From: Ginny Kruse <gmkruse>
Date: Fri, 14 Jul 1995 13:00:00 -600

I wonder if Sharon Creech was thinking about the basic first line from the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas" when she chose Mrs. Partridge's name: "...and a partridge in a pear tree." I suggest this because there are multiple ways one might think about "tree" and and/or "pairs" in Walk Two Moons.

Is this too far?tched? My guess owes more to association than to deep understanding.

For example, Mavis Jukes developed one theme of her book Like Jake and Me (Knopf, 1984) through extensive uses of "pears" and "pairs." It's easy for me to associate "pear" with its homonym "pair" after using Like Jake and Me in many ways.
  In Ellen Raskin's manuscript materials for The Westing Game (Dutton, 1978) one page of her notes contains her working list of titles. A title she once considered was "Eight Pairs of Heirs." As I assist individuals and groups wanting to see these papers given by Raskin to the CCBC, I am continually reminded of her intricate development of
"pairs" in The Westing Game.

Does a consideration of the homonyms "pears" and "pairs" and/or of
"trees" contribute to increased understanding of Mrs. Partridge? of Walk Two Moons? What do you think?

Ginny
****************************************************************** Ginny Moore Kruse personal email: gmkruse at macc.wisc.edu Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) A Library of the School of Education University of Wisconsin - Madison 4290 H.C. White Hall, 600 N. Park St. Madison, WI 53706 USA
Received on Fri 14 Jul 1995 02:00:00 PM CDT