Somehow I had no idea that Robert McCloskey was still alive until I heard he’d passed away yesterday. People are going to be going on and on about how Make Way For Ducklings is such a classic. Whatever. The book that really rules is Homer Price.
I never could get over the doughnut machine. Whenever I picked up the book I couldn’t help it: I’d pick it up, and even though I’d read it God knows how many times before, I’d stare at the cover and my mind would get caught in the cogs of the doughnut machine–you know, just accidentally, like a shirt sleeve–and before I knew it I’d be sucked back in to reading fucking Homer Price. But I loved that book. I appreciated seeing the word “doughnuts” in print, because of course the best doughnuts were the ones that had the dough in them. Also, I didn’t know doughnuts were fried in oil until I read Homer Price, and I didn’t know what crew cuts were until I saw one on Homer. I learned a lot from Homer Price. But mostly I read for the doughnuts.
And just try and tell me this isn’t the best jacket copy ever.
