My All-Time Favorite Book: Arty the Smarty
Posted: Monday, October 10, 2011
by Bruce Horst
WryteStuff
The audio version of this article is available. Just press play.
Arty the Smarty is a book written in 1964 by Faith McNulty, illustrated by Albert Aquino.
I've looked on Amazon and found that this is the only book I've ever seen there with 100% 5 star ratings by users!
When I was a child, this book was a book on the level of "See Jane Run."
I and my siblings read it so many times, I remember my next older brother reading it to me, pronouncing every word backwords, just to give the book new life.The book is about a fish that did things his own way. "When all the fish swam this way, Arty swam that way. When all the fish swam that way, Arty swam this way."
Never has there been another book which has inspired me and reflected my life more than Arty the Smarty.
As the youngest child in my family, I inherited this book for my own.
I've read this book to my kids frequently. In 3rd grade, my oldest son Zach used this book as an audible book report. You can listen to him read it along with my own sound effects by clicking the play button at the top of this article. (Zach is a 3rd year art student at the Art Institute of Austin, now.)
Jean and I have both worked hard to raise our kids with Arty the Smarty in mind. They are all looking with jaded eyes for Mean Old Crab, and they are ready to make him dizzy.
Thank you, Ms. McNulty, for giving this gift to me and my family.
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Top-level comments on this article: (6 total)Arty the smarty makes a big splash, really like this one Bruce.Thanks Dave. I've made a pretty big splash, but I'm not sure it has amounted to anything.
Ahhh, who'd have thought!
I've never read the book but I have a friend who, like you, would list it as his all time favourite. He has a copy of the Arty the Smarty book displayed in a shadow-box on his mantle. The license plate on his Porche reads A SMARTY. He has definitely lived his life moving in the opposite direction that most would choose to go, which is what I like most about him.
I can see exactly why this book appealed to you, Bruce! You know, I was in an aquarium once with a huge kind of circular glass tank filled with various schools of fish. It was amazing to see how most of them swam in one direction, but there would always be at least one or two swimming in the opposite direction, and very happy to be doing so!
We read this to our oldest daughter (now 31) and wanted to find it for our granddaughter. I was surprised at how high the prices were by used book sellers. In a case of serendipity I found this book today at a used book store for fifty cents. (yes! you read that right) So happy to have it again.What a find, congratulations! The copy we have, has pages loose from the binding. I'd love to find a nice copy for the bookshelf, but they are so expensive anywhere I can find it.
Amen..brother...My favorite book too! I read it to my 2 children! I was talking about this book on Facebook with a friend & found your article. Your favorite part is my favorite part is when Arty swam his way, I can still visualize the picture from the book. I still have the book in my attic! I will have to have my friend listen with his son to your son reading it! Thank you!
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