Douglas Spaulding, no question.

Another favorite character is Timothy Elliott in the vampire family stories.

I am finally reading "Tarzan." Compare this passage of when Tarzan, as a child, first sees his own reflection, to the description of Timothy viewing his reflection in "Homecoming."

"It was on a sultry day of the dry season that he and one of his cousins had gone down to the bank to drink. As they leaned over, both little faces were mirrored on the placid pool; the fierce and terrible features of the ape beside those of the aristocratic scion of an old English house.

Tarzan was appalled. It had been bad enough to be hairless, but to own such a countenance! He wondered that the other apes could look at him at all.

That tiny slit of a mouth and those puny white teeth! How they looked beside the mighty lips and powerful fangs of his more fortunate brothers!

And the little pinched nose of his; so thin was it that it looked half starved. He turned red as he compared it with the beautiful broad nostrils of his companion. Such a generous nose! Why it spread half across his face! It certainly must be fine to be so handsome, thought poor little Tarzan.

But when he saw his own eyes; ah, that was the final blow--a brown spot, a gray circle and then blank whiteness! Frightful! not even the snakes had such hideous eyes as he."

Cecy,...
...in 'The April Witch' (one of Ray's favorite stories ).

I have often wondered what became of John Huff, who received one of Mr. Bradbury's most magnificent characterizations in a simply wonderful opening paragraph (p.102) in Dandelion Wine.

"The facts about John Huff, aged twelve, are simple and soon stated. . . . He was not a bully. He ran easy!"

(Read the entire chapter, and see if you don't agree.)

Dandy, nice juxtaposition!

Reminds me of a riddle:

Q: Why do gorillas have such big nostrils?
A: They have big fingers!

(Well, my 7-year-old grandson liked it.)

quote:

Originally posted by fjp451:
I have often wondered what became of John Huff...

fjp, if you mean the real-life John Huff (for there was such a person, a childhood friend of RB), Ray has spoken about this. I think it is in the introduction to the audiobook called The Fantastic Tales of Ray Bradbury. He's probably written about it somewhere as well. (I've just looked in Sam Weller's biography to see if there's any mention there, but there doesn't seem to be, although Weller has evidently interviewed Mr Huff. What Weller does make clear is that in real life it way RAY who was moving away, not John Huff.)

Of course, if you mean the fictional John Huff, who knows where he might have got to by now?

Ray also mentions the real John Huff in the introduction to the paperback of "Dandelion Wine."

John learned of Ray's stories about him when his child brought home a school textbook containing "Statues."

quote:

Originally posted by poettesse:
Douglas Spaulding, no question.

Me too!