I have landed my copy of Be Unique, the latest in the “Peanuts Wisdom to Carry You Through” series of full-color gift books, with quotes from the strip (and in one case, directly from Schulz rather than speaking through his characters)  and images inspired by the strip, brought to life by Vicki Scott and Paige Braddock. It is interesting to see them try to draw positive messages from what was not inherently a positive strip; at times, it’s bending it a bit. Peppermint Patty gets quoted for “The world is full of beautiful plants and flowers, but I’m just an ugly weed. I’m a poor ugly weed trying to push her way up through the sidewalk of life!” That is linked to the uplifting message “Be Real”. Ah, the negative self image is a virtue!

But I pick on these books because it’s fun to pick on things. These aren’t books that anyone needs for expanding their understanding of Peanuts, but they are perfectly good for being what they’re designed to be: nice cheap little gift books.

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