ONION JOHN
By Joseph Krumgold

"Onion John" is a story about the unusual friendship between a twelve-year-old boy and a man who spends most of his time going through the dump in the little town of Serenity, New Jersey. But Onion John (named for the magnificent onions he grows and likes to eat for breakfast!) is no mere vagrant (he has lived in Serenity for twenty-five years), he is just different. The language he speakes is unintelligible and he has decidedly peculiar ideas--peculiar, that is, to the modern faith in facts and figures. Up until now, Andy Rusch has treated Onion John like the rest of the town does, but after a ball game, when he scores the winning run, something changes. He not only finds that he can understand what Onion John is saying, but he discovers that there is a good deal of sense in it. Raised by his father to pursue a career in engineering, Andy finds Onion John's more intuitive way of looking at the world intriguing. But when Mr. Rush extends his control over his son's future to include his best friend's way of life, Andy knows that he has to act if he is to save them both.

"Onion John" is a profound study on the theme of parental and civil responsibility. How far should Mr. Rusch go in dictating his son's future? Should the tow try to change Onion John's way of life just because it is different? By the end of the story these questions have been put to the test and humanely resolved. Not only are the bonds between Andy and his father immeasurably strengthened, but the town comes to a greater appreciation of Onions John's uniqueness. The town of Serenity has at last grown into its name!

- Kilpatrick, William, Gregory Kilpatrick and Suzanne Wolfe. "A Guide to Teaching Your Child Moral Values Through Stories". USA: Simon and Schuster, 1994.