Let me recommend a children’s book—my friend Matt Mehan, who teaches at Hillsdale College in DC, recently offered me a very pretty book he wrote, The Handsome Little Cygnet, together with his friend & illustrator, John Folley. Matt doesn’t know that it is my regular habit to watch hundreds of swans a week, which I recommend to anyone who likes birds, but he does know that I share his great interest in educating children through beautiful & pleasant displays. He’s a pro, having taught children for decades, not just adults, & having more than enough children of his own to give him all the experience he can handle—I’m merely an amateur, & so I was flattered that he would care about my opinion about how to charm children.
The story of the cygnet is not alien to our times—it’s about a child seduced from his parents by the colorful promises of self-expression, transformative identities, & escape from obedience. Matt tells it with some humor & delicacy, as befits the tenderness of a family, yet he adds a conservative taste that should please decent people. In fact, I would go so far as to call him modest, since he does not show off his learning or eccentricities—he’s the opposite of the celebrities of our time, & so I’m glad to help him get some of the attention he deserves—buy his book, folks! It’s a very thoughtful gift for families with children.
Matt’s book comes with a one-minute trailer, which is bound to charm, as well as to suggest that maybe he should be doing animations, too!
This is also guaranteed to teach your toddler proper pronunciation, which might in addition make you laugh!
For my part, as soon as I read the word cygnet, I was reminded of this entertainment. I leave you with these swanlings: