Audiobook · read by volunteers
Goop Directory
Frank Gelett Burgess (1866–1951)
Read by Andrea L · 1 chapter · 13 min
About the book
Some children are naughty in ways so specific that they deserve their own names. Gelett Burgess found them, drew them, and filed them in a directory of bad manners: the Goops, who gobble, sulk, grab, grumble and forget to say thank you. This little book is a rhymed directory of their failings, written in cheerful verses that sound like a lesson and play like a joke. Each entry holds up a mirror to behaviour we all recognise, from the dinner table to the playground, and each ends with the kind of gentle nudge that only a good-natured scold can give. It is silly, brisk and surprisingly sharp about human nature. Andrea L reads the whole directory in about twelve minutes. Listen once, laugh, and then ask yourself, honestly, whether you have ever been a Goop. The language is simple and the rhythm irresistible.
Introduction
Frank Gelett Burgess, who died in 1951, was an American humorist, artist and author, remembered for his nonsense verse and for inventing words that stuck. The Goops were among his most successful creations. They first appeared in a series of books for children in the early twentieth century, and The Goop Directory, from 1913, is a late and rather compact addition to the family.
The idea is simple. A Goop is a child who behaves badly in some small, recognisable way, and the book catalogues them by name, each with a rhyme. The stated purpose is to teach good behaviour, and the introduction says as much, but the real pleasure lies in the lightness of the touch. Burgess does not preach so much as tease, and the children he describes are funny rather than frightening. Parents of the period were glad to have a gentle tool for correcting manners at the table, and the books sold well.
Today the Goops are mainly a curiosity, but a charming one. The verses are short, rhythmic and full of invented names, which makes them a good fit for reading aloud. This recording is one chapter of about twelve minutes, read by the LibriVox volunteer Andrea L. It suits a quick break, a family listening session, or anyone who enjoys the playful corner of early twentieth century American children's writing. Parents and teachers may enjoy borrowing a few of its verses, and everyone else can simply enjoy the invented names and the cheerful rhythm of the old schoolroom. It is an easy and affectionate piece of literary nostalgia.
Public domain
Frank Gelett Burgess died in 1951: the work is in the public domain in Switzerland, more than 70 years after the author’s death.
The LibriVox volunteers dedicated this recording to the public domain.
Sources : LibriVox page · Files at the Internet Archive · Original text