Esoteric Probuditi!

Since our past Esoteric Saturday's were a bit heavy, thought we would hit today with something a little more fun. A children's book. That's right folks, hypnosis has made it into the picture book world for children with Probuditi! Written and illustrated by Caldecott winner Chris Van Allsburg, this is an interesting little foray into our favorite subject.

Not to spoil it for you (it is a super, quick read), it is about a little boy who gets it into his head to hypnotize his pesky, little sister and mayhem ensues. At first, my feathers were ruffled because it seemed to embrace one of the awful myths about hypnosis, but the end shows that it might not be as it seems. It is a subtle ending and it's rather charming. Point taken.

Interestingly enough, when you read the reviews for it in Amazon, no one really mentions the hypnosis angle (which is a major theme). Instead people take the racial topic, which I personally think has nothing to do with the book. But people will read into what they want, I guess. However, last year it was voted one of the 25 best children's books by Time Magazine.

Anyway, if you have read this, let me know your thoughts.