By John Lennon
“Before you cross the street, take my hand Life is
what happens to you while you’re busy making other
plans.” --from “Beautiful Boy” written by John
Lennon for his son Sean
They say the rich are different,
and I suppose it could be true. Money brings
different opportunities and different headaches (not
that I have first hand experience, mind you, but I
could imagine that choosing between Christian Dior
and Liz Claiborne outfits for a play date is
stressful for anyone).
But the relationship between a
parent and a child has its roots in other things.
The rich may be different, but the heart of a parent
is, essentially, the same.
That fact becomes evident on every
page of “Real Love: The Drawings For Sean,” a
compilation of watercolored drawings and simple –
but punny – prose written by the late John Lennon
for his son Sean. He may have been a founding member
of the world’s greatest rock group, but the Lennon
that is revealed on these pages is 100% dad. “I’m
going to raise this baby, Yoko. You go do the
business,” Lennon reportedly told his wife after
Sean’s birth in 1975, and he apparently brought as
much enthusiasm to his role of daddy and
househusband that he did years earlier to the role
of songwriter and artist.
But art didn’t leave Lennon’s life
during that time – instead, it became a game,
another way to communicate with his beloved youngest
son. In the book’s introduction, Yoko Ono explained
that the “Real Love” drawings were the result of a
game between the two. “What’s this?” John would ask
his toddler, and whatever answer Sean would give –
“A cat napping!” or “A worm turning!” – would become
the title of the work.
“Real Love” is more than a tribute
to this father-son relationship; it’s also an
enjoyable read for the entire family. Its colorful
pages and short phrases make it a natural for the
“read-to-me” set (and it’s easily memorized – I’ve
caught my 3 year old Max “reading” this book to
himself more than once.) Earlier readers will be
able to work through the simplistic vocabulary,
while older children (and even adults) will enjoy
the irony and wit that made Lennon one of the most
fascinating wordsmiths of his time. (Check out
“Collie flower” and “Puppy Love” for two examples).
It’s fun to have the children look at the pictures
and guess what the caption would be, or make up some
of their own. My younger children even wanted to
draw their own rendition of “Elephants Forgetting”
and “Pecking Order.” Any book that inspires such
creativity (and parent-child interaction!) is a
“best buy” in my book!
By John Lennon
Reviewed by Mary Dixon Weidler
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