tents and pierre

I remember building fort after fort with my sister in our bedroom when we were little; slinging sheet after sheet from the top of our bunk bed, tying ends to the bottom rung of the ladder and holding down loose corners with books. What looked like a shabby collage of linens on the outside was a magical little cocoon on the inside. Why don't we make these anymore?! There was something so transcendent about subverting the use of your bedroom into a renegade hideaway; a place to take langurous naps in the company of teddy bears and dolls, and of course, a place to dream. Reading also transformed into something fantastical...

One of my favorite little books growing up was Maurice Sendak's "PIERRE". If you haven't read it, do :-) It's a cautionary tale about a little boy who responds to life with the words "I don't care!" I remember it was given to me as a gift when I was about 5. It's still a gem. The copy sits at home on my mother's bookshelf.

Here's a little taste. See if you can guess what happens...