School, Peanuts Style
It’s been a while since our last round of obsession with the Snoopy soundtrack, but after last week’s little road trip, we are all Snoopy all the time. We belted out the snappy tunes from this little-known musical comedy (more famous is its counterpart, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown) all the way up the coast and back, except when the baby was sleeping. And sometimes WHEN the baby was sleeping and we just forgot to keep quiet. After Wonderboy, we sort of forget, sometimes, that Rilla can actually hear our every whisper, and things like shouting “I know now that you can’t bend a cracker, no matter how hard you tryyyyyyy!” at full voice tend to rouse her from slumber.
Conveniently, Alice’s girls are big Snoopy fans too (she says disingenuously, omitting to mention she deliberately cultivated their appreciation by giving them a CD as a Christmas present years ago, mwah ha ha). Many an hour of our vacation was spent in the beautiful cottage dividing up the parts and rehearsing numbers. The Clouds song I wrote about last year remains a favorite, but this year’s front-runner was the show-opener, “Edgar Allen Poe.” (Or, as Beanie says, “ENTER Allen Poe.”) This ditty happens to be my own personal favorite from the soundtrack. Hilarious. And a bonus: educational! Sort of!
The Peanuts gang is in school, and Peppermint Patty is all in a tizzy. She just knows the teacher is going to call on her, and she won’t know the answer. (“I’m scared! I’m really scared…I’m unprepared! You know I’m unprepared…”) Lucy and Sally know just how she feels.
“She’s going to ask me something
On Edgar Allen Poe…
I know it, I just know it!
Any moment now she’s going to call on me
And ask me something I don’t know
On Edgar
Allen
Poe.”
Never fear—Linus has the answers. All of them. Always. “Poe, Edgar Allen, American poet, born in eighteen hundred and nine…”
(Trivia interlude: What other person important to me was born in 1809? I’ll send an autographed Little House book to the first person to respond correctly!)
As for Charlie Brown, oh, poor dear Charlie Brown, he tried to prepare, he really did. Clearly he did some cramming the night before, but he seems to have read the wrong chapter. He presents an excellent case study for Why Cramming Is Not the Most Effective Educational Method. His recitation of Poe’s Complete Works has never, in twenty years, failed to make me laugh. Perhaps you were unaware that Edgar Allen Poe was the author of the following works of literature:
Cock Robin
My Darling Clementine
Hiawatha
The Road to Mandalay
Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean
and best of all—
Dickens’ Christmas Carol.
At least, that’s what Charlie Brown says. (Yes, he says Poe wrote “Dickens Christmas Carol.” Endquote.)
“Don’t let the world find out,” begs Patty, “what I don’t know about Edgar Allen Poe.”
I’m glad the world did find out.
Margaret in Minnesota says:
Was it Ralph Waldo Emerson?
On August 7, 2006 at 5:34 am
Margaret in Minnesota says:
Woops! Emerson was 1804.
Trivia entry #2: was it Oliver Wendell Holmes who is special to you?
Please oh please oh please…I’m ACHING for an autographed copy of one of your books!
On August 7, 2006 at 5:38 am
Jennifer says:
Have you heard about the recently released DVD “This is America, Charlie Brown?” It is eight American History episodes done Peanuts style and it’s only $15.00 on Amazon. My daughter LOVES it.
On August 7, 2006 at 6:55 am
Ryane M. says:
Hi Melissa~
I Love, Love, Love your blog!
I have a guess… (okay actually 2)
Could it be Tennyson or Abraham Lincoln?
On August 7, 2006 at 8:06 am
Diane says:
Charlotte Tucker Quiner?
Love this post. Love all of your posts. Now I’m off in search of a few Peanuts CDs….
On August 7, 2006 at 8:09 am
Stephanie says:
Oh I was hoping to be first! It might be Henry Quiner but the best guess in Charlotte Wallis Tucker– they were both born in 1809!
On August 7, 2006 at 1:04 pm
prov31wisemom says:
Alfred Tennyson? (also born 1809) Maybe a streatch, but I love him! Thanks for your always fun and creative blogs!=)
On August 7, 2006 at 4:38 pm
prov31wisemom says:
Okay…one more guess, just ’cause I want one of your books!=) Abraham Lincoln?
On August 7, 2006 at 4:41 pm
Cici says:
Ooh ooh…Is is Charlotte Tucker? Certainly, she’s important to you?
On August 7, 2006 at 4:47 pm
Becky says:
I was going to mention “This is America” too :). I stumbled across it on Amazon several months ago and bought it immediately, knowing how much the kids love and have learned from Schoolhouse Rock; not to mention the fact that, this being Canada, neither is available through the library system (sniff…).
My 5.5yo calls it “Snoopy School”, tee hee.
On August 8, 2006 at 9:27 am