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The Wonderful O

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The Wonderful O

By: James Thurber
Narrated by: Melissa Manchester
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About this listen

The Wonderful O tells of a man named Black who despised the letter "O". He deleted it from his language and omitted it from his words. Opals, moonstones, owls and oaks could not possibly be his items of choice. He preferred emeralds, rubies, sapphires and maps. At least they had no "O". Soon he wanted his entire village to omit the letter "O". But the villagers found words they would not do without HOPE, LOVE, VALOR, and the most important one of all.

©1957 James Thurber (P)1997 New Millennium Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths Humorous Fiction Survival Stories
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Critic reviews

"A playful allegory on love, valor and freedom, and a ceaseless romp with wordplay." ( Publishers Weekly)
" The Wonderful O, published in 1957, is a tale for children, and a reminder for adults, of the joys of love, liberty, language and, not least, humor. It has pirates and treasure and magic and a message that especially in complacent times must not be forgotten... The Wonderful O is a book worth finding, wherever you can, and reading, as one of its characters concludes, ‘lest we forget.’" ( The Wall Street Journal)
"Among James Thurber's 30 books were several for children. Two reader favorites of the Fifties, The Thirteen Clocks and The Wonderful O, have returned, illustrations by Marc Simont intact. These are funny, richly textured stories that pile on the fantasy and will make middle readers laugh a lot." ( The Record, NJ)

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Classic Thurber

The Wonderful O shows Thurber at his most playful and witty in his mastery of story and language. I first read this in my teens and have never forgotten it.

The tale is one of great relevance to today's world. I recommend it most highly and hope that you will enjoy it as much as I do.

Melissa Manchester gives an inspired reading.

Be aware that there is a strange sort of half summary before the real tale begins. This summary is not part of the book and feels as if it is a truncated something left here by mistake.

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