by Shel Silverstein

I think I've owned this book ever since it was featured in the Book-of-the-Month Club some time in the mid-80's. This would have been one of the books I received after having neglected to return the card with the “Do Not Deliver the Monthly Selection” box checked. I've read it in spurts, but have otherwise paid it little heed as I've schlepped it between various dwellings in four states over the past twenty years.

Now, I've dusted it off and have begun reading it to Ben at bedtime. It's been lots of fun even though about half of the jokes and references are just an inch or two over Ben's head. It's one of those story-time experiences that are as much fun or the parent as the child. (I flash back to a memory as a six-year-old, listening to my Mom crack herself up while reading the original A.A. Milne Winne-the-Pooh books.) Ben's favorites so far are ldquo;Polar Bear in the Frigidaire” and “Backwards Bill,” but we're only about halfway through so far.