When I was growing up I loved watching The Muppet Show.
I loved the idea of the people my parents loved (and that I had grown up loving) appearing on a show we could all love; Mark Hamill, Carol Burnett, Julie Andrews, Bob Hope, Danny Kaye, Milton Berle, and John Cleese just to name a few.
All of that however does not change the fact that this biography, while about a man I truly appreciate, is terrible, and likely needs to be weeded.
Written in 2002, but it isn’t as though the information about Jim Henson is going to change much. The problem however is the horrible pictures, the dated information, and poor presentation.
You might ask how information can be dated about someone who passed away in 1990, but that is because you haven’t read this book.
But it wasn’t all bad, I have some interesting facts. For example, did you know:
The term “Muppet” comes from the fact that they are a combination between puppets and marionettes?
That Jim Henson and Frank Oz did all the interactions between the Bert & Ernie Sesame Street Characters as improv? They acted the way they would if they were discussing the same issues.
When Sesame Street actor’s Maria became pregnant and Mr. Hooper died the show used these instances to talk about the real events in terms children could understand? In the case of Mr. Hooper’s death it was the first time something like that had been televised.
As per requested none of the 5000+ mourners at Henson’s funeral wore black?
That Frank Oz said he could no longer play Bert without Henson as Ernie, and all the Bert & Ernie sketches still playing are the originals?
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KidHaven Press, 2002 48 pages ISBN: 9780737709964
Suggested Reading Level: Ages 9+
Durrett, D. (2002). Inventors and Creators: Jim Henson. California: KidHaven.