TINTIN AND INDY

When George Lucas sends Indiana Jones out in the world on adventurous missions conveniently teaching the young viewers history, geography, archeology and savoir-faire in addition to entertaining them, he is employing a pattern which friends and loyal readers of the Tintin books will recognize with pleasure.

If you have children you care for – your own or somebody else's – you can have a decisive influence on their education by introducing them to Tintin, a reporter, his dog Snowy and their several friends including Captain Haddock, Professor Calculus, and not to forget, the renown opera singer, Bianca Castafiori.

Many parents wonder which way to proceed when their kids’ first mystery phase has passed and all the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boy books have been devoured. I heartily recommend the Belgian author Herge's twenty-one Tintin books as highly suitable to fill the next stage when guiding children to become consistent readers. Herge's outstanding books have been translated into no less than twenty-eight languages. In America, his publisher is Little Brown and Company in Boston.              

Only very rarely do any of these titles turn up on the second hand market - simply because they become too dear to the fortunate children who share their childhood with Tintin, following him on adventures across the world, sometimes under water, and even to the Moon.  Yes, Tintin and his dog, outfitted in astronaut's uniforms, visited the Moon in 1954.  This may give you an idea of the inventive genius of Herge's mind.

The Tintin books are cartoon books and this format makes them especially appealing to many youngsters. Amid the bright and unmistakably captivating drawings, there is plenty to read, however, and even grown-ups have been known to find it hard to leave Tintin in the middle of a page. He is a young man most parents would like children to idolize: utterly positive, helpful, earnest and an inquirer. His life as a reporter brings him in contact with complex situations demanding skill and brains to solve successfully. The young readers fly out and in of New Dehli, Katmandu, Cairo, Santiago de Chile and numerous other exotic locations, little realizing they are learning while exploring the tombs of Pharaohs and tracking the abominable Snowman in Tibet.

In Europe, Tintin has become something of a cult figure. A Tintin memorabilia store can be found in the Covent Garden area of London. Julia was overjoyed when we once chanced upon a specialty toy store in Barcelona where they had for sale a little statue of Tintin with his characteristic high combed front bangs, and another of his faithful white dog. These items enjoyed a prominent position on her shelves next to her complete Tintin collection, even as she acquired teen-age gadgets.

Captain Haddock, Tintin's longtime friend, would undoubtedly have uttered his famous exclamation: "Billions of bilious blue blistering barnacles," if he had an opportunity to voice his opinion about Tintin's publishing success. Maybe the kids won't move directly from Captain Haddock's outbursts to Dickens' quiet eloquence, but the Tintin books can easily form a step on the way to the classics for boys and girls alike.

[Home] [About the Store] [Contact Us] [Directions] [Buy/Sell] [New Arrivals] [Sign up] [Book Notes]