Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

The loss of Jim Henson greatly diminished the world. "It's Not Easy Being Green: And Other Things to Consider" gathers together some of Henson's thoughts on a variety of topics. What comes through is an individual who was deeply concerned with making a contribution to the world, and how we can all live a life in harmony with ourselves, with other people, and the world around us. This is a short read, a book for keeping in the bag on the way to work and other times when losing yourself in pleasant thoughts and deeper private reflection is appropriate.

I have always been a huge fan of the Muppets show, and was hoping to learn more about Jim Henson, the creator of and driving force behind the Muppets when I discovered this little book. Instead, it is essentially a collection of quotes by Jim Henson, his co-workers, his family, and his Muppet characters, and as such, it reads more like a eulogy than anything else.

Although bracketed by a loving tribute by his daughter Cheryl, and a brief (4 page) biography at the end, I would have liked to see more narrative of Jim Henson's life and philosophy connecting the quotes. I think I'll go check out a Jim Henson biography instead, or best yet, watch some old Muppet show re-runs!

Since I'm a big Muppet nut, I had this on my Amazon wishlist and received it as a Christmas gift from my sister. She told me that she couldn't help but read some of it before wrapping it up and sending it to me. The small verses, quotes from Jim Henson as well as his friends, family and collaborators really touched her. She told me she was surprised to find she had a hard time sending it as she wanted it for herself. It seems the quiet, heart-felt musings of Jim Henson can work their magic even if you aren't prepared for them.

I plan on re-reading this book often. Whenever I need a pick-me-up, just to pass the time, or to inspire others. I'll never forger the power and ispiration this small little book has. And in case your wondering, I sent my sister a copy for thanks for giving me one.

That's the best way to describe the philosophy of the Muppets and the work of Jim Henson. Zany, silly, goofy, but full of heart and an unending optimism. This book gives a peek at what he was trying to communicate about life using these flawed, but loveable characters.

Highly recommend.

Loved IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN by Jim Henson, the Muppets and
friends . . . it is a compilation of quotes, stories, anecdotes, songs and
insights, all of which gave me insight into the magical world
of the late Jim Henson.

I especially liked the introduction, written by his daughter
Cheryl . . . as she notes, her dad's approach to life made
it possible for him to create "some of the most beloved
characters the world has known and to use them to spread
social values that were important to him, such as inclusiveness,
tolerance, humor, and kindness."

Wouldn't it be great if we all could do something even
remotely similar!

For example, along the lines of what Henson did when
he expressed the desire for simpler life . . . according to
his daughter Lisa, he once "admired the job of the man who
walks along the road picking up trash with a long stick. He
thought that guy had a great job, walking along with a stick,
. . . enjoying the road, and doing only good in the world, with
hundreds of small actions."

There were so many other memorable passages in IT'S NOT EASY
BEING GREEN that it it's difficult for me to cite just
a few to include in this review . . . yet try I must, so
here's but a sampling:

* If just one person believes in you
Deep enough and strong enough
Believes in you hard enough and long enough
Before you knew it, someone else would think
"If he can do it, I can do it"
Making it two. Two whole people who believe
in you.
And maybe even you can believe in you
too.--Robin and the Muppet Gang

* My name is Jim Henson and I am a puppeteer.
I'm called a puppeteer because I do puppets.
There are all different kinds of puppets . . .
There have been puppets almost as long as there have been people.

One of the nice things about puppets is that it's your own hand
in there.
You can make it do anything you want it to.--Jim

* I don't resent working long hours. I shouldn't--I'm the
one who set up my life this way. I love to work. It's the thing that
I get the most satisfaction out of--and probably what I do best. Not
that I don't enjoy days off. I love vacations and loafing around. But
I think much of the world has the wrong idea of working. It's one of
the good things in life. The feeling of accomplishment is more real and
satisfying than finishing a good meal--or looking at one's accumulated
wealth.--Jim

Jim Henson's accompanying illustrations added to my enjoyment
of this book.

"It's Not Easy Being Green" is a tribute to the late puppeteer Jim Henson, a collection containing some of his advice and insight as well as memories of Henson by those who knew him. Henson's simple illustrations are sprinkled throughout the book. Also included are comments by the Muppets and other characters he created. My favorites are the exchanges between Muppets Bert and Ernie.

The short entries are inspirational ("[Children] don't remember what you try to teach them. They remember what you are." -Henson) and funny ("As you start traveling down that road of life, remember ... The places you're going to are never on the map.... So forget the map, roll down the windows, and whenever you can, pull over and have a picnic with a pig." - Kermit).

The book is edited by Henson's daughter, Cheryl Henson, and would make a charming gift.

As I saw one reviewer mention, a quick glance through the pages instantly reveals that this isn't a full Henson bio, and I agree with the reviewer that such a bio would no doubt be superior to this little collection of quotes (no offense to the Henson family member that put this together).

But you know, I was in the store, not really knowing what to buy, and when I saw this inexpensive item, I figured somebody like me with great respect for Kermit the Frog couldn't go wrong. I wasn't disappointed. I did see how Henson got his start in the business, and that was good. I don't recall seeing how Kermit came about, but some neat bits and pieces of Sesame Street appeared along the way. Too bad I never watched Fraggle Rock.