ROOTABAGA STORIES were born of Carl Sandburg's imagination and desire to inspire intellectual freedom and curiosity within children's lives. Sandburg creates a world where children's hearts and minds are freed from “normality” and are set free to soar.

The land of Rootabaga is inspired by the magic of the American Midwest. Rootabaga country comes alive with friends with fantastic names and creatures like, Corn Fairies, Broom Can Handle It, Hot Dog the Tiger, and the Wind Blue Boy. In Rootabaga “the first words they speak as soon as they learn to make words shall be their names,” he said. “They shall name themselves.” That's how things go in Rootabaga, Axe me no questions, for Please Gimme don't knows-- here the windows are either open or shut, either upstairs or downstairs, just keep your eyes open and keep breathing, believing, and reading.

They explore farms, trains, sidewalks, and skyscrapers- embrace the unknown and create the impossible.

Potato Face Blind Man, an old minstrel of the Village of Liver-and-Onions, hangs out in front of the local post office telling stories and is the narrative guide in Rootabaga Country. The village of Liver-and-Onions is in Rootabaga Country, and is the silliest, biggest village of Rootabaga land. Potato Face Blind Man sits with his accordion on the corner nearest the post office. With his unseeing eyes, looking out and always searching, he sometimes finds within himself the whole human procession."

The lesson of the Rootabaga books is, never restrict a child’s imagination, for it is from the imaginations of minds, unfettered by the rules and conventions taught in schools that amazing, innovative leaps in technology are made. Gene Roddenberry, who wrote the Star Trek series, also conceived of the hand held, mobile communicator, which we know today as cell, or, mobile phone.

10% of the profit from the sale of this book is donated to charities.

Yesterday's Books for Today's Charities

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