May 19, 2009
 There has been a steady stream lately of authorized sequels to children's classics. There are two basic rationales for doing this, the medical condition rationale, and the relief of intense pain rationale. The news that the estate of A.A. Milne had authorized the first new Winnie the Pooh novel in eighty years is an an example of the medical condition rationale. The idea here is that new generations of readers require fresh versions of classic books just the way sailors require fresh green vegetables. Reading the original books will no more prevent this nameless medical condition from developing in a new generation of readers than eating nothing but ship's hard tack and weevils will prevent scurvy in sailors.
Return to the Hundred Acre Wood will be released in October.This Thursday the announcement was made that author Hilary McKay has produced a sequel to Frances Hodgson Burnett’s classic, A Little Princess, called Wishing For Tomorrow, which will be released in January. The rationale here is relief from suffering. McKay "was plagued by the lingering  questions she had about Sara’s friends, who are left behind when the heroine drives away at the end of
A Little Princess." I know how she feels because I feel the same way about the end of
The Lord of the Rings. What happened to Frodo after he got to the Lost Isle, Eressea? Did he get to hang out with the Valar? How did Galadriel spend her days? I can't stand it I tell you!! But I digress. McKay's editor revealed that "Hilary has brought us back to all of our old friends from A Little Princess and given them a fuller, rounder portrayal." At first I thought 'how dreadful', I hadn't noticed that Ermengarde, Lottie and Lavinia had been under nourished in
A Little Princess. Then I realized that I was being dense, this had nothing to do with calorie intake, but rather that these characters were now to receive the filling out a more modern sensibility would provide, and which they so desperately were wanting.Once we recognize that these sequels are a response to acute medical conditions, and personal distress, we should not leave the work to others, but rather rally round and help identify other books that need to be written. Here are some that came to me. The Secret Garden Blooms Again More Wind in the Willows Harriet Spies Again Frodo In Valinor Strawberries For Sal After The Last Battle (The Second Chronicles of Narnia Book 1) The Sixth Little Pepper. Mr. Popper's New Set of Penguins Frog and Toad and Salamander How the Grinch Stole Easter Hitty: Her Second Hundred Years Here they are! Our weekly picks for the two best: two hardcover, two paperback, and two children's books. The very best new arrivals to leap out of the box and onto our shelves this week. Call or email us if you want more information on any of these titles, or to have us hold you a copy. Or stop in and check them out in person. We'd love to see you. Thanks as always for sharing your reading with us!
|
