Geoffrey Owens, who played Elvin Tibideaux on The Cosby Show, stopped by Montclair’s own Developmental Learning Center to read his new book, “'Twas Halloween Night.” Owens, a Montclair resident, said he was happy to share the tale with the littlest learners. His first children’s book, illustrated by Karen Hopkins Harrod, is a not-so-spooky twist on “A Visit from Saint Nicholas,” (“’Twas the Night Before Christmas) by Clement Clark Moore, both in poetic sound and style. It tells the story of young Jorlyn, who learns a lesson in friendship and family.
Says Owens of the book: “Poetry, rhymed or otherwise, is, has always been, and always will be, a significant part of our culture. When at our best, we have the insight to recognize how barren life would be without it. Because of my love for Shakespeare, in choosing the meter I seriously considered iambic pentameter. But Moore's four beats somehow seemed more appropriate than the Bard's five. My hope is that this deliberate imitation (homage, perhaps?) will serve as an attractive entrance point-a friendly literary "Welcome" mat-for the reader. I also wrote "'Twas Halloween Night" with a mind towards how Dickens, in his great holiday story, makes sure both to comment on society and to suggest ways in which we, as its members, might make it better. Thus, Jorlyn's experience, like Scrooge's, leads her to a greater understanding of her human family and her responsibility to it. Years ago, when I first began working on the poem, I had in mind the need for my own little boy to be aware of, and sensitive to, the world around him. How was I to know that years later, that need-on his part as well as all of ours-would be greater than ever?”
Currently appearing in the CBS sitcom “Poppa’s House,” Owens dedicates the book to his son Jordyn and daughter Ophelia.
