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Description edit
An inspiring message for all ages: Find your inner bird. If you’re looking for wisdom and joy in your life, go straight to Sesame Street and heed the words of its most beloved and profound resident, Caroll Spinney, who has spent the past thirty-four years in a bird costume (and a trash can)... read more
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit
Summary edit
Caroll Spinney has spent half of his life inside a giant puppet. He has also brought joy to millions of children (and their parents) all over the world. Enclosed in this gem of a book are the stories that Big Bird and his alter-ego, Oscar the Grouch, have taught Caroll Spinney, in 34 years of... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)
Quotes edit
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“To find out what one is fitted to do, and to secure an opportunity to do it, is the key to happiness.”
John Dewey -
“Do not hire a man who does your work for money, but who does it for love of it.”
Henry David Thoreau -
“If Big Bird had remained the original dumb, goofy character, he would not be on the show today. Once he became somebody that children could relate to, in spite of his absurd appearance and his incredible height, they came to feel like he was their friend.”
Caroll Spinney -
“Sometimes you don't recognize that what you have is what you always wanted.”
Caroll Spinney -
“I learned a lot about music by conducting some of the finest orchestras in the world. One of the things I discovered was that some pieces were entirely inappropriate for very young children. The Buffalo Symphony chose to play Stravinsky's The Firebird on the strength of the title alone—I guess they thought the bird theme would go well with Big Bird. . . . When children are running up and down the aisles until something better begins, it's a clear sign that a bad choice has been made. A good piece is instantly obvious when half the kids begin "conducting" themselves, with little waving arms.”
Caroll Spinney -
“The Bozo show paid well, but it got so that I hardly had to work. It wasn't the thing I had dreamed of as a boy. I wanted more, to educate, to do something artful, meaningful. When Jim offered me Big Bird, I knew that was it.”
Caroll Spinney -
“We strive to five our innocent young audience the basis of a lifelong education. We teach some of the fundamentals of reading and numbers, but more important, we try to encourage children to develop the attitudes the need to live happy and productive lives: self-confidence, persistence, imagination, tolerance, compassion, curiosity, openness, respect, humor, and love, to name a few.”
Caroll Spinney -
“The children watching the show will not learn anything from us if they are not first engaged by what they see, which requires the performers to be as charming, empathetic, honest, and funny as we can be. We have to keep the kids watching and listening through the appeal of our characters so that our real points can be made.”
Caroll Spinney -
“The most important lesson I've learned is that first you have to dream, and then you have to believe in your dreams. That is the only way for them to come true. There will be setbacks and disappointments, but do not let them deter you from your plans, your beliefs, your dreams. Dare to dream.”
Caroll Spinney
Setting & Locations edit
First Sentence edit
The alarm goes off. The clock says 6:00 AM, and my wife, Debra, and I wake up in our tiny studo apartment near Lincoln Center on the West Side of Manhattan. It's a lovely day. For a moment, I wish we were at our country home in New England. But it's a workday. It's time to go to Sesame Street. I get up and put on the water for the tea. For the first 24 years, Sesame Street was taped at studios in Manhattan and I would ride my bicycle to work. Then, in 1992, the show moved to the Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens, and ever since I've been driven to and from work in a van. It's waiting for me at a quarter to 8 in front of my building, and as we drive up West End Avenue, I wave to Debi, who hangs out our 30th floor window and waves back. Some days we stop to pick up Kevin Clash, who plays Elmo. We'll talk shop - about puppets, or the scripts for the day, or any special projects we're working on - and the 30 minute ride goes pretty quickly.
Table of Contents edit
Introduction: My Life as a Bird
1. Listen to Yourself
2. Ask Him What He Meant
3. Take a Pay Cut
4. Find Your Inner Bird
5. Try Adding More Feathers
6. Become Who You Always Were
7. Listen to Your Cabbie
8. Be a Grouch
9. Be Flexible
10. Five It a Month
11. Wing It
12. Make 'Em Laugh
13. Go to China
14. Write Your Own Story
15. Pretend You Can Dance
16. Hear the Music
17. Watch Your Step
18. Be Persistent
19. Eat Your Veggies
20. Be Honest with Your Audience
21. Don't Let Your Feathers Get Ruffled
22. Find Compassion
23. Be Good to Each Other
24. Give Something Back
25. Find Your Place in the World
26. Remember the Future
Acknowledgments
Themes & Symbolism edit
Series & Lists edit
This book is in Sesame Street. (universe)
First Edition edit
Original Language: English
Publisher: Villard Books
Country: United States
Publication Date: 2003
ISBN: 0375507817
Page Count: 159
Publisher: Villard Books
Country: United States
Publication Date: 2003
ISBN: 0375507817
Page Count: 159
Classification edit
- Library of Congress: Add the Library of Congress Classification.
- Dewey: 791.45028092
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