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Thanksgiving

 James Marshall, a gay man, might have had an unhealthy relationship with food.


We see George the hippo dumping soup in his loafers; we see George enjoying too many cookies. An actual series -- the "Yummers" books -- revolves around a pig who can't control her appetite.

The closest Marshall came to a depiction of a normal meal is in "The Stupids Step Out," I think. Here, the Stupids, tired from a full day, enjoy a feast at a diner. The main course is mashed potatoes drenched in butterscotch syrup.

After the meal, the Stupids walk home on their hands, don clown costumes, and climb into bed, with their feet resting on the pillows. (Their heads dangle from the other end of the mattress.)

And there is a brief moment of thanksgiving. Mrs. Stupid says, to her husband, "Thank you for the lovely day, dear. It certainly has been fun."

This is Harry Allard's writing, allegedly, but Marshall had a heavy hand in the editing process. (And Marshall invented the title "The Stupids Step Out." He seemed easily excited by alliteration. Witness also: "Miss Nelson Is Missing.")

Even if Marshall didn't draft the words, Thank you for the lovely day, dear, well, Marshall put his seal of approval on those words.

That last page is one of the sweetest and most direct moments in any work you'll find by James Marshall.

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