Saying goodbye to Russell Hoban
For many of us, the Frances books written by Russell Hoban were a welcome part of our reading experience as children. You may have gone on to read his books for older children (The Mouse and his Child, The Sorely Trying Day or Trouble on Thunder Mountain), or even his adult novels (Riddley Walker, Turtle Diary or Pilgermann).
I know I shared my love of Frances, the young badger who had many lessons to learn about sharing and friendship and did so with verve, spirit and humour with my own children and those I taught over the years. The Frances books, of which there are seven, are now considered modern classics. And the fact that they are still in print nearly 50 years after they first appeared are a testament to the lasting impression and continuing appeal of the characters, story line and writing style.
By far, though, the most endearing aspect of the Frances books (in my opinion) 
are the songs that were interspersed in the text. My children and I all sang along when we read them, and we especially enjoyed the audio books where the songs truly came to life. My favourites are the songs in Bread and Jam for Frances. An excerpt from this title with the first of the songs follows:
Frances did not eat her egg.
She sang a little song to it.
She sang the song very softly:
I do not like the way you slide,
I do not like your soft inside,
I do not like you lots of ways,
And I could do for many days
Without eggs.
Russell Hoban died this week at the age of 86. He leaves behind his second wife, seven children, thirteen grandchildren and a wealth of stories for future generations to discover, embrace and enjoy.
Comments