Philosophy Manifests Itself as A Magical Tollbooth - Didn't You Know?

The first book to get props from the Indiosyncracy girls: The Phantom Tollbooth.

Written by Norton Juster and illustrated by Jules Feiffer, this book tells the story of a young boy named Milo who, bored and apathetic, receives a mysterious package consisting of a toy tollbooth and a map. He hops into a toy car, begins his "game", and realizes quite quickly he's been transported to a land of mystery and information.

Translated into several languages, the book has been widely acknowledged as a rather sophisticated children's story, with a sweeping allegory and metaphor thought to whoosh right over the heads of its target demographic.

I, however, disagree. A child's mind is an open thing, absorbing any and everything it comes into contact with, and it is very often underestimated. Milo's quest for knowledge within the confines of the story is considered to be something very adult - however, the allegory provides an interesting outlet for the theme. I'd like to suggest that this journey toward wisdom is explained in such a colorful and simple manner that it may infiltrate the child reader's thought process, encouraging he or she to not only embrace the idea of attaining wisdom, but perhaps even changing the way the reader perceives the process of learning.

Probably too much exposition, I realize, for our first 'indie' book recommendation. Theme, literary devices, and allegory aside, The Phantom Tollbooth is a pretty amazing read. Kate and I both loved it as kids, and it hasn't lost any appeal to us as adults.

To leave you with one of my favorite exerpts from the book - one of many, I might add, but one that has the potential to speak to everyone:

"You're on the island of Conclusions."

"But how did we get here?" asked Milo.

"You jumped, of course," explained Canby. "That's the way most everyone gets here. It's really quite simple: every time you decide something without having a good reason, you jump to Conclusions whether you like it or not. It's such an easy trip to make that I've been here hundreds of times."

"But this is such an unpleasant looking place," Milo remarked.

"Yes, that's true," admitted Canby; "it does look much better from a distance."