Little did I know when I wrote “The Third Bird Carnival” that John had never read any Thurber. Â I promised him this morning that I would attempt to rectify that, since Thurber makes perfect reading-aloud material. Â We used to read aloud during dinner preparation when I was growing up. Â Humorists like James Thurber and Patrick McManus are both perfect and hazardous for such endeavors. Â Perfect in that they are short, dramatic, and engaging. Â Hazardous in that they are funny enough to render the reader mute with laughter, leaving the listener stranded waiting for whatever made the reader paralyzed.
Having read “The Night the Bed Fell” and “More Alarms at Night” to John as he wrestled with a chicken, we may now have a new or recycled household habit. Â Not to mention, a new catchphrase: “Name some towns in New Jersey quick!”