Picture Books: D is for dePaola

The Clown of God by Tomie dePaola was one of my all-time favorites growing up.

It's a lovely book, and if the libraries here were open, I'd take it out and re-read it, including dePaola's "old story" notes at the back.

Luckily, I remember it well enough to know why I loved it so much when I was younger. I was a fairly theologically-minded kid--not that I used the words "theologically-minded." But I was interested in God and praying and stuff like that.

I was also one of those kids who was born feeling guilty--about everything, really. Somehow, however, I managed to separate those two things: God versus guilt. When I was younger, this separation was pure instinct. It was only as I got older, that I got better at parsing the difference. (So I do understand where Paul is coming from.)

C.S. Lewis was my primary gateway to the non-guilt/non-rule-centered version of relating to God--without eschewing fundamental morality. Edmund is wrong. He also isn't tormented. C.S. Lewis, by his own admittance, was far more interested in the awe-inspiring grandeur of God, which included a playful side, than in determining a list of rules or pinpointing insiders versus outsiders. He was also terrifically individual-oriented.

Tomi dePaola was a welcome second agreement to this view. The Clown gives the gift of his own skill and ability. The Christ child smiles upon the gift.

Add in the sheer big-picture wildness of Tolkien--the three authors go a long way towards explaining why I consider books as integral to my integrity as any ritual or external doctrine.