Muppet Book Club
“Cookie Monster and the Cookie Tree”
All right, all right, settle down. If we could just clear away the pizza boxes and the empty bottles there, turn the lights back on, and wipe those chairs down, then we can get started with our literary salon. C’mon, guys.
Okay, there we are. Welcome to the first meeting of the Muppet Book Club, giving Muppet fans a chance to discuss some of the great literary classics that have shaped our lives, for better or worse.
The book under discussion is Cookie Monster and the Cookie Tree, a 1977 Little Golden Book written by David Korr and illustrated by Joe Mathieu. Because some of our members seem to have left their copies at home — or drawn all over them with crayons, or dropped them in the bathtub, or whatever — I’ve posted the complete text below.
You’re invited to come join the Book Club meeting on the Tough Pigs Forum message board, where we’ll be discussing the major themes of the book, appreciating Joe Mathieu’s art, sharing memories, and generally horsing around with it. Even if you’ve never posted at the Forum before, feel free to come in anyway. How often do you get a chance to talk about Cookie Trees?
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Suggested Discussion Questions:
1. In the book, Cookie Monster travels back and forth between a peaceful green forest and Sesame Street. Where is the forest in relationship to the urban street?
2. There have been talking fruits and vegetables on Muppet shows, but very rarely a talking plant. How does the Cookie Tree fit into the known Muppet biosphere?
3. In the emotional climax of the book, Cookie Monster appeals to his friends for help — and they all laugh at him, refusing to believe that he sincerely wants to share cookies. What does this say about the possibility of redemption and personal growth?
4. The lesson of the book seems to be that it’s good to share. Do the last few pages support that lesson? If the value of sharing is not the point of the book, then what is?
Okay, well, those are only suggested Discussion Questions, and pretty goofy ones at that. So come join the Book Club, and we’ll probably come up with better ones.
Click here to read all the Book Club comments on Cookie Monster and the Cookie Tree!
