My best four year old friend (BFYOF) and I were reading The Perfect Monster by Sally Grindley and Erica-Jane Waters when the coversation turned to the nature of reality, epistemology, exceptionalism, popcorn and Tinkerbell dresses.
Me: Do you think the characters are real?
BFYOF: Ummm, yes!
Me: What makes them real? Are they pretend or are they real?
BFYOF: They’re real. Cos, they’re just in the country but the book seems like they’re not real but they’re actually real.
Me: They’re real but they’re not real in the book?
BFYOF: Yes!
Me: OK, hmmm, so how does that work?
BFYOF: Ummm…?
Me: So on the page they’re not real?
BFYOF: Yes because they are real but they just don’t show they’re real.
Me: OK, so … they could walk into the room here?
BFYOF: No!
Me: No?
BFYOF: Because they’re very very very long to their, to their country. It’s very very long.
Me: Aahh. They have their own country?
BFYOF: Yeah! And they don’t come to people’s houses because they don’t know where to go.
Me: OK, and the country they live in is far away.
BFYOF: Yes! Very far away. I think they’re …up (she points vaguely to the sky).
Me: Up in the sky?
BFYOF: Yes, there’s a big man up there who says Bing! Bang! Fo! Fum!
Me: I smell the blood of an Englishman!
BFYOF: …(she looks quizzical…)
Me: Is that how it goes? Well that’s interesting. I didn’t realise the monsters had another country.
BFYOF: Yeah? You didn’t know that?
Me: No, I didn’t know that.
BFYOF: Do you know why I know everything?
Me: Why do you know everything?
BFYOF: Because sometimes my brain just knows everything and it tells me…yeah.
Me: Wow!
BFYOF: Yeah everyday.
Me: You’re lucky! Does that work for everyone? Does everyone’s brain tell them stuff?
BFYOF: No, just me because I’m a special girl.
Me: You’re a special girl?
BFYOF: (whispers in my ear): Because I eat popcorn!
Me: Popcorn? Does that make you special or does that give you special powers?
BFYOF: That gives me special!
Me: Special powers?
BFYOF: No, not special powers. It just makes me special. Want me to wear the Tinkerbell dress?
Me: No, I like what you’re wearing.
BFYOF: OK.
fb
bakersmith 