This triggered fond memories of the school book fair. In third grade I picked out Never Eat Anything Bigger Than Your Head by B. Kliban. Kliban was enjoying a moment of great commercial success thanks to his more mainstream Cat cartoons, so whoever was selecting the books must have just grabbed a stack of his work without putting any thought into it. Later that day one of my teachers caught me having a giggle with my pals over the "Man Wearing Ear Muffs" cartoon (you'll have to look it up), and suggested gently, but persuasively, that I might want to exchange it for a different title. I agreed, but repurchased the book later on my own time with my own dime. I learned two important lessons from this episode at a very early age; 1.) The power of absurdist humor and 2.) The distrust of authority figures.
BTW, no earmuff cartoon available online. Might have to pick up the book for old time's sake. But lookit this very spartan, v 90s tribute website. Whew! http://www.coldbacon.com/kliban2.html
Oh man! The speed of light one caught me under the chin before I knew what was coming. I love that they are sorted "In order of increasing difficulty." Earmuffs seems to have gone down the memory hole, as has my copy of the book. I'm sure I'll come across another one, sooner or later.
Right? Like they are trigonmetry problems or something. I may have to try to find an old dog-eared copy somewhere When I looked it up and saw the cover I was flooded with weird memories. And I'm super curious about that ear muffs panel!
Wow! Someone definitely wasn't paying attention, but lucky for you, getting your hands on that goofy-ass book. My parents had all those B. Kliban books, including Never Eat Anything Bigger Than Your Head, though I think a lot of the more sophisticated jokes were lost on me as a kid. His cat cartoons, and his oddball sensibilities, were very much in line with the reality of life in my family of origin (including multiple fat tabby cats running around the house). Your mention of him makes me super nostalgic. I gotta go look up the earmuff cartoon - I don't remember that one, but knowing his stuff, I have a sense of what's in store, lol.
Ah, the Bookmobile. I remember checking out Oeanuts “Happiness is a Warm Puppy” and “Where the Wild Things Are” as a kid and all of the Alfred Hitchcock mystery series a bit after that. I ensured I’d return them in good condition with a stamp of my library card. A small piece of Manila card stock with a metal dog tag embedded into it. That card was my prize possession. Thanks always for these trips down memory lane. ❤️
I remember both of those books, but I never remember a SLC Public LIbrary Bookmobile!? Somehow I have never set food in one. I got both of those titles, along with oodles of Nancy Drew books, from the Downtown Library. Do you remember that weird Expressionist painting in that branch? It took up two floors and I think was supposed to be a bunch of seagulls. That painting gave me nightmares as a kid. So did the Brutalist architecture. I'm glad it's still there, though, and that Ken Sanders is taking over. Have you been to his joint in the Leonardo yet?
I spent my childhood desperately hoping that a bookmobile would come to our isolated reservation town. It never did but the tribe built a new little library in the community center. I spent long hours there.
They just seem so cool when you're a kid, right? And you don't think about how even small libraries have more books than a bus does. Kids who spend long hours at the library kind of memorize the stacks, though, and always know when something new pops up on the endcap. : )
I'm so sorry for not having commented more recently, it's been a rough few weeks. Regardless, I finally caught up on everything and, after reading this piece in particular, wanted to throw in a little story! When I was a little girl - like, 5 or so maybe - I lived in New York (upstate, specifically, in Dobbs Ferry) and I can recall with such clarity my mother taking me to the bookmobile regularly.
It always felt so safe, and it really helped drive my interest in books, even if I couldn't read properly until 2nd grade when I got a tutor. I think it's safe to say that its thanks to things like the bookmobile and the odd cozy space they created that I'm driven to write professionally today, and it really makes me so happy to hear they're still around, albeit in a somewhat guerilla fashion, which is honestly all the cooler.
For a while, I even wondered if they still operated at all, as I hadn't seen one in years, but to know that they're out there, bringing the written word to people, that gives me a little more faith in the world. This was a fantastic little bit of history, thanks so much for covering it! Again, I apologize for not being around more recently, but I assure you, even if I haven't had the chance to comment, I have been reading it all :)
Hey, Maggie! No apologies needed, not at all. It's just lovely to hear from you — I'm sorry it's been a rough few weeks. I hope everything's getting better? Hang in there. I love this microessay on your bookmobile memories. For some reason, I never managed to set foot on one so I have to live vicariously through other people's Bookmobile stories, including yours. : ) And yes, for some reason I thought maybe because so many people access library materials online that maybe Bookmobiles had become extinct. I was kind of surprised there are so many out there now, too, but I guess in this current weird moment they have their work cut out for them.
I love seeing old pictures of my beloved former place of employment, Central! Unfortunately I can all but guarantee you that under the current SLPL administration (who increasingly seem to be aiming towards operating more as a business than a vital public service) there will definitely be no bookmobiles in the near future.
I forgot you used to work at Central! I love those old library pics, too. That's a bummer to hear about SLPL. It seems like Bookmobiles should be a pretty basic service, if only to do some school outreach. And SLPS really could use some outreach. : (
That Painting is by Doug Snow and one my favorite paints ever. I remember my mom taking us to the library where we could check out as many books as we could cay. I thing the bookmobile may have been before your time. It was between about ‘70 -‘75
Ah! I'm so glad to know who the artist is. I know I would love that painting now, but as a wee kid it was so visually overwhelming. I had dreams about it where I was falling through space, and it scared me. But that's a powerful piece of art, no?
Wow, this was so cool to learn about! I don't think I've ever seen a bookmobile, at least that I can remember. But I immediately started thinking that they should bring them back to fight against the book bans and was so happy to read that they're doing exactly that! Such a fun and cool read. Thanks for sharing!
This triggered fond memories of the school book fair. In third grade I picked out Never Eat Anything Bigger Than Your Head by B. Kliban. Kliban was enjoying a moment of great commercial success thanks to his more mainstream Cat cartoons, so whoever was selecting the books must have just grabbed a stack of his work without putting any thought into it. Later that day one of my teachers caught me having a giggle with my pals over the "Man Wearing Ear Muffs" cartoon (you'll have to look it up), and suggested gently, but persuasively, that I might want to exchange it for a different title. I agreed, but repurchased the book later on my own time with my own dime. I learned two important lessons from this episode at a very early age; 1.) The power of absurdist humor and 2.) The distrust of authority figures.
BTW, no earmuff cartoon available online. Might have to pick up the book for old time's sake. But lookit this very spartan, v 90s tribute website. Whew! http://www.coldbacon.com/kliban2.html
Oh man! The speed of light one caught me under the chin before I knew what was coming. I love that they are sorted "In order of increasing difficulty." Earmuffs seems to have gone down the memory hole, as has my copy of the book. I'm sure I'll come across another one, sooner or later.
Right? Like they are trigonmetry problems or something. I may have to try to find an old dog-eared copy somewhere When I looked it up and saw the cover I was flooded with weird memories. And I'm super curious about that ear muffs panel!
Wow! Someone definitely wasn't paying attention, but lucky for you, getting your hands on that goofy-ass book. My parents had all those B. Kliban books, including Never Eat Anything Bigger Than Your Head, though I think a lot of the more sophisticated jokes were lost on me as a kid. His cat cartoons, and his oddball sensibilities, were very much in line with the reality of life in my family of origin (including multiple fat tabby cats running around the house). Your mention of him makes me super nostalgic. I gotta go look up the earmuff cartoon - I don't remember that one, but knowing his stuff, I have a sense of what's in store, lol.
Ah, the Bookmobile. I remember checking out Oeanuts “Happiness is a Warm Puppy” and “Where the Wild Things Are” as a kid and all of the Alfred Hitchcock mystery series a bit after that. I ensured I’d return them in good condition with a stamp of my library card. A small piece of Manila card stock with a metal dog tag embedded into it. That card was my prize possession. Thanks always for these trips down memory lane. ❤️
I remember both of those books, but I never remember a SLC Public LIbrary Bookmobile!? Somehow I have never set food in one. I got both of those titles, along with oodles of Nancy Drew books, from the Downtown Library. Do you remember that weird Expressionist painting in that branch? It took up two floors and I think was supposed to be a bunch of seagulls. That painting gave me nightmares as a kid. So did the Brutalist architecture. I'm glad it's still there, though, and that Ken Sanders is taking over. Have you been to his joint in the Leonardo yet?
I spent my childhood desperately hoping that a bookmobile would come to our isolated reservation town. It never did but the tribe built a new little library in the community center. I spent long hours there.
They just seem so cool when you're a kid, right? And you don't think about how even small libraries have more books than a bus does. Kids who spend long hours at the library kind of memorize the stacks, though, and always know when something new pops up on the endcap. : )
I'm so sorry for not having commented more recently, it's been a rough few weeks. Regardless, I finally caught up on everything and, after reading this piece in particular, wanted to throw in a little story! When I was a little girl - like, 5 or so maybe - I lived in New York (upstate, specifically, in Dobbs Ferry) and I can recall with such clarity my mother taking me to the bookmobile regularly.
It always felt so safe, and it really helped drive my interest in books, even if I couldn't read properly until 2nd grade when I got a tutor. I think it's safe to say that its thanks to things like the bookmobile and the odd cozy space they created that I'm driven to write professionally today, and it really makes me so happy to hear they're still around, albeit in a somewhat guerilla fashion, which is honestly all the cooler.
For a while, I even wondered if they still operated at all, as I hadn't seen one in years, but to know that they're out there, bringing the written word to people, that gives me a little more faith in the world. This was a fantastic little bit of history, thanks so much for covering it! Again, I apologize for not being around more recently, but I assure you, even if I haven't had the chance to comment, I have been reading it all :)
Hey, Maggie! No apologies needed, not at all. It's just lovely to hear from you — I'm sorry it's been a rough few weeks. I hope everything's getting better? Hang in there. I love this microessay on your bookmobile memories. For some reason, I never managed to set foot on one so I have to live vicariously through other people's Bookmobile stories, including yours. : ) And yes, for some reason I thought maybe because so many people access library materials online that maybe Bookmobiles had become extinct. I was kind of surprised there are so many out there now, too, but I guess in this current weird moment they have their work cut out for them.
I love seeing old pictures of my beloved former place of employment, Central! Unfortunately I can all but guarantee you that under the current SLPL administration (who increasingly seem to be aiming towards operating more as a business than a vital public service) there will definitely be no bookmobiles in the near future.
I forgot you used to work at Central! I love those old library pics, too. That's a bummer to hear about SLPL. It seems like Bookmobiles should be a pretty basic service, if only to do some school outreach. And SLPS really could use some outreach. : (
That Painting is by Doug Snow and one my favorite paints ever. I remember my mom taking us to the library where we could check out as many books as we could cay. I thing the bookmobile may have been before your time. It was between about ‘70 -‘75
Ah! I'm so glad to know who the artist is. I know I would love that painting now, but as a wee kid it was so visually overwhelming. I had dreams about it where I was falling through space, and it scared me. But that's a powerful piece of art, no?
Wow, this was so cool to learn about! I don't think I've ever seen a bookmobile, at least that I can remember. But I immediately started thinking that they should bring them back to fight against the book bans and was so happy to read that they're doing exactly that! Such a fun and cool read. Thanks for sharing!