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Revisiting Onion John
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From: Ginny Moore Kruse <gmkruse>
Date: Thu, 17 Jul 1997 16:05:30 -0500
On July 14, Kathy Prestidge wrote about the book Onion John written by Joseph Krumgold by Joseph Krumgold and illustrated by Symeon Shimin
(Thomas Y. Crowell, 1959). Kathy said, in part: "I recently read that for the first time and found it very intriguing with multiple layers of meaning. I thought of parallels and contrasts with modern stories of homelessness and social problems. Of course Onion John was not homeless, but [that] the townsfolk attempt to "solve" his housing problem without regard to his desires should give the reader pause to reexamine the motives behind our good deeds. The development of the father-son relationship rings true to me also. Maybe others feel that this story is dated, but I think it deserves another look." (Kathy Prestidge, Children's Librarian, New London WI kprestid at owlsnet.owls.lib.wi.us)
Onion John was one of the Newbery Medal winning books discussed by the small group I facilitated during the June ALA/ALSC Newbery Award preconference. We were struck by Krumgold's marvelous writing. We noticed much of what Kathy Prestidge observed: the complex son/father relationship, deft handling of multiple layers of meaning, and the social dimensions. Kathy mentioned that deciding for others "less fortunate" without involving them directly in the decision-making process is - alas - still timely.
We appreciated the narrator's first person voice. We remarked at how Krumgold consistently showed us what Andy was thinking and feeling rather than telling us. We realized that examining either the title character or the book itself is like peeling an onion. As soon as one idea emerges, another layer of meaning presents itself.
The 1960 Newbery?ldecott Committee members no doubt had terrific discussions, given the provocative reading Onion John offered these adults 38 years after it was published! We could only begin to imagine what it was like to read Onion John before Neil Armstrong stepped on the Moon. How did it feel to read Onion John during the era when terms such as "man in the grey flannel suit" and "organization man" named conformity issues in the U.S.A.?
We concluded that most, if not all, young readers today will be sceptical about the boys' continued relationship with Onion John, a man who is "always around" - someone the adult community has tacitly accepted as a permanent resident in the Serenity town dump, someone with whom their children would have an on-going relationship. It just would not happen. Depending on where today's young readers live, many will find the the circumstances of the Little League game and the hardware store difficult to believe. Quite a few other things, too, actually. Too bad, because Krumgold's writing in Onion John is exceptional, and the parent/child theme he explored is probably timeless.
Our group was not quite ready to say Onion John will be of interest only to someone involved with historical children's literature. Yet, after our discussion, we weren't eager to recommend it to every able young reader we know, either.
I would not include Onion John on a select list of required or recommended reading in a Children's Literature course. Re-reading Onion John, Hitty, Daniel Boone, Sounder, and the other books awarded medals during the "zero" years through 1970 makes me extremely cautious of recommending any of the Newbery Award or Honor Books published before 1970 *to any children* without first re-reading them. Let me make myself perfectly clear: I am a champion of the Newbery Award and - in general - of the annual process by which the winner is selected. It's essential to honor distinguished writing every single year. The CCBC hosts an annual Newbery Award discussion to teach the process and acquaint participants with some of the outstanding writing of the year. However, I absolutely do not expect a book named by any jury as distinguished writing in a given year to stand the test of time.
Is Onion John a classic? Yes, definitely, if literary quality is the only measure. No, absolutely not, if a classic must be a book widely read by more than one generation of young readers, and in my experience, this book has not been widely read. I'm so glad I had a reason
(substitute here: deadline!) to re-read it. I've thought a lot about Onion John during the past month, and I'm delighted to know you also enjoyed it, Kathy. I encourage others to read or re-read Onion John and then make up your own minds. Meanwhile, it's just great that so many of you are stepping forward in the CCBC-NET community to name your personal classics, while others are accepting the challenge to define what makes a book a classic. It's wonderful to hear from you.
****************************************** Ginny Moore Kruse (gmkruse at ccbc.soemadison.wisc.edu) Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) A Library of the School of Education University of Wisconsin - Madison (www.soemadison.wisc.edu/ccbc/)
Received on Thu 17 Jul 1997 04:05:30 PM CDT
Date: Thu, 17 Jul 1997 16:05:30 -0500
On July 14, Kathy Prestidge wrote about the book Onion John written by Joseph Krumgold by Joseph Krumgold and illustrated by Symeon Shimin
(Thomas Y. Crowell, 1959). Kathy said, in part: "I recently read that for the first time and found it very intriguing with multiple layers of meaning. I thought of parallels and contrasts with modern stories of homelessness and social problems. Of course Onion John was not homeless, but [that] the townsfolk attempt to "solve" his housing problem without regard to his desires should give the reader pause to reexamine the motives behind our good deeds. The development of the father-son relationship rings true to me also. Maybe others feel that this story is dated, but I think it deserves another look." (Kathy Prestidge, Children's Librarian, New London WI kprestid at owlsnet.owls.lib.wi.us)
Onion John was one of the Newbery Medal winning books discussed by the small group I facilitated during the June ALA/ALSC Newbery Award preconference. We were struck by Krumgold's marvelous writing. We noticed much of what Kathy Prestidge observed: the complex son/father relationship, deft handling of multiple layers of meaning, and the social dimensions. Kathy mentioned that deciding for others "less fortunate" without involving them directly in the decision-making process is - alas - still timely.
We appreciated the narrator's first person voice. We remarked at how Krumgold consistently showed us what Andy was thinking and feeling rather than telling us. We realized that examining either the title character or the book itself is like peeling an onion. As soon as one idea emerges, another layer of meaning presents itself.
The 1960 Newbery?ldecott Committee members no doubt had terrific discussions, given the provocative reading Onion John offered these adults 38 years after it was published! We could only begin to imagine what it was like to read Onion John before Neil Armstrong stepped on the Moon. How did it feel to read Onion John during the era when terms such as "man in the grey flannel suit" and "organization man" named conformity issues in the U.S.A.?
We concluded that most, if not all, young readers today will be sceptical about the boys' continued relationship with Onion John, a man who is "always around" - someone the adult community has tacitly accepted as a permanent resident in the Serenity town dump, someone with whom their children would have an on-going relationship. It just would not happen. Depending on where today's young readers live, many will find the the circumstances of the Little League game and the hardware store difficult to believe. Quite a few other things, too, actually. Too bad, because Krumgold's writing in Onion John is exceptional, and the parent/child theme he explored is probably timeless.
Our group was not quite ready to say Onion John will be of interest only to someone involved with historical children's literature. Yet, after our discussion, we weren't eager to recommend it to every able young reader we know, either.
I would not include Onion John on a select list of required or recommended reading in a Children's Literature course. Re-reading Onion John, Hitty, Daniel Boone, Sounder, and the other books awarded medals during the "zero" years through 1970 makes me extremely cautious of recommending any of the Newbery Award or Honor Books published before 1970 *to any children* without first re-reading them. Let me make myself perfectly clear: I am a champion of the Newbery Award and - in general - of the annual process by which the winner is selected. It's essential to honor distinguished writing every single year. The CCBC hosts an annual Newbery Award discussion to teach the process and acquaint participants with some of the outstanding writing of the year. However, I absolutely do not expect a book named by any jury as distinguished writing in a given year to stand the test of time.
Is Onion John a classic? Yes, definitely, if literary quality is the only measure. No, absolutely not, if a classic must be a book widely read by more than one generation of young readers, and in my experience, this book has not been widely read. I'm so glad I had a reason
(substitute here: deadline!) to re-read it. I've thought a lot about Onion John during the past month, and I'm delighted to know you also enjoyed it, Kathy. I encourage others to read or re-read Onion John and then make up your own minds. Meanwhile, it's just great that so many of you are stepping forward in the CCBC-NET community to name your personal classics, while others are accepting the challenge to define what makes a book a classic. It's wonderful to hear from you.
****************************************** Ginny Moore Kruse (gmkruse at ccbc.soemadison.wisc.edu) Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) A Library of the School of Education University of Wisconsin - Madison (www.soemadison.wisc.edu/ccbc/)
Received on Thu 17 Jul 1997 04:05:30 PM CDT
