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New Article: Book Reports. Plus Turtle Comms!

If you can believe the rumors, there might be a new, normal, regular X-E article up. Book Reports is its name, and its game is reviewing five different children's books that for one reason or another manage to make me turn glee into a verb and glee my way to Happyland. Everything from the Berenstain Bears to the Jolly Green Giant to God and dinosaurs, all in one space, with yummy parchment background. Enjoy.

In other news, I received a package the other day from my editor at Box Office Magazine, and assumed it was just another in a long line of "generic" gifts companies send to their clients and cohorts. This would've been fine by me: A gift is a gift. But something tells me that vintage TMNT Turtle Comms aren't something companies send in mass to their contacts...

As it turns out, my editor had this baby and figured I might like it, and I figure she's right, because I somehow never landed myself a Turtle Comm toy in all my years of Turtleing. It's neat. Comes with all of these character cards with specific Morse codes that let you contact them, or at least, let you pretend you're in contact with 'em. I can't believe I now have the means to play Walkie Talkie with Usagi Yojimbo, and this is definitely the kind of gift that'll get me to lower my rate on articles written at 3 AM the night before a 9 AM deadline. Thanks, C!

She even included a note saying that she liked the 2005 Advent Calendar, which is my perfect segue into answering the question of a few who asked: Yes, it's been archived, and it can be found here. Will put the archive on the headlines list on the main page as soon as I write up the descriptions.

3 Stupid Things I'm Currently Into:
1) King Kong lore. Bit by the bug after seeing the remake (which was excellent), I've been immersing myself in All Things Kong. I'm really fascinated with the many interpretations of what goes on on Skull Island, and that's reason enough to see virtually all Kong-related films ever made. Next on my list is Son of Kong, and from what I've read, I think this will be one to review on the site.

2) Metroid Prime Pinball, for the Nintendo DS. Bought this baby with a Christmas gift certificate, because the holidays are the only time my video game library ever grows. This is one addictive little bitch. I'm a sucker for virtually every pinball game I've ever played, and this one doesn't disappoint. The Metroid theme is in more than just music and graphics, too. Heck, you don't shoot a ball, you shoot a rolled-up Samus who occassionally spreads out ot shoot demon bats with high energy beams. Between this and Mario Kart, I have found my offerings to the gods of procrastination.

3) The Secret Life of Lobsters. I'm really not sure where this book is going yet. It's obstensibly about the lobsters of Maine, but I may have been tricked into reading a novel about fisherman and scientists trying to find common ground. Not really sure yet, but they dangle the big claws often enough to keep me interested.

Posted by Matt on 01/04/2006. E-mail me!



Discussion Thread: 194 comments
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I had a Turtle Comm. I remember that it cost six bucks, and that my idiot cousins stole it.

Chestnuts roasted by Alex @ 01/14/2006 12:43 PM

I’m taking a Children’s Literature course this comming semester and I really hope we talk about the books that we grew up on. Some of those books were priceless.

Chestnuts roasted by Kristina @ 01/16/2006 10:05 PM

Hi Matt,

This is the first time I have ever commented here, but I have been enjoying your very well written and amusing articles for about a year now. I hope you do actually stumble across my little comment, as I have a better book for you to read. Its called "The Lobster Coast" and it’s much more interesting than "The Secret Life of Lobsters". I should also add I am originally from Maine, and I am interested in New England history and anthropolgy, so I am a bit biased I guess. Also, I read your article about your trip to Bar Harbor, I know that was a while ago, I hope you get a chance to go to Maine in July, and stick to the mid-coast. Its cooler.

Chestnuts roasted by Heather @ 01/17/2006 2:14 AM

You’ve got a good list here, but I would like to suggest that The Bernstein Bears and The Messy Room gets honorable mention. Clearly Papa’s split pants provides superior comic relief, but I was so fascinated by Brother’s and Sister’s wide variety of toys, the vastness of their bedroom and Papa’s ingenuity in organization and container creation that I very nearly wished to clean my own room. Also noteworthy: the Kids of the Polk Street School (one of whom was a sheepish bedwetter) or any activity book by Richard Scarey (if for no other reason than their assertion of being the Best _________ Book EVER!).

Chestnuts roasted by Steve @ 01/17/2006 2:22 PM

What? No Sesame Street’s Grover’s "The Monster At The End of This Book?" Shaaaaame lol

Chestnuts roasted by Adam @ 01/19/2006 12:46 PM

–>> ..i can call Jesus on my Shell-cell ..

..cowabungalluia ~~ !!

>v<

Chestnuts roasted by ~tOkKa @ 01/21/2006 3:22 AM

the stupid toy’s'R’us stores are tearing down with 24 stores for real on the in CNN news is that cool!

Chestnuts roasted by nickR. @ 01/22/2006 11:51 PM

Matt-
It was very touching to find that somebody else out there loved "And Too Much Junk Food" just as much as I did as a kid. You were spot on in saying that the candy in the book brings on junk food cravings. I wished the Choco Yums were real every time I read it.

Chestnuts roasted by Barry @ 01/23/2006 6:20 PM

I was wondering Matt if you have ever had any material about Popsicle Pete?

Chestnuts roasted by Aaron @ 01/29/2006 1:56 PM

I distinctly remember owning that Bernstein Bears book and thinking the exact same thing… the illustrations just made me want to eat MORE junk food. They were, in fact, very very appetizing.

It always fills a void in my soul when your articles can touch a part of my life that I had long since forgotten.

Chestnuts roasted by Meg @ 01/30/2006 3:46 AM

Oh! Do a Little Monsters book someday! Please?

Chestnuts roasted by Stacy @ 01/31/2006 2:30 PM

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Chestnuts roasted by Band @ 02/02/2006 12:31 PM

i just went through the closet looking for a book! i knew exactly where it was but went through evrything else first. it is my favorite book! my brother had just died in ’95 and i was missing this book, 3 months later my cousin wrote me a letter and the book was in the package. i cried my eyes out. the book is: "The Book of GIANT STORIES" by david L. Harrison. just so happens me and my brothers favorite book just happend to be his first name. thanks, i almost went nuts looking for the book. that is the only that keeps me together with him. i especially love the last page with the witch and two frogs.thx

Chestnuts roasted by jdizine @ 02/05/2006 5:09 PM

I also had a TON of the Berenstain Bears books. My all time favorite was Too Much TV. It helped that it was purple which was my favorite color. Second favorites were Junk Food and Messy Room. I loved the "before and after" pictures of the bedroom. I think I found those books so facinating because they showed me there was this wacky world where there were rules. I grew up as an only child of a single mom in a messy house filled with junk food, multiple TVs kept on day and night and 3 dogs (none of them understood "sit") that jumped on the kitchen table to finish our leftovers. I used to read these books and think about how grateful I was for my Doritos, Twix and Benson reruns. My mom even showed me how to dip the Doritos in Temptee cream cheese to make them even tastier!

My other all time favorite childhood book was Go, Dog. Go! by P.D. Eastman. At the end of the book, there was an illustration showing all the dogs in their hats having a party in a tree top. I used to stare at that picture until I made myself dizzy. I also had some of my moms books from when she was a kid like The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew, Millions of Cats by Wanda Gag and some Little Lulu titles.

Chestnuts roasted by OBS @ 02/06/2006 1:47 AM

hey matt, berenstein bears books are so good! junk food is one of my favorites.

Chestnuts roasted by Anonymous @ 09/15/2006 12:22 AM

Im going to have to take my hat off to the Jolly Green Giant bit in this article. As A child I can remember running through the aisles just to look at him. He was like a green Mr. Clean, so big and friendly. I am also a dinosaur fan as well so this article was of particular interest to me.

As we seem to share views on this, Id recommend you look for the book “Harry and Larry the Fishermen” Its a book about these two cat fisherman who go on a fishing adventure for their whole cat family. My favorite book as a kid, look it up you wont be disapointed.

Love the site, love the articles, keep it up dude.

Chestnuts roasted by Meta-Knight Reborn @ 09/17/2006 5:53 PM

Re: guy in picture with Noah. Yeah that’s probably one of his 3 sons. Why is he dressed like that? Cuz the artist drew him like that… Why would the artist draw Noah with multi-layered robes and the son in a Tarzan outfit, I have no idea.

I found it funny no one commented yet that Noah and his son, like most people/stories from the Bible are from the Middle East/Africa and the people should be a lot darker skin toned. Rome/Europe is the central place in Christianity, despite what certain denomination would like us to believe… :-)

Chestnuts roasted by HalfBadger @ 10/12/2006 1:12 AM

Ummmmmm…. OH MY GOSH I WANT THAT TURTLE COMM! well a turtle comm! if anyone wants 2 sell theres 2 me (the kid who is 11 yrs old and wants 1 badky) then please email me!: king_kane@hotmail.com! i must have one! even wthout the cards! (well i need at least one card!) :) ok thanx people!

Chestnuts roasted by The 11 Year Old Kid! @ 04/30/2007 3:20 AM

I had a turtle com when I was a kid!

Chestnuts roasted by TroyG @ 10/26/2008 1:36 AM

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 4th, 2006 at 8:41 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.