It's a Book

I was poking around the bookstore the other day and came across It's a Book by Lane Smith. It is a picture book about books and technology, and it is laugh-out-loud funny. The three characters are Monkey, Mouse, and Jackass (more on his name in a minute). Monkey is trying to read a traditional paper book, but Jackass keeps interrupting by asking questions about the book's features. "Can it text? Blog? Scroll? Wi-fi? Tweet?" Jackass asks. Monkey continually, and with growing annoyance, answers, "No. It's a book." I think my favorite part is when Jackass, thinking the book is a computer, asks where the mouse is, and Monkey lifts his hat to reveal the third character in the book, Mouse. Donkey finally takes the book from Monkey and becomes engrossed in it.

It is a fantastic picture book. I do think some parents will object to the character name of Jackass instead of Donkey, and because of this I was surprised to see that seven libraries in the Allegheny County system (including my own USC Township Library) have ordered copies in their children's sections. The first definition in the dictionary for the word jackass is "a male donkey," though.

I like Smith's humorous take on our increasingly digital world. I am obviously not anti-technology or I wouldn't be blogging on the internet, but I do think that we need to be aware that our lives are now permeated with technology. I also think that as great as e-books may be, physical books have a certain magic to them. In an interview, Smith said, "I wasn't trying to make a statement or get all preachy or anything. I just thought it [digital v. traditional] would make a funny comedic conflict." I completely agree.

Above is the trailer for It's a Book. Ironic?