When I was a little girl I would look forward to watching my favorite shows on TV. My favorites were Captain Kangaroo, Mister Rogers, Romper Room (my brother appeared on that show!) and of course my favorite show of all was Sesame Street. I might not remember where I left my car keys from this morning but I can still remember the words to my favorite Sesame Street songs and my favorite episodes.
As years went by and I grew older I would still catch myself watching Sesame Street. Even as a teenager I had no “issues” watching a “kiddie program” like Sesame Street. Even at my current age if I happen to be flicking around the television channels and come across Sesame Street I will watch it. I am not ashamed to admit that I adore the program.
Since I will never have a chance to actually visit Sesame Street I have found another way where I can experience the behind the scenes action. It’s in the form of a book. Specifically the book called Sesame Street: A Celebration – 40 Years of Life on the Street.
First of all I must say that this is NOT a picture book. This is a comprehensive, in-depth look into the story behind Sesame Street, it’s creation, the cast, the characters, community outreach, guests stars and just about anything and everything related to the show. This book is like the “Bible” of all things Sesame Street (I’m NOT mocking the Bible! Hopefully you know what I mean by this).
Sesame Street: A Celebration of 40 Years of Life on the Street is what you would call a coffee table book. It’s HUGE and heavy. Here is the book with a regular magazine on top of it to give you and idea of it’s over all size. The book is always about 2″ thick.
The book starts off from the beginning with how the whole concept of Sesame Street came to be, how the show’s name was decided on, Jim Henson, Frank Oz, the cast, the characters… all the way up to Sesame Street today, it’s community outreach and their thoughts about the next 40 years.
No stone was left unturned in this book. The book goes in depth about everything you can possibly think of about the show, right down to the songwriters, props, scenery and the show’s global outreach. It’s all there, packed in the pages of this book.
Since reading the book I have a new found appreciation for this incredible show. There is a reason why this show has stood the test of time and is as loved today as it was 41 years ago. That’s because it’s the ideal mix of education and entertainment that has captivated audiences over the past several decades.
As I was reading the book I jotted down some interesting facts that I wanted to share with you. After a while I had so much written down that it would be impossible to write about it. With every turn of the page I learned something new about the show. To give you a sampling of the interesting things you’ll learn about in the book include:
– Possible names for the show included The Video Classroom and 1-2-3 Avenue B.
– Nearly every White House administration has either visited Sesame Street, or had the cast and characters visit them, since 1969.
– Did you know that character of Big Bird is actually a child? As far as I recall from reading the book he’s suppose to be six years old!
– When Mr. Hooper died, the writers of the show didn’t know how to explain his disappearance. They consulted with child psychologists and put much thought into it. Eventually they settled on Big Bird explaining Mr. Hoopers died “just because”. It was open ended enough so that parents, who were encouraged to watch the episode with their children, could find a way to talk about his passing with their children. That episode aired Thanksgiving Day 1983.
I could go on and on with amazing facts and things you never knew about the show but that would take me all day.
If you love Sesame Street then you will find the book Sesame Street: A Celebration – 40 Years of Life on the Street a must have book for your family library. The book is sold on the Sesame Street website (CLICK HERE). It retails for $40.00. I know that it’s a bit pricey for a book but remember, this is a coffee table book and not some kiddie book that you can toss in a basket or a bookcase. This book is for the true Sesame Street fan. A bonus DVD is also included.
Some day when I can afford it I want to pick up the Sesame Street: 40 Years of Sunny Days DVD collection, also found on the Sesame Street store website.
To purchase Sesame Street theme products you can click on the word “Store” found on the top task bar on the main Sesame Street site.
If anyone knows HOW to get to Sesame Street (meaning, how can you score a visit to the actual Sesame Street set) I would L♥VE to hear from you!
*I received a sample copy of the book free to do this review from the Sesame Street store. There was no other compensation. Any opinions expressed are my own.