Tuesday Giveaway: Curious George

Back when Ben was a toddler, a playdate friend of mine told me she'd read her daughter some Curious George stories. She'd decided she didn't approve.

"George always gets in trouble, and it ends up working to his advantage," she argued. "What kind of message is that?"

At the time, I agreed and jumped in with my own literary whipping post: The Ugly Duckling. What a sick, twisted story that is. I'd seen it at Barnes and Noble just a week before. Standing at the clearance table on a bright, freezing Saturday morning, I contemplated the brown, matted ducking and the swan with her Sophia Loren eyes. And I got pissed.

Why would I teach my toddler that when you look ugly, people are indifferent and life sucks, but when you look beautiful, people love you and life is good? Does the story not say that ugly equals worthless, and beautiful equals valuable and lovable? Talk about lost innocence.

Sorry for the tangent. The Ugly Duckling haunts me because an astrology charactarization I read at age 15 described me as the Ugling Duckling. The gist was, I had been "ugly" (I sure felt that way), however, now, I was becoming "beautiful" (One could hope!). I held on to that for a few years, until I stopped getting more "beautiful" and began getting more "old." Now what? Where's the classic children's story for that?

Today, if asked my opinion of the Curious George formula, I'd defend it. I'd say, "Embrace Your Inner Dumb-Ass!" The one in you, in me, in children, in one-dimensional cartoon monkeys. Not the ones in murderers or child molesters. But we don't need to talk about that! Just for now, let the kids believe that, no matter what unpredictable, uncontrollable thing they might do, everything will work out OK. In fact, they'll be heroes!

I didn't watch this movie. However, I did adminster an important litmus-test. In early October, my niece got married, and I hosted her brother and his family for a weekend. The new Curious George movie figured prominently in my plans. It would be The Movie to occupy seven kids, ages 3 to 10, after dinner.

As movie time got close, and the adults' desperation for the kids to be occupied increased, it occurred to me that the 8 and 10 year old brothers might not be thrilled with a G movie, no matter the hefty marketing budget. Then, I announced the main feature, and the 10 year old said, "Oh, we saw that in the movie theater."

Something I hadn't even contemplated. At this point I wondered, Can I ever entertain without a crisis? Just once?

Then, the two boys said how much they enjoyed it, and were enthused to watch it a second time. In the end, the movie held the kids' attention for a good 50 minutes. I'd say that's a thumbs up for age range and occupy-kids-while-parents-party mileage.

Want to win a new, widescreen edition DVD of Curious George? Bonus features include interactive games, a music video, and some footage of the cartoonist at work.

Leave a comment between now and Thurstday at midnight, EST. You must include one thing you are grateful for. Please, tell me something besides your family or your health. I am grateful for fresh-brewed Maxwell House Lite coffee, with two sugars and a little cream.