Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Why I Built the Boogle House

Why I Built the Boogle House
Helen Palmer ~ photographs by Lynn Fayman
Random House, 1964


This was one of the first titles I picked up for my son a few years back, from Cheever's Books on Broadway in San Antonio. Written by the first Mrs. Dr. Seuss, it follows the struggles of a young boy in search of the perfect pet and the perfect house in which to house said perfect pet. Possibly better known for the classic Fish Out of Water, Helen Palmer did a series of these awesome books with photography including I was Kissed by a Seal at the Zoo and Do You Know What I'm Gonna Do Next Saturday.

Ms. Palmer's incantation is a delight and once you've gotten into reading her stuff, you can tell instantly if a book is hers. I love the way she repeats words to get her point across...

"So, I swapped him.
I swapped the rabbit for a dog."


A truly far out title and one that several friends have remembered fondly from childhood. (My copy came with the sweet inscription "Merry Christmas Nora Ellen from Fred & Lois, 1974").

Also by:
I Kissed a Seal at the Zoo
Do you know what I'm going to do next Saturday?

4 comments:

vichycycl said...

I used this book as an analogy to the imperfect process of evolution [url=http://www.christiandiscussionforums.org/v/showthread.php?p=4030812&posted=1#post4030812]here[/url]. Thanks much for your work. It's a great book too. :)

Anonymous said...

this is the bestest kids book ever!

Anonymous said...

a great book!

naneharvey said...

I loved this book as a kid, and very few people seem to have heard of it. I didn't know it was written by "Mrs. Seuss" and found that interesting. It would be a great reference to bad architecture if more widely known...

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