One of the first books my dad read to me was ‘Pussy Willow’, a Little Golden Book by Margaret Wise Brown. This is a story of a kitten who is full of wonder as Spring appears and named himself Pussy Willow because he looked like them. He meets many creatures of the marsh, including bug, frog, mouse, wild strawberries, and green grasshoppers. While on the journey, he lost pussy willows as Spring passed. He searched high and low, night and day to find pussy willows. He asked butterfly, nesting birds, bee, cabbage, mole, rabbit, skunk, and woodpecker if they knew where pussy willows were. And each told Pussy Willow that pussy willows were to be found where they found their favorite things. He further asked hermit crab and red squirrel. He saw purple asters, golden rod, pearly everlasting, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries. But he still could not find pussy willows. Summer passed, then Fall, followed by Winter. Soon Groundhog woke him up and Spring came. Redwing blackbird, meadowlark, and bobolink began to sing and spring peepers in the marsh began to peep. He looked up and saw that he had fallen asleep under a willow that had burst into pussy willow bloom. Pussy Willow purred ‘everything that anyone would ever look for is usually where they find it’.
Pussy Willow © 1951, 1979, Margaret Wise Brown
This story and its illustrations leave an indelible impression in my mind and remind me of the mystery of the marsh when I see pussy willows in bloom.
Posted by michael
1 comment:
How could you not become a Buddhist with this start?
Great post.
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