"Grover makes one last frantic plea not to turn the final page"
May 4, 2022 7:51 AM Subscribe
Today I read and enjoyed the English Wikipedia-style-y plot summary for The Monster at the End of This Book: Starring Lovable, Furry Old Grover, a classic children's book. Here's the edit that changes "However, nothing works (primarily because from the reader's POV these are simple illustrations, not actual difficulties)" to "nothing works (mostly because these are really simple illustrations, not actual obstacles)" (the "primarily" line having been added in 2014; thanks XTools Blame!). Previously, previously.
I remember having to gently convince my kids that Grover would be okay if I kept reading - They all would have stopped me from reading it somewhere; none at all of them wanted to go on after he made his plea just before the end. I would say that in our case Grover's objections and the obstacles he places on the page DID work. But for my interference this would not have become one of our favourites.
I dearly did love making his voice express his feelings.
posted by Jane the Brown at 8:20 AM on May 4, 2022 [16 favorites]
I dearly did love making his voice express his feelings.
posted by Jane the Brown at 8:20 AM on May 4, 2022 [16 favorites]
It doesn't say it "mostly doesn't work" it says "mostly because." So in other words, the illustration-based nature of the obstacles is an an important reason it doesn't work, but not the ONLY reason. I think that's fair. I mean there are other reasons the obstacles don't work related to the structure of story-telling and the author's need to build to a climatic twist at the end of the book and the embarrassed denouement.
In Arcadia by Iain Pears, causation is described by a character saying "we think the mug breaks because it falls, but it's equally true that the mug falls because it broke." I don't know if this is true in the physical world (I'll leave this to the physicists), but I think some teleology is ok in understanding fiction: Grover is revealed to be the monster and embarrassed because the obstacles don't work, but it's equally true that the obstacles don't work because Grover is revealed to be the monster at the end and is embarrassed.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 8:23 AM on May 4, 2022 [4 favorites]
In Arcadia by Iain Pears, causation is described by a character saying "we think the mug breaks because it falls, but it's equally true that the mug falls because it broke." I don't know if this is true in the physical world (I'll leave this to the physicists), but I think some teleology is ok in understanding fiction: Grover is revealed to be the monster and embarrassed because the obstacles don't work, but it's equally true that the obstacles don't work because Grover is revealed to be the monster at the end and is embarrassed.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 8:23 AM on May 4, 2022 [4 favorites]
Wiki can have some really interesting and funny edits.
I loved this book as a kid so I was happy to introduce this to my son when he was old enough to get it. Oh did he ever LOVE this book. I read it, maybe, a billion times and he played the app of it just as many times. But he did have a friend who was absolutely terrified of the book and the merest mention would send him into tears. That friend never was able to read to the end. The sequel with Elmo, however, was substandard.
posted by Ashwagandha at 8:29 AM on May 4, 2022 [2 favorites]
I loved this book as a kid so I was happy to introduce this to my son when he was old enough to get it. Oh did he ever LOVE this book. I read it, maybe, a billion times and he played the app of it just as many times. But he did have a friend who was absolutely terrified of the book and the merest mention would send him into tears. That friend never was able to read to the end. The sequel with Elmo, however, was substandard.
posted by Ashwagandha at 8:29 AM on May 4, 2022 [2 favorites]
It’s certainly more popular than the version I’ve been trying to sell, where the last page is just a mirror.
posted by aubilenon at 8:32 AM on May 4, 2022 [29 favorites]
posted by aubilenon at 8:32 AM on May 4, 2022 [29 favorites]
(But still Grover is doing everything he can to dissuade or prevent you from getting to it)
posted by aubilenon at 8:38 AM on May 4, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by aubilenon at 8:38 AM on May 4, 2022 [2 favorites]
Apparently my son remembered me doing a fairly decent Grover voice in his childhood, so I was roped into reading this cold and in-character for my granddaughter. My throat hurt for the rest of the day...
posted by jim in austin at 9:01 AM on May 4, 2022 [9 favorites]
posted by jim in austin at 9:01 AM on May 4, 2022 [9 favorites]
The monster at the end of this book was actually the friends we made along the way.
posted by Atom Eyes at 9:02 AM on May 4, 2022 [17 favorites]
posted by Atom Eyes at 9:02 AM on May 4, 2022 [17 favorites]
Jim in Austin, you are the best.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 9:02 AM on May 4, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 9:02 AM on May 4, 2022 [2 favorites]
We should make a version where the last page is Grover Norquist.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 9:03 AM on May 4, 2022 [11 favorites]
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 9:03 AM on May 4, 2022 [11 favorites]
If only I had a penguin..., you are of course being very reasonable and correct. There's, like, a Doylist reason the obstacles do not work and a Watsonian reason they don't work.
Jane the Brown, your children are so kind!!
posted by brainwane at 9:08 AM on May 4, 2022 [1 favorite]
Jane the Brown, your children are so kind!!
posted by brainwane at 9:08 AM on May 4, 2022 [1 favorite]
Wiki can have some really interesting and funny edits.
And how!
I'm an acquaintance of the MAD magazine writer Des Devlin. When he first discovered that he actually had a Wikipedia article about him, he was surprised - and a bit baffled, as he was pretty sure vanishingly few people would be looking him up. When he then learned that anyone can edit a Wikipedia page, he would periodically add his own edits, in a way befitting a MAD Magazine writer:
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:13 AM on May 4, 2022 [13 favorites]
And how!
I'm an acquaintance of the MAD magazine writer Des Devlin. When he first discovered that he actually had a Wikipedia article about him, he was surprised - and a bit baffled, as he was pretty sure vanishingly few people would be looking him up. When he then learned that anyone can edit a Wikipedia page, he would periodically add his own edits, in a way befitting a MAD Magazine writer:
"Desmond Devlin is a comedy writer who has worked for such publications as Mad Magazine. He is particularly known for his sardonic use of ampersands. "Perusing the edit history of his Wiki page will yield several instances where some content was deleted with the note: "edited to remove seeming nonsense".
" Devlin first made his mark with the recurring feature "Melvin and Jergens Lotion," which appeared regularly until reader outrage won the day. Devlin currently leads a reclusive life as a philosopher and wine-taster in Israel."
"Mr. Devlin is also well-known for his love of former major league baseball players Kurt Bevacqua and Paul O'Neill (baseball player). It is no coincidence that everything he has ever written contains, somewhere within its text, the word "fungo.""
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:13 AM on May 4, 2022 [13 favorites]
The article is correct. Nothing worked.
posted by The Monster at the End of this Thread at 9:50 AM on May 4, 2022 [11 favorites]
posted by The Monster at the End of this Thread at 9:50 AM on May 4, 2022 [11 favorites]
Originally written to introduce young children to the concept of reading a book from beginning to end, The Monster at the End of This Book is the best-selling Sesame Street book title of all time.
I am both overjoyed and amazed at this fact, because a) it is the best book ever and was my favorite book until I was well into third grade and discovered The Westing Game, but b) somehow growing up and far into adulthood I genuinely believed that it was something that only a select few kids knew about and they were My People (ditto The Westing Game, for that matter).
Happy to see that one of those previously's is mine. You are all my people.
posted by Mchelly at 9:57 AM on May 4, 2022 [12 favorites]
I am both overjoyed and amazed at this fact, because a) it is the best book ever and was my favorite book until I was well into third grade and discovered The Westing Game, but b) somehow growing up and far into adulthood I genuinely believed that it was something that only a select few kids knew about and they were My People (ditto The Westing Game, for that matter).
Happy to see that one of those previously's is mine. You are all my people.
posted by Mchelly at 9:57 AM on May 4, 2022 [12 favorites]
Near the end of the book, Grover makes one last frantic plea not to turn the final page, only to discover on that page, in a surprise self-referential plot twist, that the monster is himself. He tries to laugh it off, claiming that he knew it all along, but the reader can see at the end that he is quite embarrassed by the whole ordeal.The reader can see that because Grover himself states that he is "so embarrassed"! Grover has self-awareness and agency. What is this.
posted by trig at 9:57 AM on May 4, 2022 [4 favorites]
I gave this book to a young acquaintance who was so terrified by the imminent danger that he made his parents hide it on a high shelf in the garage, which is where the book stayed for the next decade. So that’s one way to thwart the monster.
posted by roger ackroyd at 10:03 AM on May 4, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by roger ackroyd at 10:03 AM on May 4, 2022 [2 favorites]
It never occurred to me that there would be a Wikipedia article on a children's book about Grover. Full disclosure: My favorite Muppet is Grouch for obvious reasons that work.
Even more surprising is that I am now discussing the merits of this Wikipedia article and Wikipedia editing in general.
Empress, please tell Des Devlin that I love his sense of humor and his wiki edits. And his inclusion of the word "fungo". When I was a much much much younger person, about 6 or 7 years old, I was probably at my first little league practice when the coach asked me to get his fungo bat. Naturally, I had no idea wtf he was talking about. I was trying to parse it in my little head. "Fun-go?" Where did the fun go? Why am I being pranked? No such thing as a fungo bat right? Finally, coach walked over and grabbed his own fungo bat. From then on I always associated shagging fly balls hit off of a fungo bat as, no fun, where did the fun go? And, to add the Warrior, Paulie O'Neill is icing on the cake.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 10:05 AM on May 4, 2022 [1 favorite]
Even more surprising is that I am now discussing the merits of this Wikipedia article and Wikipedia editing in general.
Empress, please tell Des Devlin that I love his sense of humor and his wiki edits. And his inclusion of the word "fungo". When I was a much much much younger person, about 6 or 7 years old, I was probably at my first little league practice when the coach asked me to get his fungo bat. Naturally, I had no idea wtf he was talking about. I was trying to parse it in my little head. "Fun-go?" Where did the fun go? Why am I being pranked? No such thing as a fungo bat right? Finally, coach walked over and grabbed his own fungo bat. From then on I always associated shagging fly balls hit off of a fungo bat as, no fun, where did the fun go? And, to add the Warrior, Paulie O'Neill is icing on the cake.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 10:05 AM on May 4, 2022 [1 favorite]
Metafilter: We try to laugh it off, claiming that we knew it all along, but the reader can see at the end that we are quite embarrassed by the whole ordeal.
posted by glonous keming at 10:19 AM on May 4, 2022 [21 favorites]
posted by glonous keming at 10:19 AM on May 4, 2022 [21 favorites]
I really like the idea of this book offering the discovery of literary self-reference, and maybe it was the first unreliable narrator that I ever experienced.
I never had kids. The whole part of reading to them versus being read to is not part of my real world experience.
So it is interesting to read about the parts that were interesting from the parents' point of view.
posted by NoThisIsPatrick at 10:33 AM on May 4, 2022 [1 favorite]
I never had kids. The whole part of reading to them versus being read to is not part of my real world experience.
So it is interesting to read about the parts that were interesting from the parents' point of view.
posted by NoThisIsPatrick at 10:33 AM on May 4, 2022 [1 favorite]
The most enjoyable plane ride seated near a young child was the short-haul flight where a parent was reading this to their kid right next to me. I told them it was one of my faves, too.
Also, Ernie Gets Lost, where Ernie gets lost at the mall, is the book I demanded my parents hide and never read to me again
posted by avocet at 10:48 AM on May 4, 2022 [1 favorite]
Also, Ernie Gets Lost, where Ernie gets lost at the mall, is the book I demanded my parents hide and never read to me again
posted by avocet at 10:48 AM on May 4, 2022 [1 favorite]
Love this book! I wasn't exposed to it when I was little but I read it over and over as a teenager. I went through a Sesame Street fangirl phase ( not actually a phase I guess because I love it forever and always) where I would record skits from the show onto a tape deck and use them for tracks on mix tapes for friends. It's such a classic Grover story, he is the best muppet for expressing all the feelings but especially the scared feelings.
The other Sesame Street book that I was obsessed with was this Sherlock Hemlock mystery and now I want to read it again.
posted by RobinofFrocksley at 10:58 AM on May 4, 2022 [3 favorites]
The other Sesame Street book that I was obsessed with was this Sherlock Hemlock mystery and now I want to read it again.
posted by RobinofFrocksley at 10:58 AM on May 4, 2022 [3 favorites]
This line right here,
"only to discover on that page, in a surprise self-referential plot twist, that the monster is himself."
Has a thousand uses!
posted by Naberius at 11:08 AM on May 4, 2022 [5 favorites]
"only to discover on that page, in a surprise self-referential plot twist, that the monster is himself."
Has a thousand uses!
posted by Naberius at 11:08 AM on May 4, 2022 [5 favorites]
I've always loved this story, too, inspiring one of my favorite contributions to Metafilter in this ancient longboat.
posted by team lowkey at 11:09 AM on May 4, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by team lowkey at 11:09 AM on May 4, 2022 [1 favorite]
Oh, also, in the fourth wall breaking meta fiction for little kids subgenre is, The Book With No Pictures, by B.J. Novak. (Yes, that B.J. Novak.) Here, the reader discovers as the book goes on that they have been tricked by their clever child into reading a book that will force them to say increasingly silly things, make weird noises, and generally embarrass themselves.
I haven't read The Monster at the End of This Book to Tiny Croft, but she dearly loves The Book With No Pictures.
posted by Naberius at 11:13 AM on May 4, 2022 [4 favorites]
I haven't read The Monster at the End of This Book to Tiny Croft, but she dearly loves The Book With No Pictures.
posted by Naberius at 11:13 AM on May 4, 2022 [4 favorites]
My very first favorite book. 1970. I remember it well.
posted by allthinky at 11:18 AM on May 4, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by allthinky at 11:18 AM on May 4, 2022 [1 favorite]
Oh weird. I was just talking about this book a few days ago. I read it a ton when I was little. Even though I knew the ending it's all about the build up. Grover is like Why? Why do you keep turning the pages. There's a monster. Don't you get that? A monster. Why are you going towards the monster? This is ridiculous... He makes the perfect annoyed but still trying to help figure. Grover's in my top muppets list for all time. I felt his confused despair at what was happening.
posted by downtohisturtles at 11:29 AM on May 4, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by downtohisturtles at 11:29 AM on May 4, 2022 [5 favorites]
In Arcadia by Iain Pears, causation is described by a character saying "we think the mug breaks because it falls, but it's equally true that the mug falls because it broke." I don't know if this is true in the physical world (I'll leave this to the physicists), but I think some teleology is ok in understanding fiction
If you like teleology as a literary device, you'll love Bob the Angry Flower's Time Looker-Forward Tube.
posted by heatherlogan at 11:41 AM on May 4, 2022 [2 favorites]
If you like teleology as a literary device, you'll love Bob the Angry Flower's Time Looker-Forward Tube.
posted by heatherlogan at 11:41 AM on May 4, 2022 [2 favorites]
I had this book as a little kid, and I felt absolutely awful about turning the pages.
It didn't help me knowing that it was just a book, that Grover was really a monster, that he'd feel better in the end. I just felt bad about putting him through all that when he was so freaked out.
In fact anytime I picked it up, I felt like I had to get to the end of the book just so he'd have some relief, but man I didn't like getting there. Poor guy.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 11:42 AM on May 4, 2022 [3 favorites]
It didn't help me knowing that it was just a book, that Grover was really a monster, that he'd feel better in the end. I just felt bad about putting him through all that when he was so freaked out.
In fact anytime I picked it up, I felt like I had to get to the end of the book just so he'd have some relief, but man I didn't like getting there. Poor guy.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 11:42 AM on May 4, 2022 [3 favorites]
Metafilter: We’re all monsters here.
posted by JustSayNoDawg at 11:46 AM on May 4, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by JustSayNoDawg at 11:46 AM on May 4, 2022 [2 favorites]
It’s certainly more popular than the version I’ve been trying to sell, where the last page is just a mirror.
When looking back as an adult who hadn't read the book in decades, I honestly couldn't remember whether this was the last page or not.
posted by praemunire at 11:51 AM on May 4, 2022 [1 favorite]
When looking back as an adult who hadn't read the book in decades, I honestly couldn't remember whether this was the last page or not.
posted by praemunire at 11:51 AM on May 4, 2022 [1 favorite]
The Book With No Pictures
My niece to my sister’s horror/amusement decided that was crap, took a box of crayons, and added her own pictures. My niece’s reasoning was “I don’t know why the author was lazy and didn’t add pictures, but I I have to do everything my self I will.”
posted by jmauro at 12:30 PM on May 4, 2022 [5 favorites]
My niece to my sister’s horror/amusement decided that was crap, took a box of crayons, and added her own pictures. My niece’s reasoning was “I don’t know why the author was lazy and didn’t add pictures, but I I have to do everything my self I will.”
posted by jmauro at 12:30 PM on May 4, 2022 [5 favorites]
Didn't expect weak foe.
posted by howfar at 1:17 PM on May 4, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by howfar at 1:17 PM on May 4, 2022 [1 favorite]
I read this to my 4 year old last weekend. It never gets old.
posted by Catblack at 1:51 PM on May 4, 2022
posted by Catblack at 1:51 PM on May 4, 2022
The best example of a Wikipedia plot summary is the entry for "Regulate" by Warren G. The link goes to an old version, because joyless editors keep removing the extended version. One of the all-time classic lines right here: "This is most likely a rhetorical question." It doesn't get much better than that.
posted by kevinbelt at 2:07 PM on May 4, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by kevinbelt at 2:07 PM on May 4, 2022 [4 favorites]
I had this book as a little kid, and I felt absolutely awful about turning the pages.
It didn't help me knowing that it was just a book, that Grover was really a monster, that he'd feel better in the end. I just felt bad about putting him through all that when he was so freaked out.
I tried reading this book to my daughter when she was probably around 3 but she cried and begged me to stop, even after I tried to reassure her by spoiling the ending and telling her the monster was nothing scary, only Grover himself. She's 19 now and she says she thinks the above was her problem with it. It seemed cruel and wrong to turn the pages when Grover was begging us not to.
posted by Redstart at 2:29 PM on May 4, 2022 [3 favorites]
It didn't help me knowing that it was just a book, that Grover was really a monster, that he'd feel better in the end. I just felt bad about putting him through all that when he was so freaked out.
I tried reading this book to my daughter when she was probably around 3 but she cried and begged me to stop, even after I tried to reassure her by spoiling the ending and telling her the monster was nothing scary, only Grover himself. She's 19 now and she says she thinks the above was her problem with it. It seemed cruel and wrong to turn the pages when Grover was begging us not to.
posted by Redstart at 2:29 PM on May 4, 2022 [3 favorites]
This book is essentially a primer on what it means to be subversive.
A number of the pages refer to the physical artifact of the book itself: self-referential illustrations and text referring to the fact that you're holding a book and viewing the depiction of a book at the same time. That's some deeply heady shit!
They got the sub-title wrong, it should have been called "The Monster at the End of This Book: An introduction to Post-Modernism".
posted by jeremias at 2:35 PM on May 4, 2022 [9 favorites]
A number of the pages refer to the physical artifact of the book itself: self-referential illustrations and text referring to the fact that you're holding a book and viewing the depiction of a book at the same time. That's some deeply heady shit!
They got the sub-title wrong, it should have been called "The Monster at the End of This Book: An introduction to Post-Modernism".
posted by jeremias at 2:35 PM on May 4, 2022 [9 favorites]
I had a baby in my classroom who loved books. The one day she pulled TMATEOTB out of the bin and brought it to me. Of course I was happy to read it to her. She was 16-17 months at the time, so didn't really understand the book. But she loved my voices. YOU TURRRRNNNED THE PAAAAGE! I ended up getting her her own copy for a graduation gift. She's now 22 months and smarter than a whip. She asks for certain YouTube videos by name (Shake Sillies, Okey Pokey, ABC Hip Hop). Hell, today she asked for "I like my shoes" (Pete the Cat) after seeing it twice yesterday. I love that little girl.
posted by kathrynm at 4:17 PM on May 4, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by kathrynm at 4:17 PM on May 4, 2022 [2 favorites]
I feel this book is the perfect antidote to all those "dark" fairy tales where horrible things happen to curious children.
a) It's a genuinely scary story for kids and they have to weigh Grover's increasingly dire warnings against their own desire to find out what's at the end of the book.
b) Everything's OK in the end because some monsters are Grover!
c) In retrospect, no one was trying to deceive anyone. The ending is exactly what it says on the cover. Not only is there a monster at the end of the book, but the book is also starring lovable furry old Grover, so really it couldn't have been anyone else.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 4:53 PM on May 4, 2022 [2 favorites]
a) It's a genuinely scary story for kids and they have to weigh Grover's increasingly dire warnings against their own desire to find out what's at the end of the book.
b) Everything's OK in the end because some monsters are Grover!
c) In retrospect, no one was trying to deceive anyone. The ending is exactly what it says on the cover. Not only is there a monster at the end of the book, but the book is also starring lovable furry old Grover, so really it couldn't have been anyone else.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 4:53 PM on May 4, 2022 [2 favorites]
And yes, I think this book is why my favorite episode of Star Trek is "The Corbomite Maneuver"
If only every space adventure could end with a nice refreshing glass of tranya!
posted by RonButNotStupid at 4:55 PM on May 4, 2022 [1 favorite]
If only every space adventure could end with a nice refreshing glass of tranya!
posted by RonButNotStupid at 4:55 PM on May 4, 2022 [1 favorite]
This book was Glen Weldon's pick for Pop Culture Happy Hour's picks from 1971 show; his analysis/review is delightful.
posted by damayanti at 5:02 PM on May 4, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by damayanti at 5:02 PM on May 4, 2022 [4 favorites]
“You are very strong.”
One of my favorite things ever.
posted by Mister Moofoo at 5:07 PM on May 4, 2022 [6 favorites]
One of my favorite things ever.
posted by Mister Moofoo at 5:07 PM on May 4, 2022 [6 favorites]
My best friend from elementary school has an artistic streak, and at one point maybe fifteen years ago he created his own version of this book, complete with lovingly-drawn visuals inspired by the original but very much infused with his own style. It's basically the same story, right up until the last page, in which we finally meet the monster, and it's just Grover with a look of anguish on his face and a single word in angry boldface type: "CAPITALISM"
I wonder if I still have a copy of it somewhere.
posted by Mayor West at 5:16 PM on May 4, 2022 [8 favorites]
I wonder if I still have a copy of it somewhere.
posted by Mayor West at 5:16 PM on May 4, 2022 [8 favorites]
I had a chuckle a little bit at this post. Both my wife & I grew up with this book as a kid. So, years later, my wife & I buy an interactive version of this book you can get from the Apple App Store so that we can read along with it with our nieces. I don't remember exactly how old our nieces were at the time, but they were pretty little. My elder niece totally loved it the first time, but as the obstacles kept falling (which the kids could dismantle with a touch screen as part of the interactive format of the app), my younger niece was all like, "Noooooooooooooo!" as if we were about to summon some Lovecraftian Cthulhu demon through the screen of our iPad. But with some reassurance from her older sister, the younger niece did come around when tried again another day.
They even made Another Monster at the End of This Book, an app "sequel" to the original Monster at the End of This Book, with both Grover and Elmo. The gag at the end of the book is that Grover and Elmo each assume the other one is the Monster at the End of This Book.
posted by jonp72 at 6:06 PM on May 4, 2022 [2 favorites]
They even made Another Monster at the End of This Book, an app "sequel" to the original Monster at the End of This Book, with both Grover and Elmo. The gag at the end of the book is that Grover and Elmo each assume the other one is the Monster at the End of This Book.
posted by jonp72 at 6:06 PM on May 4, 2022 [2 favorites]
It's such a classic Grover story, he is the best muppet for expressing all the feelings but especially the scared feelings.
This is blatant Telly erasure.
posted by emmling at 7:27 PM on May 4, 2022 [5 favorites]
This is blatant Telly erasure.
posted by emmling at 7:27 PM on May 4, 2022 [5 favorites]
The Boy is almost four and we've been reading this book with him for at least a year and he loves it! I encourage him to pretend and engage with the story and I can do a pretty decent Grover voice. He has great fun foiling Grover's attempts to keep us from turning the page and he usually says, "Oh Grover." and shakes his head.
We have a couple of other sesame street golden spine books. There is a similar one about Oscar trying to get the reader to leave him alone only to be sad about the reader actually going away and yelling at them to come back at the end.
posted by VTX at 7:30 PM on May 4, 2022 [3 favorites]
We have a couple of other sesame street golden spine books. There is a similar one about Oscar trying to get the reader to leave him alone only to be sad about the reader actually going away and yelling at them to come back at the end.
posted by VTX at 7:30 PM on May 4, 2022 [3 favorites]
My kid loves it when I read this book to him. And I love reading it to him because I loved the book when I was little.
posted by sciencegeek at 7:31 PM on May 4, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by sciencegeek at 7:31 PM on May 4, 2022 [4 favorites]
I have a lot of feelings about this book.
It was the first book I ever read All By Myself, and I was Very Pleased with myself when I was done. I loved being told I am Very Strong. And the bricks strewn all over the ripped and torn pages.
It wasn't until later, when I was a teenager and interested in self-referentiality (hi there, several-time-over annotated copy of Godel, Escher, Bach), that I realized that it's a brilliant starter book on how to understand fourth-wall breakage.
It wasn't until later, when I was in my twenties and a writer, that I realized it's a brilliant primer in how to perform fourth-wall breakage.
It wasn't until later, when I was in my thirties and had discovered the books of Mo Willems and Adam Rex, that I realized that other writers knew this as well.
It wasn't until later, in my late forties and parent of a preschooler, that I realized it's just as good a read-aloud book as a read all by myself book. It is rightfully enshrined in a small pantheon of supreme read-aloud books (all repeatedly requested by the Randomlet) that includes Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day and Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus.
Lots of feelings.
posted by Quasirandom at 9:33 AM on May 5, 2022 [4 favorites]
It was the first book I ever read All By Myself, and I was Very Pleased with myself when I was done. I loved being told I am Very Strong. And the bricks strewn all over the ripped and torn pages.
It wasn't until later, when I was a teenager and interested in self-referentiality (hi there, several-time-over annotated copy of Godel, Escher, Bach), that I realized that it's a brilliant starter book on how to understand fourth-wall breakage.
It wasn't until later, when I was in my twenties and a writer, that I realized it's a brilliant primer in how to perform fourth-wall breakage.
It wasn't until later, when I was in my thirties and had discovered the books of Mo Willems and Adam Rex, that I realized that other writers knew this as well.
It wasn't until later, in my late forties and parent of a preschooler, that I realized it's just as good a read-aloud book as a read all by myself book. It is rightfully enshrined in a small pantheon of supreme read-aloud books (all repeatedly requested by the Randomlet) that includes Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day and Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus.
Lots of feelings.
posted by Quasirandom at 9:33 AM on May 5, 2022 [4 favorites]
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a) it's funny to read a summary of this very silly book that -- as is appropriate for English Wikipedia style -- uses serious phrasing such as "Growing increasingly fearful as the story continues"
b) I read this aloud to my spouse and we thought it was really funny to say that Grover's objections and the obstacles he places on the page MOSTLY don't work. Like, what could have worked? Like, telling the reader, "hey, get your parents for this next bit" and then a plea to the parent or guardian, "Don't let your kid read the next bit, it's dangerous"? Which led my spouse to crack: "This place is a message... and part of a system of messages! The danger is in a particular location: the end of this book!"
I am not trying to make fun of Wikipedia authors as a whole nor these particular authors.
posted by brainwane at 7:57 AM on May 4, 2022 [7 favorites]