One of the weird things about doing that is reading those books from the perspective of an adult. Especially in books that were published more than fifty years ago.
In Henry Huggins, Beverly Cleary references (three times!) Henry going to the pet store to buy horse meat for his dog. This sparked a very special conversation with Katarina, who was not aware horses were ever used for dog food.
That was easier to explain than this little gem found on page 51 of The Borrowers:
"And what did they find there?" asked Pod unkindly, "A mountain of coke!"A mountain of coke!
Such a special moment in children's literature. Thanks for that Mary Norton.
I'm hoping that a mountain of coke was a different thing in 1950s England.
Have you been surprised to find a book you loved as a child wasn't exactly the way you remembered it when you re-read it as an adult?
Umm wow I have no clue but I cannot picture a mountain of the soft drink coke.. sooo umm yeah
ReplyDeleteRight? A mountain of soda does not make sense, so the only thing I can think of is the other kind of coke. Scary.
DeleteThat is crazy. I'm totally picturing Tony Montana and his "little friend". Not something you'd want in any way connected to your kid.
ReplyDeleteHa!! Yes. Tony Montana needs to stay far away!
DeleteI think you probably already knew this ... coke was a type of heating fuel that declined in the 1950s or so ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coke_%28fuel%29
ReplyDeleteAlso, for me it was the Bobbsey Twins and their servants. O! How I squirmed and haven't really suggested that they read them ... yet. But it is likely a piece of history we have to visit one of these days, slavery. Especially after I read Book of Negros. But ... when ...
I actually, seriously, honestly did not know that!
DeleteGuess that is what comes from growing up in Florida (with central heat) in the 80s.
...and oh, yes, the Bobbsey Twins. I had the same issue re-reading them as an adult.
DeleteI had already introduced them to Katarina (buying one of the books because of my fuzzy, happy memories of it), and she had started it when I realized. But Katarina and I had some good discussions, and used it as a learning moment.
Whoa, I love both those books. Now I really want to go back and re-read them!
ReplyDeleteyes, it was heating fuel...lol...funny how it means such a different thing today. A mountain of coke would have been like gold
ReplyDeleteI absolutely LOVED "The Borrowers" when I was little! Wonder what "coke" was back then?
ReplyDeleteI have read both and don't remember either -- haha! On the same note, there was a big controversy when Sesame Street released its original shows on DVDs. One episode had a little girl going home with a man she met on the street. He invited her to tea. There was also an episode with a group of boys playing at a real construction site -- complete with nails sticking out of boards!
ReplyDeleteIt's a different world!
:-)
Traci
Dear (young) Tracie ... coke is coal (for heating one's sod house or shanty! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm laughing by butt off over here. I appreciate Beth's comment for clarification.
ReplyDeletevery funny and extremely cute
ReplyDeleteROFL!!!! What always gets me is re-watching Disney movies...so much drinking in them--and Alladin is funny to watch now too, you can tell it was definitely made pre 9/11!!!
ReplyDeletecoke = coal
ReplyDelete