Fran Fischer's "Fishducky's Fables"

Hello all, on this, the first day of May 2013. Thank you for all your comments and e-mails encouraging me to take time off and “go with the flow” of the barometer. The temperature was 84° F here yesterday. Today’s prediction is for 74° with rain showers and thunderstorms. Then the temperature dramatically drops to 49° with rain forecast for the next five days. Of course, an erratic barometer will accompany all these temperature changes.

         But enough of this shilly-shallying over barometric changes. I’ve sat on the sidelines, nursing an aching brain, for three weeks now and its time to stand up, do my world-famous shimmy, and shout, “Enough already! I’m reentering the fray!”

         In truth, I really began this reentry on Monday when I visited several of you on your blogs and left comments. For me that was the day I yawned, stretched widely, and decided to say “Phooey!” to headaches and "Yes!" to posting again.

         So, to begin my blog anew, I’m reviewing today a delightful book of humor for all of us who still remember the wonder of our childhood reading of fairy tales and fables.
          The cover of Fishducky’s Fables by Fran Fischer hints at the merriment within. Be warned that if you read this entertaining entry into the humor genre, you may have to relinquish some cherished beliefs about fairy tales. What you learned as a child simply wasn’t true!

         In Fischer’s book, we chuckle over fractured fairy tales like Rapunzel. We guffaw as the author shares with us the reasons for why zebras zig, leopards spot, and kangaroos accessorize with a pouch. These how-did stories are amazingly original. In addition, Fischer weaves tongue-in-cheek magic as she spinningly retells myths about Greek gods, goddesses, and other important people.

         The book closes with two amusingly outlandish stories about Dorian Gray and Frankenstein and a number of nursery rhymes, each ending with a twist that left me grinning at Fischer’s humorous take on all of life.         

         I was drawn to this book because of all the enjoyment I’ve had in reading Fischer’s blog: Fishducky, finally. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for months I’ve depended on her postings to lighten my day with laughter.

         And yet, I seldom read humorous books or books on humor. Several years ago, I did read—and truly enjoyed—the P. G. Wodehouse series featuring Bertie Wooster and his long-suffering manservant, Jeeves.

         And I’ve been a fan of many comedians from radio, television, and Saturday Night Live, among them, Jack Benny, Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, Flip Wilson, Carol Burnett, Dana Carvey, Lily Tomlin, Jackie Gleason, Billy Crystal, Bob Newhart, Bill Cosby, Tim Conway, Jonathan Winters, Red Skelton, Ernie Kovacs, Dick Gregory, Gilda Radner, Victor Borge, Ellen DeGeneres, Louie Armstrong, and Robin Williams.

         So while I’ve never really read humorous books, I’ve enjoyed many comedians. And now I count Fischer among them. She has a true sense of the ridiculous. She's the bloggers' standup comic. And in Fishducky’s Fables she'll give you the lowdown on how Jimmy Choo’s shoe company got started and on which princess had a happy marriage because of Breath Right Nasal.

         Fischer had me chuckling when I encountered the last line of the King Midas story. She amazed me with her inventiveness in the Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale. And she surprised me with the name of the television show on which Thumbelina appeared.

         And speaking of that little girl, according to Fischer when writing about Thumb and her husband, the “word on the street is that they lived reasonably happy ever after.” I’m relieved to know that!

         As well, it’s educational to learn why hares hop instead of run and why elephants have trunks. Not only humorous, but the word charming applies to many of these stories.

         Two of my most treasured childhood books—which sit in pride of place on one of my bookshelves—are Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know, a 1944 gift from my cousin Tommy and Fairy Tales and Stories by Hans Christian Andersen, a Christmas gift from my parents in 1945. Now I have shelved securely on my iPad a third fairy tale book—Fran Fischer’s Fishducky’s Fables. I’m going to post this review and then go to Amazon and Goodreads and give it a five-star review.

         If you delight in originality and seek laughter in your life, you’ll also want to read this book. Enjoy!