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Animals of the Ocean: In Particular the Giant Squid
By Dr. and Mr. Doris Haggis-on-Whey
McSweeney's Books
64 pages
$18
"You have purchased this book and now you will learn. My name is Dr. Haggis-on-Whey and I am a scientist. I will not pretend to be your friend. We are here to study animals of the ocean and I will not mince words. If you pay attention I will be less dissatisfied."
So begins Animals of the Ocean: In Particular the Giant Squid, the third in McSweeney's HOW Series, 'Dedicated to the Exploration and Dissemination of Unbelievable Brilliance.' (Warning: Everything about the HOW series is to be taken with tongue firmly planted in cheek.)
A copy of this slender but magnificent-looking tome, with its "foil-stamped and leather-inspired cover," landed in the Seed offices a couple of days ago (thanks, Dave), and it had such an appealing retro/Jacques Cousteau/Little Golden Library/1960s-science-museum-exhibit look and feel that I couldn't resist giving it a read.
Animals of the Ocean is the third installment in a series of "science" books including Giraffes? Giraffes! and Your Disgusting Head. It is also, itself, a pretty weird animal.
It is:
- Sumptuously designed, by Mark Wasserman and Irene Ng of Plinko, to ape the look of Atomic Age science books for kids
- So silly as to border on Dadaistic
- The place to go if you want to know, for instance, the "Most Popular Baby Names for Fifty Seldom-Seen Sea Animals" (tongue worms favor "Elijah" for boys and "Kiara" for girls--true story), or "Why Most Giant Squids Will Not Watch TV in Black and White"
- Likely to provoke hearty giggles from adults with a taste for the absurd, and who remember the kinds of books that this volume spoofs
It is not:
- Actually for kids
Let me amplify that. This book is not for kids, because nothing in it is true. It's wall-to-wall parody of genres and conventions that kids won't know about. And it's full of lies. Hilarious to you, perhaps, but guaranteed to be confusing to the young'uns.
That said, it really did make me giggle out loud.
Comments
Explain please: Why should fiction be confusing to kids? Humor over their heads is one thing (still, I wouldn't underestimate them), but being "full of lies"--that's literature.
Posted by: hilllady | January 24, 2007 11:18 AM
Well, it says things like "the dark part of the sea is dark because it is surrounded by heavy velvet curtains, which are meant to keep out the light."
It's kind of funny, and part of the joke is that there's this autocratic 'scientist' character who is telling all these funny untruths and not taking any lip about it, but I think that this book is more confusing than just 'fiction' because it looks like a nonfiction book and purports to be a nonfiction book. Older kids will definitely 'get it' that it's not actually true, but I think younger kids would be more likely to sense that something's not quite right but not really know what.
My point was that this book isn't just fiction, it's satire. It's like 'The Onion' of childrens' science books.
Posted by: katherine sharpe | January 24, 2007 12:49 PM
...and just as I wouldn't start a child on 'The Onion' who hadn't firmly grasped what a real newspaper was yet, I wouldn't want to give this book to a child who didn't have a certain level of understanding of science and science books.
That said, I don't know at what age that understanding comes (doubtless it depends on the child in question), and I don't think the book is likely to hurt or lead anyone astray -- just that it'll probably sail over the heads of readers below a certain age.
Posted by: Katherine Sharpe | January 24, 2007 12:52 PM
Still, I think its loopiness is its strength, and that works to both a child or an adult reading it. So many kid's books have deeper subtexts, and frankly the child may or may not pick up on that deeper message. For example, I just listed a bunch of books where I use the artwork as a cohesive frame for a talk on sustainability, and several of them veer off fantastically, in both silly and often nasty directions (at least on the surface), but have a profound message underlying the story.
And here's the thing. A book for a child has to ultimately appeal to both the child and the adult reading/purchasing it. And chances are: a book as pretty and silly as this, will only lead to a great and likely interactive reading experience.
And for the kid who can read it himself (i.e. at least 6, 7 years + who may have possibly recieved one for review)? Well, you'd be surprised at how in tune with silliness they are. In fact, it might even be argued more so than your average adult.
Anyway, it'll be interesting to see what others think...
Posted by: David Ng | January 24, 2007 3:09 PM
"And here's the thing. A book for a child has to ultimately appeal to both the child and the adult reading/purchasing it."
That is definitely true, and I think was part of the strength of a show like Sesame Street, which has plenty of jokes for adults that children wouldn't get, or necessarily even notice.
Posted by: katherine sharpe | January 24, 2007 3:11 PM