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For Parents

James Marshall has a "spoonful of sugar" approach.

His George and Martha stories often have morals--"don't snoop and don't be selfish" (noted by critic Amy Bloom), "don't be nasty and punitive," "don't rub salt in a wound"--but, despite the morals, there is a lunacy, there is a sense of absurdity, that keeps things light.

Even when you're taking your medicine, you're also seeing images of hippos in bathing suits, images of hippos in berets, hippos on roller skates. (My favorite drawing has Martha the scientist inspecting a flea, beneath a framed photo of a black dot, labeled, "FLEA.") The lunacy is the spoonful of sugar.

So many fairy tales present the prince as the grand prize, the climax, so we don't actually get to see an ongoing relationship. But, BEFORE Marshall's stories start, Martha has already met her prince. The George and Martha stories are what happens "after the knot is tied."

Story after story will detail the tiny challenging aspects of a long-term relationship: one friend's mild narcissism, one friend's shortsightedness, the sense that two friends are occasionally on two separate timelines ("The Picnic"), the problems of sloppy communication. The problems of fibbing. The problems of practical jokes. In story after story, one hippo can overlook the other hippo's silliness, because there's so much that is appealing. (As Woody Allen observes, "Life is just a little bit unsatisfactory." But life still offers many pleasures.)

I like to think, as my son listens to the tales of George and Martha, he is absorbing a portrait of his own parents' marriage. The marriage--on its best days. Thinking about "The Garden" recently, I wrote to Marc, "You are my Martha." And he replied: "You are MY Martha." (And that's the right response. Martha--for all her craziness--is also somewhat sharp. I think anyone, in any relationship, would want to be "the Martha." Correct me if I'm wrong.)

Reading to Joshua, I look forward to discussions about story structure, subtlety, subtext, wit, and character development--but, really, I just like presenting an accurate depiction of life. Martha, c'est moi. George, c'est moi.

I wonder if you feel the same. And, also, I can pass on a recommendation for "The Stupids," one of Marshall's other masterworks, praised extravagantly in the NY Times. So much to look forward to....

P.S. It seems important to point out that also--frequently--the two friends *learn* from each other.
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