Eva Sari Schweber

December 22, 2000

I have spent years writing this letter over and over in my head. Every Saturday morning I listen to Scott Simon with great anticipation hoping that he will announce you and you will read a story together. Actually, I always listen to Scott Simon with great anticipation because I have a monster aural crush on him, but that is another story.

The reason that I never wrote this letter to you is because I assumed you were overwhelmed with fan letters, and this would be another one, electronically tossed aside–or worse, screened by a staff member. But the day has come for me to take the plunge, write the letter and hope it gets through.

I can’t remember a time when your books were not part of my library. My earliest memory is reading “The Bear’s Picture” over and over again. Unfortunately my copy was lost to the ravages of time (or my baby brother, I forget which). In college I found others of my kind as we threw parties based on themes from “Lizard Music” and the Snark Out books. In fact, the informal name of my consulting business is Fifth and Snark Productions.

But alas, that is all silly fan stuff. The most important piece of information that I wanted to impart to you is that I have you to thank for making the process of buying my first home a bearable proposition. I have kept a copy of “The Big Orange Splot” with me through college, graduate school and now, life. As I was looking around and realtors and lenders were quoting me numbers and statistics, I just kept telling them that I was looking for a house that was me, and that I was it, and that it needed to be a place where I liked to be and it looked like all my dreams. In fact, my realtor was so impressed with decision-making tool that she bought a case of the books to give away to future clients. Ok, ok, I know this sounds like an informercial–but in a day and age where publishers are putting together “based on the themes of Dr. Suess,” us children book fans need someone who takes children seriously. There are so few children’s authors whose books are worth keeping around, especially in a house where the youngest child is 29.

So should you ever feel beaten down by the powers that be, or have a horrible case of writers block, keep in mind that there are freaky fans like myself out here in the world. Readers who appreciate the gifts you have given us, and the occasional wake up stories read by two of my favorite guys in the world.

Thank you.

-Eva Schweber

What can I say? Except--tell this stuff to your local public radio station, and add that they should carry Chinwag Theater, (which doesn't have Scott Simon...yet, but he might make a guest appearance some day). The vicissitudes of trying to do art of a sort in a completely profit-oriented culture do not get me down, but every day the pressure has to be renewed, as the people who own the means of communcication have their memories and consciences wiped each night. 
Thanks for chiming in. As you'll notice by reading up and down this forum, many people don't hesitate in the least.