Reading the treasures of Missouri to your child

By Lt. Governor Joe Maxwell

	It is a rare moment when we would think of the poem "Wynken, Blynken, and
Nod" and newspaper writing at the same time.  Eugene Field, though, was a
rare and spectacular Missourian who was able to balance both, being known as
the Children's Poet and the Father of the Personal Newspaper Column.

	A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to meet his grandson as Field was
posthumously inducted into the Missouri Press Association Newspaper Hall of
Fame.  Although most of us know this St. Louis native as the author of
children's poems, he worked in numerous positions for the St. Louis Evening
Journal, the St. Joseph Gazette, St. Louis Times-Journal, and Kansas City
Times.  He may have worked for newspapers, but his great capacity for poetry
was recognized as well by his peers, as he was designated the poet of the
Missouri Press Association in 1874.  

	Eugene Field was not only a great poet from Missouri, but also one whose
memories of St. Joseph were captured in some of his immortal poetry.  These
included those of his writing career, as memorialized in "The St. Jo
Gazette," but also his memories of love. "St. Jo, Buchanan County, Is
leagues and leagues away" begins his poem entitled "Lover's Lane, St. Jo"
which reminisces the time he spent separated from his love and future wife,
and his desire to be back in Missouri. 

	Lover's Lane today may look differently than when Eugene Field and Julia
Comstock rode down it in a horse and carriage in the 1870s, but its beauty
has been preserved through St. Joseph's parkway and boulevard system.  A
statue of "Little Boy Blue," Field's famous poem about the toys of his son,
stands in the St. Joseph Public Library.  Additionally, his childhood home
has been preserved in St. Louis as the Eugene Field House and St. Louis Toy
Museum.  This museum promotes the memory of him of his family, including his
father who served as Dred Scott's attorney.  As the St. Louis Toy Museum,
this home serves to preserve the treasures of childhood dolls and toys used
by the children who were his audience.  These are all fantastic places to
learn a little more about the history of Missouri and one of its famous
sons.
	
	Not only should we visit the sites of our famous Missouri authors, but also
we should make them a source of great enjoyment through reading.  As an
advisor to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for early
childhood programs, I promote the role reading can play in a child's life
and development.  The fantastical and beautiful children's poems and
lullabies of Eugene Field not only stir the imagination of children, but
they serve as a reminder of the wonderment that can be brought through
reading.  

	Missouri offers authors to enthrall our children at every age. Children can
follow the life of Laura on plains and prairie through the Little House
series by Laura Ingalls Wilder.  They can float down the Mississippi River
with Huck and Jim or whitewash fences through the magic of Mark Twain.  From
the drama of Tennessee Williams to the poetry of Langston Hughes and Maya
Angelou, every child, teen, and adult can rediscover the world of reading
and Missouri.  We have been fortunate to have these treasures created for us
by Missouri authors. Rediscover the rich history and beauty of Missouri
through someone else's eyes by sharing these treasures with your child.