The Wisdom of Big Bird (and the Dark Genius of Oscar the Grouch): Lessons from a Life in Feathers
Those who grew up watching Big Bird probably never gave much thought to the person beneath the feathers. But Spinney's been inside Big Bird since Sesame Street's inception in 1969, and he takes enormous pride in this honor. "Big Bird has opened up new worlds to me," he writes, and he shares some of those worlds in this simple book. He tells how he got to Sesame Street (he was working on a television show, Bozo's Big Top, and met Jim Henson at a puppetry festival) and recounts his adventures as the bird, interspersing them with basic life lessons. Some work better than others: the chapter "Find Compassion" tells the pleasant tale of how, one winter night, Spinney helped an elderly man home; yet the chapter "Eat Your Veggies," concerning Spinney meeting various first ladies, is somewhat perplexing. Although the publisher files the book under "inspiration," it's just as much a book on the ins and outs of puppetry. Amid anecdotes on traveling to China as Big Bird and learning how to dance in costume, Spinney shares little-known facts about puppets in general and Big Bird in particular. (Most viewers probably don't know there are no eye holes in the Big Bird costume. The only way Spinney can see where he's going is by looking at a tiny television monitor inside the costume, which gives him a third-person view of his actions.) With original drawings of Big Bird and friends, this is a charming and uplifting book.Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.