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Ellen Tebbits
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From: Megan Schliesman <Schliesman>
Date: Tue, 08 Aug 2000 12:30:33 -0500
Like Nancy, I say hooray for Ellen Tebbits. From her woolen underwear in ballet class to the dress made by her mother with the lackluster bow and uneven seams to her resounding spluck in the mud when trying to pull up the beet root, I loved Ellen.
As the kid who never seems to quite get it right (or whose mother never seems to quite get it right--which is just as awful when you're 8 and 9 and 10) , I think Ellen reflects the feelings of inadequacy that all children experience to some extent--oh that agony of having the perfectly groomed, together best friend whose bow is perky and dress is perfectly sewn--it does indeed inspire both envy and anger when you are a child caught in the trap of agonizing self-consciousness!
That Cleary turns that self-consciousness to humor was and is wonderful--what a relief! Ellen Tebbits validated how huge each and every one of those kinds of incidences are to a kid, and Beverly Clearly revealed that each and every one can be survived and even-?n it be true?--not such a big deal after all with the passage of time.
As has already been stated about Ramona and Beezus and Henry, Ellen was so authentic to the feelings of childhood. I reread my paperback bookclub copy of Ellen over and over again.
Thanks to all who are sharing their memories of reading Beverly Cleary, and also their experiences of sharing them with children today! Please continue!
Megan
Megan Schliesman, Librarian Cooperative Children's Book Center School of Education UW-Madison 608&2?03 schliesman at education.wisc.edu
Okay, now that Walter and Ginee have spoken up in favor of Henry rather than Ramona, I'm going to be brave and declare myself a huge Ellen Tebbits fan. In fact, I can to this day perform the inaugural ballet class
"leap
-- clutch at long underwear! -- leap -- clutch at long underwear!" scene, and am happy to do so in person for any Beverly Cleary fan who asks.
-Nancy, ex-4th grade ballet student, leaping and clutching.
------Nancy Werlin E-mail: nwerlin at world.std.com Web site: www.world.std.com/~nwerlin
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Received on Tue 08 Aug 2000 12:30:33 PM CDT
Date: Tue, 08 Aug 2000 12:30:33 -0500
Like Nancy, I say hooray for Ellen Tebbits. From her woolen underwear in ballet class to the dress made by her mother with the lackluster bow and uneven seams to her resounding spluck in the mud when trying to pull up the beet root, I loved Ellen.
As the kid who never seems to quite get it right (or whose mother never seems to quite get it right--which is just as awful when you're 8 and 9 and 10) , I think Ellen reflects the feelings of inadequacy that all children experience to some extent--oh that agony of having the perfectly groomed, together best friend whose bow is perky and dress is perfectly sewn--it does indeed inspire both envy and anger when you are a child caught in the trap of agonizing self-consciousness!
That Cleary turns that self-consciousness to humor was and is wonderful--what a relief! Ellen Tebbits validated how huge each and every one of those kinds of incidences are to a kid, and Beverly Clearly revealed that each and every one can be survived and even-?n it be true?--not such a big deal after all with the passage of time.
As has already been stated about Ramona and Beezus and Henry, Ellen was so authentic to the feelings of childhood. I reread my paperback bookclub copy of Ellen over and over again.
Thanks to all who are sharing their memories of reading Beverly Cleary, and also their experiences of sharing them with children today! Please continue!
Megan
Megan Schliesman, Librarian Cooperative Children's Book Center School of Education UW-Madison 608&2?03 schliesman at education.wisc.edu
Okay, now that Walter and Ginee have spoken up in favor of Henry rather than Ramona, I'm going to be brave and declare myself a huge Ellen Tebbits fan. In fact, I can to this day perform the inaugural ballet class
"leap
-- clutch at long underwear! -- leap -- clutch at long underwear!" scene, and am happy to do so in person for any Beverly Cleary fan who asks.
-Nancy, ex-4th grade ballet student, leaping and clutching.
------Nancy Werlin E-mail: nwerlin at world.std.com Web site: www.world.std.com/~nwerlin
~~~~~~~~~~ To remove your address from the mailing list, send a message with the header...
To: listserv at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
Subject: signoff ccbc-net
Received on Tue 08 Aug 2000 12:30:33 PM CDT
