Why We Need Frog, Toad, and Flannery O'Connor

Yes, you read that correctly!  So what on earth do Frog and Toad have in common with Flannery O'Connor?
  

Well, it all started with a trip to Savannah.  Then my friend sent me an insightful blog post about Frog and Toad.

First, Flannery. 

I recently returned from a trip to Savanah, Georgia, birthplace of Flannery O'Connor.  If you've been to Savanah, you know it is made up of all these shadowy, tree-filled town squares - 22 in all, each with it's own park (think Forest Gump, on a park bench in Savanah waiting for his bus).

Anyway, when we first arrived, we happened upon the CUTEST bookstore: E. Shaver Fine Books, right next to Madison Square.

I was in heaven, especially when I found a little corner dedicated to Flannery O'Connor!  I bought two books: A Literary Guide to Flannery O'Connor's Georgia and Flannery O'Connor: Spiritual Writings.

Flannery O'Connor (1925-1964) has always held a fascination for me.  Maybe because I'm from the South.  I was introduced to her not through her novels or short stories, but through her essays in Mystery and Manners and then her letters in The Habit of Being.  Full of quick wit, self deprecating humor, and wisdom, her thoughtful letters and essays brought me comfort and many "aha!" moments.  Then I read her short story Parker's Back! (More about her short stories in a minute.)

From the bookstore, we moved on to Lafayette Square. 

At one end is Mary Flannery O'Connor's birthplace and childhood home - now turned museum - dedicated to her.

Mary, as she was known until college, grew up on Lafayette Square during the depression and attended nearby Catholic schools.

At the other end of the square is the church Flannery attended, the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist .  It's a truly gorgeous building, inside and out, and the oldest Catholic Church in Georgia.

So that brings me to Flannery O'Connor's faith and writings (and eventually to Frog and Toad - stick with me here!)

Not familiar with Flannery?  She is considered one of the great American storytellers. Before her tragic death which claimed her young life at the age of 39, she had written two novels and thirty-two short stories, as well as commentaries and reviews.  (She died from Lupus, as did her father, who died when she was just fourteen.)

Flannery O'Connor at her home in Milledgeville, Ga., 1962. [source] Credit

A devout Roman Catholic, O'Connor wrote from a foundation of a profound Christian faith and an experience of illness and suffering.  Her Southern characters battle between good and evil, sin and redemption. Her deep stories, though harsh and violent, often have another side: a humorous, yet grave commentary on the human race.

Why the dark stories? Flannery was always concerned with mystery and grace, and through her characters she felt she had to shock contemporary readers out of their complacency in order to consider life's biggest concern:  sin and salvation.

For the hard of hearing you shout, 

and for the almost blind you draw large and startling figures.

-Flannery O'Connor

Okay, crazy segue (not Segway, though we did see lots in Savannah), but we have finally arrived at what I have to share about Frog and Toad...  

Turns out that Arnold Lobel's short (very short) stories of Frog and Toad had a concern for sin and salvation as well!

In his blog post "Why We Need Frog and Toad More Then Ever", here, Joshua Gibbs, shares some wise insight about the moral universe of these two amphibious characters, as opposed to the lack of moral universe in many contemporary children's books that mainly focus on praise and celebration of the characters:

Like many children’s books from the 60s, 70s, and 80s, Frog and Toad stories involve the two titular characters overcoming common problems which arise from vice. “Cookies” is about gluttony, “The Lost Button” is about anger, “Tomorrow” is about sloth, and “A Swim” is about pride. In each story, the only way to beat vice is through some form of suffering. Good things do not happen in Frog and Toad stories apart from suffering, self-denial, or self-control.

Do you remember what Frog and Toad did in order to stop eating the cookies?  They tried to get will power.  After putting the cookies up in a box and tying it up with string, Frog and Toad realized they could simply climb a ladder, reach the box, and untie the string.  So they decided to feed the rest of the cookies to the birds.  Frog said they now had no cookies, but lots of will power.  But Toad announced he was going to go bake a cake!  (I wonder who he fed that to. Ah, temptation!)

Joshua goes on to note:
As opposed to teaching our children that their problems can be overcome, we have lately begun telling them, “You are good. Your problems are part of who you are. Your problems do not need to be overcome, because you do not actually have any problems. The problem is with the world. The world has not properly understood you or celebrated you.” In this, the secular world has largely followed the late Christian tendency to rob people of their right to struggle against sin. “Not perfect, just forgiven” and “God accepts me as I am” are nothing more than half-pious ways of saying, “I was born this way.” No wonder we are such a stressed-out people. We speak as though fighting sin were treason against the self. [source]

Do "good books" matter for young souls?  

Yes! Flannery would concur (and does):
...the greatest dramas naturally involve the salvation or loss of the soul. Where there is no belief in the soul, there is very little drama. The Christian novelist is distinguished from his pagan colleagues by recognizing sin as sin. According to his heritage he sees it not as sickness or an accident of environment, but as a responsible choice of offense against God which involves his eternal future. Either one is serious about salvation or one is not. And it is well to realize that the maximum amount of seriousness admits the maximum amount of comedy. Only if we are secure in our beliefs can we see the comical side of the universe. One reason a great deal of our contemporary fiction is humorless is because so many of these writers are relativists and have to be continually justifying the actions of their characters on a sliding scale of values. (From "Novelist and Believer", here)

Well, Frog and Toad are definitely comedic!  
So there you are.  
We need Frog and Toad (and Flannery O'Conner)!

1000 Good Books

Orchard Window 1918, Daniel Garber, American Impressionist Painter (1880-1958) A Book by Edgar Guest “Now” - said a good book unto me - “Open my pages and you shall see Jewels of wisdom and treasures fine, Gold and silver in every line, And you may claim them if you but will Open my pages and take your fill. “Open my pages and run them o’er, Take what you choose of my golden store. Be you greedy, I shall not care - All that you seize I shall gladly spare; There is never a lock on my treasure doors, Come - here are my jewels, make them yours! “I am just a book on your mantel shelf, But I can be part of your living self; If only you’ll travel my pages through, Then I will travel the world with you. As two wines blended make better wine, Blend your mind with these truths of mine. “I’ll make you fitter to talk with men, I’ll touch with silver the lines you pen, I’ll lead you nearer the truth you seek, I’ll strengthen you when your faith grows weak - This place on your shelf is a prison cell, Let me come into your mind to dwell!” Source: 1000 Good Books List Click HERE to view this comprehensive list on the Classical Christian Homeschooling website -These titles can be viewed by age group or author Additionally, they have a very good 100 Great Books List -These titles can be viewed by according to time period

"It is not enough to simply teach children to read..."

"...we have to give them something worth reading. Something that will stretch their imaginations--something that will help them make sense of their own lives and encourage them to reach out toward people whose lives are quite different 

from their own.”

- Katherine Patterson, author of BRIDGE TO TEREBITHIA

TIPS FOR SELECTING GOOD BOOKS

So - you've decided to start reading aloud to your children and you're at the library (or bookstore, or an online source, such as Amazon). Here are some guidelines that William Kilpatrick gives for selecting good stories, from BOOKS THAT BUILD CHARACTER, A Guide to Teaching Your Child Moral Values Through Stories:

1. Think back to stories that had a positive impact on you when you were growing up. There's a pretty good chance that the same stories will have a similar effect on your child.

2. Choose a book in keeping with your values, not simply on the basis of its reputation.

3. Try to distinguish between issues and virtues. Many contemporary children's books focus on trendy issues rather than character development. You want your child to acquire strength of character before he acquires a lot of secondhand opinions. It's one thing to have an opinion on an issue such as immigration, and quite another to develop a habit of helping those you have an opportunity to help. Having enlightened opinions is no substitute for having character. Good books should reinforce qualities like courage, responsibility, and perserverance rather than offering prepackaged opinions on divorce, euthanasia, and the like.

4. Look for books where the author has an interesting story to tell, not a message to convey. Many good books deal with contemporary issues, but the issues are integrated with the characters, setting, and plot; and they are people centered, not problem centered. The characters are real. We are gladdened by their victories and saddened by their sufferings. They are not there just to teach a lesson.

5. Context is crucial. Character-building books are not simply about good people doing good things. Moral books may deal with immoral behavior. The question is not whether unethical behavior is present but how it is presented. The hero or heroine may give way to temptation, but a good book will show the real costs of such a choice.

6. Allow some room for growth. Although you want to be careful about choosing books that are way over your child's level, it's okay to challenge them by reading somewhat above their level. You definitely want your children to learn to extend themselves through reading. How do you determine which books will help your youngsters grow? A simple rule of thumb is to look for books in which the main character grows. As your child becomes involved with the protagnonist, he vicarioiusly shares in that character's development.

7. Choose books that are fun to read aloud: The above guidelines are not to suggest that books with a moral theme are the only type of book you and your child should read! There are all types of books and all kinds of reasons to read them: for suspense, for humor, for the beauty of the language, for the pleasure of wordplay and nonsense rhymes. There is no discernible moral in GOODNIGHT MOON; TO THINK THAT I SAW IT ON MULBERRY STREET; THE JUMBLIES; or THE CREMATION OF SAM MCGEE, but it would be a shame to deprive your child of the pleasure they bring.

"To the extent that the well-made-thing provokes a responsive, corrective, self-examination, it works to educe from us an ongoing, active and answering creation--an answer that performs our longing to wholeness and reconciliation. One might say that, in attending to such art and in answering it with substantive response, we make our hope matter." -Scott Cairns, Poet and Professor of Engish (from "Art and the Meaning of Creation", published in The Huffington Post, June 1, 2010).

HOW CHOOSING GOOD READ ALOUD BOOKS CAN HELP CULTIVATE YOUNG SOULS...

BOOKS THAT BUILD CHARACTER, by William Kilpatrick and Gregory and Suzanne M. Wolfe, is a wonderful guide for parents, grandparents, and teachers who want to choose worthwhile and imaginative books for children. Honestly, if you could only buy one book on the subject, this would be the one I'd recommend! It's full of good children's stories that are as satifying on an adult level as they are on a child's. The recommended reading list is a comprehensive guide of book summaries, grouped by age level (young, middle, and older readers) and literary genre.

Here are some more of the authors' thoughts on why reading good stories with a moral dimension can help cultivate young souls:

HOW CAN READING ALOUD GOOD BOOKS TO CHILDREN DEVELOP THEIR CHARACTER?

- Stories create an emotional attachment to goodness, or a desire to do the right thing.

- Stories provide a wealth of good examples to kids - the kind of examples that might be missing from some children's day-to-day environments.
- Stories are a good way of introducing "codes of conduct" to kids.
- Stories can help kids make sense out of life.

HOW DO GOOD STORIES HELP CHILDREN LEARN RIGHT FROM WRONG?

Good writing in stories can touch kids on a level where it really matters - their imaginations - by giving them mental pictures: "images". Pictures have a way of staying in children's memories long after parents explanations and admonitions have worn thin. So one of the benefits of good read alouds, whether based in real life or fantasy, is that they save the parent from doing all the reminding! And through the power of the imagination, children can vicariously participate in the stories, sharing with the hero/heroine's choices and challenges.

A great example of this for young readers is The Tale of Peter Rabbit, by Beatrix Potter. What child will forget how Peter disobeyed his mother, got sick from being wet and cold in Mr. McGregor's garden, and had to go to bed..."while Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail had bread and milk and blackberries for supper"! (My kids asked for this story over, and over, and over...)

Or, for older readers, what about all the life lessons learned by David as he comes of age in the novel David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens? They will definitely develop an emotional attachment with the young David, as he learns about friendship, kindness, love, and forgiveness from the many colorful characters he encounters!

Here are a few exceptional titles we might have missed or never attempted to read aloud, if it weren't for the fact that they were recommended in BOOKS THAT BUILD CHARACTER:

The Princess and the Goblin, by George MacDonald
Phantom Tollbooth, by Norton Jester
Prydain Chronicles, by Lloyd Alexander
Carry on, Mr. Bowditch, by Jean Lee Latham
The Endless Steppe, by Esther Hautzig
Barry the Bravest St. Bernard, by Lynn Hall
Book of Virtues, by William Bennett
Miss Rumphius, by Barbara Clooney
The Bully on Barkham Street, by M. Stoltz
Lord of the Flies, by William Golding

WHAT DO I MEAN BY "GOOD BOOKS"?

"Good books not only capture the imagination, but cultivate the conscience as well" - William Kilpatrick, author of GOOD BOOKS THAT BUILD CHARACTER

If you're thinking, "I'm not into preachy morality books", don't worry - neither am I! This blog is not about books and authors whose main purpose is to moralize. A good storyteller should be first, someone who has a story to tell. But that is not to say that good literature does not teach us...

As my kids got a little bit older, I really began to realize the importance of the concept that "just because a book is a good read , it might not be good in the deeper sense of the word." I didn't only want "readable" books that would capture my kids' imaginations. I wanted to find books that would be good for their souls.


Where did I come across this concept? From two books by William Kilpatrick - WHY JONNY CAN'T TELL RIGHT FROM WRONG, and BOOKS THAT BUILD CHARACTER. In them, he says that the context in which behavior is portrayed in a story is what's important: "character building books are not simply books about good people doing good things...the question is not if unethical behavior is present, but how it is presented."

For example, my oldest son David was really drawn into the Goosebumps series for awhile. The books were admittedly suspenseful page-turners (teachers even said: "a great way to get kids reading") but, in my opinion, there was really no other redeeming quality to them. They were formula horror stories for kids. (Think Stephen King, written "Babysitters Club" style).

After a few, Goosebumps was all my son wanted to read! I coined them to be "junk food in book form". (Not a good daily regimen for a reading diet!) I had lots of other options for David to read, so I made the suggestion that if he sustained a "diet" of good literature from our book lists, I'd let him indulge in a Goosebumps book once in a while.

Luckily, I read BOOKS THAT BUILD CHARACTER later that year, and discovered a book series by John Bellairs that not only satisfied my son's interest in scary stories, but was described by Kilpatrick as "very well written and undergirded by a moral vision". (Remember: "capturing the imagination and cultivating the conscience" is the goal, not just finding a "good read"). Was I a happy mom? yes!

More tips from BOOKS THAT BUILD CHARACTER in my next post...