It's Not Easy Being Green: And Other Things to Consider [Hardcover]

Jim Henson (Author), The Muppets and Friends (Author)

Book Description

Release date: September 14, 2005

“The words say 'It’s not easy being green,' but the song is about knowing who you are. And in it you hear Jim’s message most clearly. He believed that people are good and that they want to do their best and that no matter how or why we might be different from anybody else, we should learn to love who we are and be proud of it.”
—Ray Charles

In the tradition of The World According to Mister Rogers, a timeless collection of wisdom on life, friendship, individuality, creativity, collaboration, and more -- from Jim Henson and Friends

There are few things that evoke such a universal feeling of warmth and humor as the work of Jim Henson. In his own words, as well as those of some of his best-known characters like Kermit the Frog and Ernie, we get a glimpse of the philosophy and humor that was so essential to Jim's creations. We also get a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the collaborative spirit of this gentle artistic genius from the people Jim knew, loved, and inspired.

This uplifting collection of quotes, stories, anecdotes, songs, and insights gives new life to Jim's magical world. With chapters titled Dynamite Determination; Listen to Your Heart; Together We Can Do It; It Starts When We're Kids; and A Part of Everything and Everyone, It's Not Easy Being Green is by turns entertaining, inspiring, and laugh-out-loud funny, reminding us that every day counts. Readers young and old will cherish this collection.

Culled from The Jim Henson Company archives, program transcripts, personal letters, and interviews, along with some of Jim's never-before-published writings, It's Not Easy Being Green is a testament to the legacy of a man who changed the way we see the world.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

More like a book of aphoristic verse than a commemorative volume, this book collects quotes from the late Henson, as well as his characters, family members, friends and collaborators. Cheryl Henson, Jim's daughter and a current director of the Jim Henson Company, notes that some of the material comes from previously unpublished letters and personal notebooks. Henson advocates a following of one's own rainbow-"I think if you study-if you learn too much of what others have done, you may tend to take the same direction as everybody else"-and taking one's own time in doing so. ("No time is wasted time," says Cantus Fraggle.) Though some thoughts border on treacly ("When I was young, my ambition was to be one of the people who made a difference in this world...It's a wonderful life and I love it"), most-especially those in the voices of Kermit and others-contain insight into Henson's unique life and work.
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About the Author

Jim Henson first started his career on a local TV show Sam and Friends in Washington D.C in 1958. In 1969, he formed the core of the children's program, Sesame Street, which continues to air today and has been shown in more than a hundred countries around the world. Henson's creations were soon seen on The Muppet Show, which aired in 1976 through 1981 and later on Fraggle Rock, Jim Henson's Muppet Babies, and Jim Henson's The Storyteller. The Muppets moved to star in six feature films: The Muppet Movie, The Great Muppet Caper, The Muppets Take Manhattan, The Muppet Christmas Carol, Muppet Treasure Island, and Muppets From Space. In addition to making Muppet movies, Henson also brought two remarkably original fantasy films to the big screen, The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. Henson died in May of 1990, survived by his wife and five children.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion; First Edition edition (September 14, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401302424
• ISBN-13: 978-1401302429
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.8 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #289,565 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #26 in Books > Arts & Photography > Performing Arts > Theater > Puppets & Puppetry

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 55 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful portrait of the Dreamer September 20, 2005

By Blake Petit VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Keep your Plato, your Socrates, your Descartes -- for my money the greatest philosophers of all time were Charles Schulz and Jim Henson. This new book is a nice little summary of the thoughts and dreams of the latter.

Edited by his daughter, Cheryl Henson, "It's not Easy Being Green" is a collection of writings and observations by the great Jim Henson himself, by many of the Muppet characters he created over his all-too-brief time on this Earth, and by the many friends he accrued over the years. The book is divided into segments by theme -- including ideas like dreams, companionship and love. All the things that Henson's creations exemplify.

The quotes by Henson himself are reflections of his own personal philosophy, while the quotes by characters from The Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock, Sesame Street and Henson's many other projects are extensions of that, showing how his beliefs and his heart touched his creations. The quotes by friends, such as Ray Charles, Frank Oz and other Muppeteers famous "guests" of the Muppets, usually give insight into Henson himself, and how his beliefs touched his life, his work, and by extension, the entire world.

The book is also dotted with sketches by Henson -- early drawings of the Muppet characters, various doodles, and even a cut-away diagram that shows how a performer would operate a Big Bird-like suit. It's a nice little addition to a good book.

I can't imagine anyone not loving the Muppets. I don't know if I'd want to meet that person. And Jim Henson himself was a performer whose imagination was matched only by his heart. This book is a wonderful portrait of that.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Philosophical whimsy October 8, 2005

By MovedbyMusic

Format:Hardcover

Jim Henson's creativity boggles my mind to this day. This is a little book of quips relevant to his philosophy and I love the peek into his genius. Speaking of genius - Ray Charles wrote of Jim Henson: "The words say "It's not easy being green'" but the song is about knowing who you are. And in it you hear Jim's message most clearly. He believed that people are good and that they want to do their best and no matter how or why we might be different from anybody else, we should learn to love who we are and be proud of it." Amen.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Thoughtful and Thought provoking collection September 17, 2005

By K. O. David

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a very good gift book that will probably have a long shelf life as one Henson fan gives it to another fan who will then buy a copy for yet another fan. I found it inspiring and thought provoking. It took me a couple of days to read through it because I kept putting it down and contemplating the passage I had read before moving onto the next page. The illustrations through out were fun. Some of them I hadn't seen before. I did learn a few things about Jim Henson the man I hadn't known before. When I got to the end, I wished it had been a little longer with some more writings or quotes from Jim Henson but overall I was very satisfied with the book.