Waiting for Book Club: Follow Up

We at the ToughPigs Institution for the Arts hope you enjoyed our Book Club presentation of the classic "Wait For Me." We do understand that some of our loyal readers may not be as educated or highbrow as us, so we would like to share some of our observations so that you can steal them and present them as your own opinions.

Special thanks to all the ToughPigs who let their feelings be heard. Stay tuned for future Book Clubs on the ToughPigs Forum!

To avoid spoilers, click here to read "Wait For Me" in its entirety.

Insufficient Elmo:Of course Elmo's going to feel inferior if he's trying to jump as far as Big Bird, who is at least six feet taller than him. And has legs he can operate independently. ~ Anthony

Having a smaller kid in your hangout group SUCKS. They keep you from going biking with your friends or getting ice cream. (I quote: 'Helping Elmo,' said Grover SADLY.) ~ Jogchem

Nurse Grover:Grover is just as tremendously helpful at knocking people/Elmo/things/roofs over when he isn't in his SuperGrover disguise. But he is much better at first aid. ~ Beth

I like Grover's "After I take care of Elmo" which sounds tremendously threatening. ~ Anthony

The writer kept downplaying Elmo's wound: "At last he found a tiny scratch." "He washed Elmo's tiny scratch." "He put a tiny bandage on it." What is the point of this? I get it, it's tiny. Does it make Elmo a sissy for crying about it? Is this just to a amplify the image that Elmo is younger and littler? Like I needed any more imagery after watching him repeatedly fail at simple tasks, and see his "friends" leave him behind in the dust. ~ Alaina

I think Elmo's lying about his boo-boo in a desperate cry for attention, and Grover knows it. ~ Ryan R.

Emancipated Elmo:Patty in Christmas Eve on Sesame Street isn't the only child on Sesame Street to suffer from lack of adult supervision. Elmo needed a mommy to point out the obvious. A committee should investigate why there aren't enough mommies to go around and some children on Sesame Street are stuck with leftover grandfathers and Susan and Gordan on loan. No Child Left Behind, right? ~ Beth

And where are Elmo's parents during all this? Why didn't they help Elmo with his injury? Do they know their young son is off cavorting with an old man he just met? ~ Ryan R.

Ernie & Bert & Big Bird:Ernie and Bert on a bench in the park reminds me of Statler and Waldorf in MTM. I expected them to call out something like " You call that a boo-boo? Booooo!" or "A red monster and a blue one! Lovey-dovey!" ~ Beth

Big Bird's roller skates are AWESOME. ~ Joe

Who do you think is pitching in the picture of Elmo striking out? My guess is Ernie, mostly because Bert and Grover don't have working fingers. ~ Ryan R.

Bert and Big Bird only got one scoop of ice cream on their cones, while Ernie got two scoops. Does this mean Ernie is a glutton, or just that Bert and Big Bird couldn't afford an extra scoop, in which case Ernie is a heel for eating his two scoops right in front of them? ~ Ryan R.

The Band:I think they are just random hobos who just picked up instruments. ~ Barry

Not all Muppet guitarists are lefthanded. ~ Jogchem

Grover's Grandpa:At first I was dismayed at the thought of Elmo and Grover's Grandpa "getting back at Grover". Grover is just a child. Then, I thought about how 95% of the things I do are out of spite...and I'm okay with that. Teach 'em young! ~ Alaina

I'm forced to wonder, did the events of this book force Grover to take precautions to never have his grandfather on Sesame Street again? It sure would explain a lot. And by "a lot," I mean it would explain one minor plot point. ~ Joe

Grover is related to a Professor Hastings lookalike. ~ Jogchem

Grover's grandpa sympathizes with Elmo's plight because if there's one thing people have less need for than a little kid, it's an old man. ~ Ryan R.

"Grover... was surprised to see Elmo in his grandpa's lap." That is completely sensible. ~ Ryan R.

Final Thoughts:"You're just the right size to fit on my lap" is a perfect pickup line. ~ Jogchem

Be patient with your scrawny friends, or else you'll miss out on ice cream and elephants. ~ Ryan R.
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