Hilariously Done: Good Google Bun, Fun!

Hilariously Good Google Bun, Fun!

By Jocelan B Cassells

Let us face it. I am a middle-aged adult with newly onset learning difficulties. These days I can barely scrape through most adult non-fiction books, unless we are talking true crime or assisting with the editing of one of my dear mother’s fiction books. Besides this, most books without lots of pictures escape my short attention span.

Enter the adventure fiction novel “The Magic Faraway Tree” penned by Enid Blyton. This book had eluded me at the school library for many months until one day a good friend at my primary school shared her copy with me, most likely a direct result of having learned from the book that sharing is indeed caring. I borrowed it for about a month, in secret because I was a late bloomer in the reading department. The first thing I noticed about the book was the cover - it screamed ‘courtesy’, ‘goodwill’ and ‘thriving difference’ in bright blue, yellows, greens, and reds.

Having spent my childhood in the outer-inner suburbs of Melbourne, Australia with my parents and two older brothers, one could say we had an absolute ball creating our own magical lands that were full of surprises in our garden. The garden at my family home was decorated with the most beautiful gifts mother nature would offer such as tree ferns, liquid amber, and large plum trees, coupled with the overactive imaginations of children (and parents!) with truly wonderous spirits.

At the time reading and understanding the written word for me was a total blur. I liked numbers. Anyway, I found it difficult to understand letters due to my eye problems – astigmatism, long sighted-ness and double-vision. The surgeons had operated on my eye to correct it. I embarrassingly fumbled my way through most days at school to understand the details of books let alone the world around me, however, pictures told a thousand words which relieved some anxiety about not being able to read properly. But TMFT looked enticing enough to read. Who could look past the Saucepan Man with his adorable little face and body covered in pots and pans?

As other children at primary school excitedly moved about swapping and borrowing books reading their chosen literature with sheer delight for the upcoming Read-a-Thon, was a time for me to simply immerse myself in other children’s joy and passion for reading and fundraising for charity. The bonus was that most of the other children had already read Enid Blyton books, and their shared knowledge of The Magic Faraway tree helped me to create a formula in the hope of understanding the book’s contents.

I enjoyed the book so much that, today, housed in my cosy studio bedroom, there exists a large A4-sized print edition it. And yes. I still love it and awaits my eagerness to open it up a random page for a laugh or contemplative moment. Bright light moments.

So, back to my experience with The Magic Faraway Tree – a tree that I thought was growing in my own backyard! And yes, I would climb that tree to the very topmost at times, expecting to find a plumed cloud at its peak during each climb. To me, I imagined that the cloud would certainly appear one day. I just needed to be patient. Then, the search for the cloud came to a halt one afternoon, after I slipped on a branch and went tumbling all the way to the ground – with a large red plum in my sprained hand. This did not matter because The Magic Faraway Tree had already been burnt into my mind and I would set myself off at night’s rest to find the elusive structure during dream travels.

My favourite children’s book tells a story of three siblings, Joe, Beth and Fannie plus an addition to the crew of three is their cousin, Rick who stays with them while his mother is ill. The addition of an extra humanistic character lends to the familial aspect of the book particularly the ‘sleepover’ which it is still always fun to have friends stay over for a slumber party. I digress. The four children take regular sojourns to an Enchanted Forest with most true and innocent mindsets, usually after having completed household or garden chores. This gave rise to my own understanding of earning one’s ‘keep’ in life and that the incentives involved after hard work would be very rewarding especially as one prepares to go out into the world on a solo mission one day.

Soon enough we discover that deep within the forest of the Enchanted Woods exists a large tree -The Magic Faraway Tree - home to a vast array of oddly enough likeable characters who not only stay in studio apartment-style rooms within the trunk of the tree, but these characters also sojourn through many random lands that come and go through the cloud at the very top of the illustrious tree.

When I was a child, I recall highly anticipating each sitting, even if it were to gaze into the pictures. Just as much as the supposedly naughty children and main odd characters in the story, who would also very much rise to the occasion and look forward to their next adventure in the tree to some magical land that arouses the most curious of minds. Or, simply a visit to a party at one of the interesting occupants of the tree, such as Dame Washalot, Moonface, Silky. Watzisname, the Angry Pixie or The Saucepan Man.

Ok let me get into the inspirational nitty gritty of these characters that live in the tree. Dame Washalot has strong arms because she is always washing things and takes delight in doing so. Moonface has a big round face that resembles the Moon, but he is not actually from the Moon. Silky has a sweet nature and beautiful long, golden hair which is as delicate as she. The Angry Pixie, err, he is always angry and snarly. As for the Saucepan man, well he makes a lot of noise and is hard of hearing because he is covered in pots and pans. Each one of these characters are cleverly designed by the author to exaggerate characteristics you would find in one’s own community and named according to their general character traits and attitudes, and even audible sounds such as ‘clickety clack’ as the Saucepan Man goes. Gorgeously developed, each character has hilariously serious agendas unto their own. Where does one begin? But I would not want to spoil it for you, for you will have to get lost in the book for yourself!

Getting lost on one page was always guaranteed moment. There are so many lands to fall in or out or climb into. The Land of Goodies offers a smorgasbord of what one may consider to be their favourite things such as candy or gifts for the other children. This, if you do not mistake for the Land of Take Whatever You Want or The Land of Do-As-You-Please where Joe was identified as being ‘clever’ for having driven a train all by himself. Perhaps entering the Land of Spells where there are all kinds of ‘curious little shops’ managed by tall wizards or green-eyed witches offering blue daffodil juice and you may just be in for a pleasant, or not so pleasant, surprise. Or maybe, with a nice little push via a handwritten letter or knock on the window from Silky and Moonface shall find you tempted to go explore another lovely, new world. Remembering that each new land comes equipped with a whole new range of characters such as Stamp-A lot, Yell Around, the Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe and pixies along with their goblin counterparts to mention just a few.

As it is with accidental blunders, exploring new domains or inquisitive natures of children, escaping, breaking doors down or running away from trouble forms the basis of the many adventures, and provided me with my own personal toolkit as I grew older. Not that I became a professional escape artist or anything. Well, err, besides the fact that I did have my share of run-ins and had to get out of some tricky and scary situations using the imaginative toolkit derived from TMFT saved me on such occasions, I, alongside the characters in TMFT, would most likely serve well as a magician’s assistant if push came to shove in the career department.

After rediscovering an original edition of the print book at my parent’s home in 2020, I was left wondering whether the name of one of the world’s largest tech giants is derived from baked goods in this story: namely Google Buns. The buns alongside Toffee Shocks are lovingly offered on occasions, usually by Silky. And if you can imagine are akin to the cinnamon or baked scrolls that look like delicious snacks for morning tea found in local bakery window trays. You know the ones - baked scrolls that contain raisins usually with pink or white icing sugar and perhaps custard or jam on the inside? It was no wonder that some of my middle school friends were automatically drawn to such treats at the bakery! Just like real happiness, such buns under another alias exist(ed) in our world too 😊

The story rolls through manageable, hilarious, and exciting at the same time suspenseful moments, with each new page arriving at a new story in backwards or upwards fashion, spinning out of control seamlessly returning to safety, eventually. I must say that when one supposes there is no more fun to be had – in comes a fresh new stream of something that begins to feel like a new act of consciousness. Albeit some rocky transitions from the old to the new, adventures form at a rapid pace and knock one about in stupendous form. Just like the times we live.

Let your imagination run wild and free. Note: sharing is caring, helping, and supporting each other is good and this book is full of the wonderful innocent traits we are all capable and would do well to be attuned. In my world, it marks a full return to innocence.

As the saying goes “the show must go on”, the lands moving about in shrouded invisibility at the top of TMFT are a merry-go-round spectacular for which always sparked and demanded my full child-like attention, because if you are like me and love fast rollercoaster rides then you would also know that the only way forward is to keep on pushing ahead with such well-timed pace coupled with vigour and joy, laughter and good friends!

The attitudes of the characters in this book form meanings through moral junctures. It is as if ethical kindness is key to set right any moral implications the children encounter. Kindness in serious and funny moments runs rampant and the automatic act/attitudes of gratitude is first nature. Enid teaches us to harness our inner child and connect with our own spirited sense of adventure. Gratitude is contagious. Love of all things made by nature, including other people can be a magical thing. A sense of wonder and exploration can enhance the absolute beauty of the world. The Magic Faraway Tree is a novel where I lost myself time after time and in this very moment, guiding one marvellously through current space of today’s chaotic world of transitioning and certainly uncertain times.

The true sense of self expands as I meander through its chapters. Life truly is wonderful if we give it the chance. Each living organism in all their wild uniqueness is a gift for each one of us to honour and experience in full. Imagination. This is what we are born of. It is the experience of life in all forms. Imagination is love of our brothers and sisters. As this quickly becomes apparent in the author’s authenticity in communication and may this be a sermon of sorts, The Magic Faraway Tree guided (and still to this day guides) my own person through natural laws that in some regions of our world are all but forgotten. As with every single character in this book, true strength can be found in one’s acceptance of others, embracing the notion that we are all amazingly different and that, as individuals, we each have something to offer be it little or large, which is an incredibly beautiful thing.

Since a child, I have, like many others, subjected myself to questioning this life and the world which we have been granted stewardship. The answers to some of life’s questions can be found hidden in such well-crafted Children’s books which are free of prejudice and judgement. It shows that life is really, quite simple. Life is a present. And if I can sum up TMFT in my own words of what on earth is the book about, its grounding formula delivers the true essence of never-failing love through friendship, acts of kindness and the common good will of people.

TMFT became my ultimate guide to life, simplistic in form encompassing the necessary traits and tools to set about to live a gracious and pure life. It reminds one that, by channelling our inner child, it is possible to realign with our true sense of purpose, adventure, and zest for life in our ever-changing circumstances in the present moment.

I write in both past and present tense. Does it really matter because I am honoured to have my own copy of TMFT that lives on my mantle, or bed which I regularly reference to enhance my own inner world to this day.

May you find a copy for yourself, and hopefully you too shall encounter the sheer joy of experience adorned with fun and laughter in the magical tree that saved my life so many times, as a child and - now as an adult. Long live The Magic Faraway Tree and its occupants in all its grandeur, humour, and wisdom.