gone off air? I hope not. I love it. Best wishes. Ben

Shelagh M Goulis

September 26, 2021

Mr. Pinkwater,

I’ve been meaning to write you for 40 years…

As a ten year old, I loved Lizard Music.  As a 28 year old, I had the image of the print block lizard tattooed on my ankle.  As a 30 year elementary/middle school school teacher, I’ve shared your book countless times. And now, as a 51 year old, I’ve reread the book and shared it with a friend in the Netherlands.  Discussing it with a (an?) European of similar age but with cultural differences has been an amazing experience.  Dutch television also went off the air in the 1970’s!  Walter Cronkite was known internationally.  Alas, pizza delivery was not a thing in Holland back then.

So, this isn’t really a question, but just a comment:  thank you so much for this book.  Now, more than ever, I relate to Victor and his fear of pod people taking over.

Neeble, neeble!

With deep respect,

Shelagh

Jenny Smith

September 22, 2021

Dear Mr. Pinkwater, 

In the spring of 2020, we were all set to take a Borgel inspired road trip that summer. Alas, we had to cancel that plan and ended up sheltered in our home with two disappointed boys, aged 9 & 11.  They sat wistfully looking at photos of our Neddiad adventure from the previous summer, when we took a cross-country trip by train to Chicago and the Grand Canyon. 

My husband and I knew that we needed to do something. We posed a family challenge to come up with a way to fill our memory books with adventures without leaving home. After brainstorming and lots of discussion, the weekly family theme was born. Each week we take turns drawing a strip of paper out of a bucket that is filled to the brim with every idea we could come up with. We have made some wonderful memories with the likes of Jules Verne, Indiana Jones, pirates, pioneers, magical nannies and more. 

Time flew by and, before we knew it, school reopened and we were back out into the world. Except, none of us was willing to say goodbye to our bucket of themes. We unanimously agreed that the themes are here to stay. We made a few adjustments, like extending them to two weeks so that we can accommodate distractions, like homework, without missing out on doing a fun activity. 

Today, I am writing to you because my 12 year old drew the Pinkwater theme for the next two weeks. It was followed by a deluge of ideas and excitement. Your books are a staple in our household culture. They have inspired vacations and family traditions. This morning as I walked my 10 year old to school, all he could talk about was ideas for the theme ranging from a Noodlekugel inspired tea, recreating the Laurel and Hardy movie festival in The Snarkout Boys and making pizza with Spiegelian blue garlic. 

While the kids were at school, I drew a picture of Henrietta on our chalkboard which displays the current theme. Our theme bookshelf, which rotates in content depending on the current theme, is overflowing with your books. I am excited for two weeks with Henrietta,  Blueberry Park, the blue moose, Fafner, clam chowder with gingerbread & coffee, the Snark Theater, Mr. Plumbean, napoleons, Melvin the shaman, Neddie, doughnuts, hot buttered potatoes, Iggy, Uncle Borgel, Wuggie Norple, the great popsicle, and pizza with spiegelian blue garlic. Thank you for creating such wonderful characters and stories.

Mark French

September 21, 2021

Daniel,

Some time back, we conversed by email as I asked about how to get a children’s book published.  You gave me some valuable, though not especially encouraging advice.  I eventually found a different route to becoming an author and now have an ongoing relationship with Springer, the academic publisher.  My fourth book is now being typeset and should be out in January.  This one is on acoustic guitar design.  I’m hoping that Jeff Goldblum will portray me in the movie version.

My sincerest thanks for taking time to talk with me back then.  It really did help.

Mark

Steven Lamonea

September 8, 2021

Dear Daniel,

I’m reading “Uncle Boris in the Yukon and Other Shaggy Dog Stories,” and loving it.  Your stories are wonderful and getting to know a little something about you is a treat.  I love dogs too and am speeding back to Brooklyn to see my Sam as I write (I’m on a train).

Thank you for writing and sharing stories with me (and lots of others).  I will never be able to read enough of your books.  Please don’t take that as permission to slack off from writing, I’d prefer you didn’t.

A big fan of yours,     Steven Lamonea, 

PS: I’m not sure if my message/question is going through because I tried submitting it on my phone and the screen blinked/flashed but I’m not sure if that proved I’m not a spambot.  I’m using a proper desktop now and saw a Captcha thing so I’m more optimistic now than ever before.  My apologies if you’ve been inundated with multiple messages.

J. Murray Onofrio

August 15, 2021

Dear Mr. Pinkwater,

I am 7 years old and about to start 2nd Grade.  My dad and I have been stuck in the house for 518 days.  We have read some of your books.  My favorite is “Lizard Music.”  We are reading “The Hoboken Chicken Emergency.”  My dad is confused.  He says that you wrote it in 1977, so how could you have written an e-mail address for Anthony DePalma, Chicken Hunter, 20 years before people used e-mail?  He says e-mail might have existed in 1977, but only like 3 people would have known about it.  How did you know about it and how would Anthony DePalma have been able to use it?

Splendiferously yours,

Murray

Keith Upson

July 17, 2021

I am 51 one and I adult reasonably well and have read hundreds of books and written a few myself

 but two of the best I have ever read are Lizard Music and Hoboken Chicken Emergency and thank you.

I’m a few thousand words into writing one right now that is just for fun and it hit me like a ton of bricks yesterday that it wouldn’t be happening without Lizard Music and then I’ve spent the last 24 hours thinking about how many other nice things in my life that applies to as well, and I figure who doesn’t like to hear thank you.

Thank you.

Keith