Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson for June 23, 2023

Thank you, Doctor Seuss…..

The only “Er” Calvin is getting is a bummer.

Buy the kid an audio book.

If writing children’s books doesn’t work out, I’m sure Mabel Syrup would be better at flipping pancakes.

my pet peeve is children’s books with illustrations showing animals in human clothes…

Speaking of Maple Syrup, due to political correctness, Aunt Jemima has been removed from the bottles now sold. It is now called Pearl Milling Company on the bottles. I think the same is is happening to Uncle Bens rice.

We finessed that by telling him that we’d keep reading stories to him for as long as he asked. Forever even. IF he admitted that he could read.

By the time we finished with the Doctor Dolittle book we’d started about the time of the discussion, he actively preferred to read it himself… because reading out loud is T.O.O…S.L.O.W !

“A children’s story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children’s story in the slightest.” -C.S. Lewis

“The literary world is abuzz” — I love it!

Okay. What Calvin said in the second panel? I dare somebody to say that three times in a row really fast without screwing it up…

I’d like to read that. It sounds as if it would be fun.

Never seen Dad so remorse……..

And yet, Dad is never without a book! Of course, if this strip were made today, he would never be without an iPhone!!

And the same goes for authors of children’s songs. They should spent at least 6 years listening to their song in unending loop

Doctors can bury their mistakes, but an architect can only plant vines.

If it’s any consolation, they kind of are forced to read their stories aloud to countless groups of children, sometimes traveling long distances for that pleasure. For years.

Just make a recording and Calvin can play it back anytime he wants!

M wife and I only use maple syrup, not the fake stuff.

‘Mabel Sirripp’ would have been more subtle.

“We have to buy it”…and later on it becomes the stuff of garage sales…

Why are people upset? If someone wants to name their product after me, my ancestors, or our race, I just wouldn’t care. I certainly wouldn’t see it as insulting or derogatory.

No wonder Pops probably hits happy hour for a few doubles before coming home or makes a purchase in the drive-thru liquor store for some liquid courage.

I doubt that either of Mable Syrup’s books will wind up on a best seller list.

The book title sounds dreadful. I hope the story is better.

I had no problem reading the same story over and over, but my sons and I had an agreement: only once in the same night.

Also I could sidetrack them for a couple of weeks by reading the Hobbit. It was good practice for me as I developed different voices for each of the characters. Peter Jackson only got some of them right: he should have consulted me first.

Eventually, I lost my job to my eldest son who read to his brother.

At least he’s asking for a new story. Time to take your son to the library. I used to do that with my daughter all the time and we both loved it.

Mabel Syrup is an obese drag queen who will be reading its latest work at an elementary school library near you.

And hog farm corporate executives should have to live on the property.

“Mable Syrup”. Canadian perhaps? Anyway, I thought I would give the book a read, but it’s not even on Amazon. Perhaps the Library of Congress has a copy, unless someone took it home with them.

My favorite ‘’Dirty Uncle Bertie gets flirtie and a little dirtie.’’

Baby Blues has a nice Calvin & Hobbes reference today.

DANG IT PEOPLE IT’S JUST SYRUP!!

I believe this is the final mention of Hamster Huey in the strip’s run…

Dad has the right idea. But sadly no power to enforce it.

Still better than “Alvin the Alliterative Alligator Allegory”. :)

I’m a retired kindergarten teacher, and I love good children’s literature. But he is right about the stuff that is not so good.

Don’s hear much from Dad… but, he is great.

So you’re happy reading the same book to Calvin every night?

IMO, the most obnoxious book to read aloud is " The Baby Beebee Bird"- for 2-4 year olds. Of course , my daughter loved it, so I limited it to a once-a-week read, and she was too young to keep track of how long a week was. It’s a great gift for any child whose parent you want to annoy.

The final mention of “Hamster Huey” in the strip’s run. Interesting its’ author has a punny name: Mabel Syrup. Generally the strip doesn’t have such goofy pun-based names, with occasional exceptions like Filthy Rich.

True that, dad! True that.

Mable Syrup? I’ll be dipped. I’ve read C&H 10,000 times and never knew Hamster Huey’s author’s name

The best thing about Dr. Seuss books was his rhymes were easy to memorize. After while one could quote them without looking.

If it were A. A. Milne it would be a gift to the audience.

I’d buy it.

I wonder if comic strip authors ever think they deserve the same fate.

So basically, you favor torture?

(He asks while shuddering convincingly.)

You can find Clavin’s Hamster Huey book on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Hamster-Huey-Gooey-Kablooie-2004-12-01/dp/B01F9GLU94/ref=sr_1_1?crid=222XADNXX4IKY&keywords=hamster+huey&qid=1687568630&s=books&sprefix=hamster+huey%2Cstripbooks%2C159&sr=1-1

No sympathy, Dad.

Ugh. for me and my kids, it was the Harry Potter franchise.

That book’s title makes it sound just as dreadful as ‘Hamster Huey’ is meant to be.

I expect Dad rues the night he first convinced Calvin to listen to “Hamster Huey”; Calvin was quite reluctant at first! (“How good can it be if it hasn’t been made into an animated TV show?” https://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/1988/07/10

The Washington Reds. They had to shed the “skin.”