omg that’s great! they accidentally created a birder- I see no downside to this.
(okay that’s not true, there is one (1) downside to being a birder and that’s spotting a bird while driving and terrifying your passengers by leaning forward/sideways to try and ID it as your car drifts gently into the next lane)
my favorite old field guide is a pocket guide to birds of north america, circa 1890, that originally belonged to my great-grandfather, and which includes a charming little entry on the Passenger Pigeon. I remember as a child I was awed by this tangible reminder both of the destructive impact of humanity and of my family’s existence as an unbroken line of enormous bird nerds.
A RACCOON is a Monkey, less than a fox; is grey-hairs, has a large black Eye, with Whiskers, and Nose like a Pig, Tail and Feet like a Rat, a brownish Fur on his Back, and a white Belly. It is very prejudicial to Poultry.
Many adults are put off when youngsters pose scientific questions. Children ask why the sun is yellow, or what a dream is, or how deep you can dig a hole, or when is the world’s birthday, or why we have toes.
Too many teachers and parents answer with irritation or ridicule, or quickly move on to something else. Why adults should pretend to omniscience before a five-year-old, I can’t for the life of me understand. What’s wrong with admitting that you don’t know? Children soon recognize that somehow this kind of question annoys many adults. A few more experiences like this, and another child has been lost to science.
There are many better responses. If we have an idea of the answer, we could try to explain. If we don’t, we could go to the encyclopedia or the library. Or we might say to the child: “I don’t know the answer. Maybe no one knows. Maybe when you grow up, you’ll be the first to find out.
omg thank you! this is such a sweet ask! I’m glad you enjoy my jeeves/wooster art- they’re such a delight to draw, and I have such a strong mental picture of them both.
In other words: “hey, I went to my friend’s house for breakfast, and afterwards we went into the drawing room and one of the most famous boxers in England was just there? naked? and we were all like, ‘huh, okay, this is happening.’ later we went to visit the Parthenon sculptures while the boxer posed naked next to them.”
1808 London was WILD.
(This is before the British Museum acquired the sculptures, when they were in Lord Elgin’s private museum. –this is from the Diary of Joseph Farington, volume 5.)
A Pretty Taste for Paradox 