No gratuitous grossness in “Rude Stories” for kids

Mar 10, 2011

Photo: Author Jan Andrews reads to Josephine and Andrea Nuttall of Elphin

Author Jan Andrews appreciates youngsters’ love for all things bawdy and with that in mind created her latest book, “Rude Stories”, a collection of bawdy folk tales that is sure to bring a giggle to gobs of children young and old.

Jan was at the Nature Lover's Bookstore in Lanark on March 6 and read a selection of the stories from her latest book, which just came out in the fall.

The eight once-upon-a-time stories are all based on old folk tales that Jan has heard over the years and she says that she has pretty much kept all of them intact. ”I don't like to tinker with the basic pattern of the stories and the integrity of them but I will reshape them a bit if I feel there is a need.”

She chose folk tales for a number of reasons, but high on the list is their ability to engage youngsters. “These old traditional stories have a richness and so many interesting things going on in them that kids can easily see themselves reflected in them in so many different ways.”

One story, titled “A Tale of Rude Tails”, is an old Aboriginal story that was told to Jan years ago. It tells the story of how it came to be that dogs always greet each other in their nose to rump fashion. The story's leading character is Weesageechuk, the trickster who throws a party for dogs far and wide. After inviting them he instructs them to hang up their behinds on hooks while the party goes on. Later on at the party, when all hell breaks loose, the dogs are forced to leave abruptly and what ensues causes their method of salutations for ever after.

“The Skeleton in the Rocking Chair” is one story that celebrates the art of creative cussing and involves a nasty old witch of a wife who refuses to die in peace. Even after death she continues to torment her husband, calling him names like “clinchpoop” and “cokamamy flapdoodler” until, in the end she finally dances herself into oblivion.

The stories are multi-layered and so appeal to all ages and are in no way rude for just rudeness sake. In Jan's words, “There is absolutely no ‘gratuitous grossness’ here, just good fun.”

In Mr. Mosquito, an old European gypsy story, a nasty mosquito tries to extinguish Ms. Candle’s eternal flame and gets burned in the process but still somehow manages to make the most of it. In “The Magic Bottom Fan”, a nasty gambler uses a magic fan first to his own greedy gain but later misuses it with dire consequences to his own bottom.

It was only later in life that Jan came to appreciate folk tales. “As a adult and a story teller I came to realize that these stories really contain all of the wisdom of the world.”

Jan has been writing children's books for years but is also a storyteller for all ages. With “Rude Stories” she feels she is successfully crossing an age barrier and thinks that the book is getting very good reviews for that reason. “Reviewers are recognizing that the stories are a lot of fun and contain many different layers of meaning. They touch on the issue of what is rude and what isn't and the reasons why something might be considered rude at one particular time and not another.” For anyone who likes a good, rude tale, “Rude Stories” might be just the thing. It is available at the Nature Lover’s Book store, and online at www.tundrabooks.com. For more information about the author visit www.janandrews.ca.