World of James Marshall

A stand-out villain should be at least as lovable and interesting as a hero, and I'm including three of my favorite baddies here (in ranked order):

(3) The Crocodile, "Red Riding Hood." Hoping to eat our heroine, the crocodile removes his cap, a courtly gesture. Red Riding Hood is not impressed.

(2) The Wolf, "Red Riding Hood." (It's hard not to feel charmed by both villains in this tale. There is a lightness in "Riding Hood" that you miss in "Hansel and Gretel," which is why I'm not quite as captivated by Marshall's Witch.) The Wolf can't help himself; it's suggested, in this strange story, that the Wolf's greatest sin may be disrupting Granny during her reading hour.

(1) Viola Swamp, "Miss Nelson." Ms. Swamp looks a bit like a drag queen. However, we know she is villainous, because she arrives in front of the classroom and "cancels Silent Reading Time" (see "The Wolf," above). Ms. Swamp also sends her students off with a textbook simply entitled "Hard Words." Dastardly!

These are the three greatest in the Marshall playbook.

Marshall--a teacher of French, and a student of the viola--just began doodling in his spare time. And a career was hatched. I'm maybe fondest of his villains--above all else. I keep coming back, and back, and back to these books.

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