Daniel
If only you new this particluar friend of mine.
She has a real zest for, well, seeing things differently and I really dig that about her.
She is a brilliant “blogger” and has an enormous following, to which she keeps us all in stitches pretty much on a weekly basis. The pictures that she posts, the stories that tells (that are true) and the odd way that she occasionally looks at things, really makes her quite special.
This particular day, she told the story about The Wuggie Norple Story.. and I new – I take that back, I was compeled to write you.
Here is what she wrote, enjoy:
The best children’s book ever
You are probably familiar with my favorite book, The Wuggie Norple Story, by Daniel Pinkwater, because if we know each other in real life, and possibly even if we don’t, I have probably given you a copy of this book.
When Rose was about 2, I bought my first copy, or maybe I got it from the library. I don’t actually remember. What I do remember is sitting with my daughter on my lap in the rocking chair in the family room of our first house in St. Louis Park, and trying to read this book to her as a bedtime story. The only problem with that was I was soon laughing so hard that I couldn’t speak. I was choking, tears streaming down my face, scaring my child and annoying my husband. I don’t think I even made it past the first page before I lost it, and there were more than a couple of nights where I had to get out of bed and sleep on the couch because I could not stop giggling long enough to fall asleep without waking Pat up.
“In a little house, in a little village, not far away from Thunderbolt City, lived a whistle fixer named Lunchbox Louie. He had a wife named Bigfoot the Chipmunk and a little son named King Waffle.”
Well, that was enough to do me in. I managed to read Rose a different book and get her to sleep before I continued, but I think it was weeks before I could get the words out to read it to her again, and not surprisingly, she wasn’t all that amused. At age 2, she had a much more refined sense of humor than her mother. But really, how could anybody not laugh themselves sick over a six-year-old razorback hog named Papercup Mixmaster? Or a young horse named Exploding Poptart?
Rose’s nickname, as I have probably mentioned, is Wuggie, or Wugs. We give our kids nicknames that amuse us, but have nothing to do with who they are or what they like, evidently. Something else for them to mention to their therapists.
So tonight, I remembered that I’m down to my last copy, and I might find somebody having a bad day who needs it, so I went to Amazon to restock. Imagine my dismay at finding that The Wuggie Norple Story is out of print! Oh, it’s still available. You can buy it used, but the book that used to be $4.50 in paperback is going for anywhere from $34 to $168! I wanted to purchase ten copies, but obviously, that was not to be. I found one copy in “good” condition for twenty bucks on half.com, and I snapped it up.
If I have given you a copy of the best book in the world, The Wuggie Norple Story by Daniel Pinkwater, know that I won’t hold it against you if you sell it on ebay and buy yourself some Chanel lipstick and a pretty decent Starbuck’s card. Or a car payment.
So there you have it Daniel, a very funny gal indeed.. who has carefully placed that book in others hands, to ensure that they.. would also have tears streaming down their faces from laughing, creating their own memories.
Her daughters are now 20 and 15 by the way.
So, in my quest today I am searching for that elusive book for my friend. You wouldnt happen to have a hidden stash of Wuggie Books anywhere that I could purchase, would you.. to surprise her with huh???
I know.. I know.. you can’t blame a gal for trying though!
Peg
I don't have a stash, but I doubt you'd be paying $34 to $168 for the book on Ebay, or from any number of online booksellers. Thanks for the story, and the kind words. (I have written a few more good books beside The Wuggie Norple Story, available brand new at reasonable prices. Maybe you would like to branch out).
