I screwed up yesterday; I forgot about my plan to recommend children's and YA books on Thursdays. I have a LOT of rare children's books to recommend, so I'm making up for it today.
Quasit's Daily Book Recommendations: "The Teddy Bear Habit" (1967) by James Lincoln Collier
This is the story of the adventures of a twelve-year-old boy in New York's Greenwich Village in the mid-1960s. George Stable is...not rebellious. No, he's more •real• than that. He simply tries to get what he wants in a world of adults who don't understand, and is not above stretching the truth or breaking some rules if that's what it takes. He doesn't glory in that, and at times almost feels a little guilty, but he does what he has to.
It's been a long time since I was his age. But to me, that attitude rings very true. Most kids, I think, do what they think they have to, to get what they really want. George, the first-person narrator, feels extremely real and modern - even though the book is now almost sixty years old!
In fact, "The Teddy-Bear Habit" reminds me very strongly of •another• first-person story of a New York teen who lives somewhat outside the rules: Holden Caulfield. Truth to tell, the book really strongly reminds me of "The Catcher In The Rye" so much that at times the two books have been slightly merged in my memory. "The Teddy-Bear Habit" was written 16 years after Catcher, of course, but both books have a remarkably modern, timeless feeling. The city of New York plays a key role in both books, perhaps a bit more so in "The Teddy-Bear Habit". George's inner voice is remarkably like Holden's, but younger and not as alienated. Nor as much of a jerk.
George wants to be a rock and roll star, and to be on television. His father •hates• rock and roll, and won't allow a television in their house. He (the father) is, however, an extremely funny character; a modern painter who makes a living writing and drawing comic books. The passages about his heroes, Amorpho Man and Garbage Man, are simply hysterical. I could have read a whole book of that stuff!
[The one of Pop’s comics I like best, though, is his new one called Garbage Man. Garbage Man is really “mild-mannered Rick Martin, copywriter for an important advertising firm.” Mostly, Rick Martin goes humming around in this cool Jaguar, making out with girls and working for his advertising agency, but when trouble impends he turns into Garbage Man, and his Jaguar turns into his trusty Garbage Truck. Garbage Man’s superpower is his smell. He can beam a terrible smell in any direction he wants. It melts through walls, and it can stun people or temporarily blind them, depending on how big a shot of it Garbage Man gives them. Pop has done only a couple of issues of Garbage Man, but he thinks it might really go. I hope it does. I wouldn’t mind being rich.]
George has another problem, too: he's a decent singer, and is learning to play the guitar secretly from a music-shop owner, but he has self-confidence issues. He is, simply, dependent on his teddy bear. When it's not around, he's a "loser". He'll make mistakes singing or playing the guitar.
But how can a 12-year-old boy let himself be seen with a teddy bear?
Complications ensue, ones that you'll surely find very memorable. The book is at times quite thrilling. But between the humor and the thrills, it never loses that "real" feeling.
There are a few slightly jarring moments when the Beatles or Murray the K are mentioned as examples of modern coolness. But then, the book WAS published in 1967.
Speaking of which, avoid the "Lost Treasures" edition if you possibly can. The original edition (and most later ones, until recently) featured wonderful illustrations by Lorenz, whose work also appeared often in The New Yorker, where he was art editor for many years. The illustrations are very funny, and should not be missed! I don't know why they were eliminated from the Lost Treasures edition, but eliminating them makes as much sense as eliminating the classic Tenniel illustrations from Alice.
I read the book to my son when he was nine. He loved it, and demanded that we seek out the sequel. Unfortunately the sequel doesn't live up to The Teddy-Bear Habit, and wasn't quite appropriate for my son - then. Eventually we read it (it's called "Rich and Famous"); it wasn't bad. But "The Teddy-Bear Habit" itself is firmly ensconced as a favorite for both of us.
You can borrow the book for free from the Internet Archive.
https://archive.org/details/teddybearhabit0000jame
It's also available to buy as an ebook from the major ebook publishers. I'm pretty sure it's still in print, too. It really is a classic.
Happy reading! 🤓📖
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