Sesame Street - Louise A. Gikow - Review AND Giveaway

Sesame Street: A Celebration - 40 years of Life on the Street

Today marks the last day of the 26th annual Miami Book Fair International - an event I would dearly love to attend. If you're thinking about it - next year's dates are November 7 - 14, 2010.

Author Louise A Gikow was there talking about her just released book from Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers.

I use Google as my main search engine. All last week they featured characters from Sesame Street on the homepage. The first day it wasn't even a whole character - just some banded orange legs. I bet there are very few people who didn't identify them as Big Bird's appendages!

At forty years, Sesame Street is the longest running children's television show. It's now seen in 120 countries. I was already in school when it first aired, but remember sitting with my little sister and watching it with her when I got home. And then twenty years later, watching it with my children. The theme song is still easily recalled: " Sunny days, sweepin' the clouds away...."

The show is iconic and the book is amazing. It's a wonderfully heavy coffee table book. Glossy stock and over 1500 colour photographs. But it's the stories within that make it such a keeper. Founder Joan Ganz Cooney realized that television could be educational as well as entertaining and broke new ground in broadcasting that has both matched the test of time and stayed two steps ahead, always finding new ways to teach and reach children.

I loved the behind the scenes stuff - how and who is behind and in and under those Muppets? The set itself and the changes it's undergone. Scripts are reproduced, songs, anecdotes, art and oh, so much more. The 'real' folks that appeared are featured as well, as are the celebrities who did guest appearances.

I had such fun, enjoying every page - and it's not a book to be rushed through - there is so much to take in and relish.

And if that wasn't enough, there's a bonus DVD included, featuring clips and moments from the show. I remembered so many of them!! I was singing along to "Who are the people in your neighbourhood?", "One of these things is not like the others..." and a few more!

As Gordon said on the very first show Nov 10, 1969:

" You've never seen a street like Sesame Street. Everything happens here. You're gonna love it."

And millions of children and adults have and do love it. This would be a fantastic gift for anyone of any age. And thanks to the sponsorship of The Miami Book Fair International, I have one copy to give away.

What do you have to do to enter? Let me know who your favourite character is. Muppet or human. Myself, I am very partial to Grover. An extra entry for followers or subscribers Open to both Canada and the US. Closes Sunday December 13th at 6 pm EST.