From: Kathleen Horning <khorning>
Date: Wed, 04 Sep 1996 11:28:56 -0500

I've enjoyed reading the comments about Mia's ritualistic behavior in "The Cuckoo's Child." I hadn't really given it much thought previously because I had just assumed it was the typical "bargaining" part of the grieving process. But both Katie O'Dell Madison and Judy O'Malley have caused me to think more about it and suspect that there's more to it than that. Perhaps it has something to do with Mia's characterization as a maddeningly compulsive child. Does anyone else have any thoughts about the use of ritualistic behavior in "The Cuckoo's Child" or in contemporary children's literature in general?
Received on Wed 04 Sep 1996 11:28:56 AM CDT