The Outrageous Outdoor Games Book

I met Bob Gregson in 1976. I was teaching at Trinity College in Hartford, CT, and he was in the process of putting together a program called "Thursday is a Work of Art." Sponsored by the City of Hartford, Bob and his crew turned sections of downtown Hartford into invitations to play. He had build a large arm chair - so large that an adult would have to do some serious climbing to get onto the seat - and put it in front of an insurance building. It was an invitation to play, an opportunity to be reminded of the child's perspective. Along the alley he'd assembled a row of folding chairs where his friends sat and, every now and then, applauded passers-by. Just because, as fellow human beings, they were applause-worthy. Some people tried to ignore it. Others bowed and waved and acted humble. Elsewhere, there was a joke booth, manned by joke-telling jokers. Anyone could stand in front of behind the booth. The impact was gentle and pervasive. Hartford had been turned into a city of delight.

Bob turned his incredible sense of art and play into two books: The Outrageous Outdoor Games Book and the Incredible Indoors Games Book. Both convey the spirit and sensitivity that humorously and artfully brings people into play.