Once Upon Two Times

Once upon a time there were two boys -- one in a classic small Ohio town and one in a large magic place called Los Angeles. One was white. One was black. One went to art school. One went to jail. Neither had much success at first, but both worked hard. One drew pictures with ink. One drew pictures with music. Each achieved acclaim, awards, money and security. One was named Robert McCloskey, the other Barry White. Both storytellers died last weekend -- McCloskey at 89, White at 58 -- but each left a legacy that continues to touch the lives, minds and memories of millions.

Both White and McCloskey understood the power of an imaginative story on the memories of humans. Think about it: How many stories will you hear and tell today? That’s how we learn and remember most values and lessons, through stories from parents, teachers, friends, books, newspapers. Even TV ads are mini-stories now.

Through his keen observational skills, McCloskey told amazingly simple stories for children that adults love too. A little girl and her mother go berry picking at the same time as a bear cub and its mother. Each youngster ends up following the other’s mom.

Through his seductive bass baritone, White told stories of love and devotion that seem autobiographical. Yet each artist’s work leaves enough to the imagination that readers and listeners are drawn to place themselves into the tales.

On the surface, White and McCloskey were quite different. White was an immense urban choirboy who stole tires before forsaking mean streets for recording studios and embracing fame. McCloskey was a frail adopted New Englander who thought he’d just draw pictures to accompany someone else’s words but ended up writing words to elucidate his own illustrations, then drifted into shy seclusion on his own island.

White’s songs are filled with violins and strong, danceable beats -- “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe,” “I’ve Got So Much to Give,” “You’re the First, the Last, My Everything.” He sold more than 100 million records.

McCloskey’s gentle books -- “Homer Price,” “Centerburg Tales,” “Blueberries for Sal” and “One Morning in Maine” -- sold millions in dozens of editions. Probably his most memorable for five generations is “Make Way for Ducklings,” a 1,150-word tale of a mallard couple who move to Boston to hatch eight babies. Mr. Mallard sets out on a trip but does not return. A proud, confident Mrs. Mallard leads her ducklings through busy streets to the Public Garden while shoppers, motorists and police admire and protect the feathered procession. At the Garden, the ducks discover a grand pond, a lovely island and Mr. Mallard awaiting the family reunion.

“Ducklings” was published in 1941 when millions of fathers were leaving on long trips, many not to return. Even without a world war, McCloskey’s “Ducklings,” along with White’s aural seductions, will endure happily ever after. The End.