Good Girl

I was a devoted reader of Highlights magazine when I was a child. I loved the Timbertoes, the seek-and-find-picture, and those rebus puzzles. Yesterday, Evie June reminded me of one of the more puzzling features of the "magazine for children."

Baby Gallant sits nicely in her chair, chewing the book, and doing Pilates.



Baby Goofus? Not so much . . .



Oddly enough, I always identified more with Goofus. Apparently Evie does, too. Gallant may have eaten neatly with his napkin in his lap, but Goofus knew the poetry of pureed green beans smeared on a bald little head. Gallant may have written thank you notes immediately for all his birthday presents, but Goofus knew the joy of breaking them all before he'd even thrown away the paper.

Gallant was a nancy-boy. Evie could so take him.

Jen