Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Can We Say That Here?

If you pay any attention at all to the book world, I'm sure you've heard some of the controversy over this new "children's" book. The publisher describes it as: 
A bedtime book for parents who live in the real world, where a few snoozing kitties and cutesy rhymes don't always send a toddler sailing blissfully off to dreamland. . . Adam Mansbach's verses perfectly capture the familiar--and unspoken--tribulations of putting your little angel down for the night. . . Beautiful, subversive, and pants-wettingly funny - a book for parents new, old, and expectant. You probably should not read it to your children.
This book is dead-center, on-the-mark, exactly what every parent has thought at some point when faced with endless glasses of water, trips to the bathroom, stories, questions and a toddler who STILL refuses to sleep.  Be warned, the language is offensive, but it's also what makes the story funny - what makes us sympathize with this parent who is obviously at the end of his rope.  Granted, it could have been dialed back a bit (Don't you blaspheme in here! Don't you blaspheme in here!*), but they didn't ask us. 

The only thing funnier than reading the book is listening to the audio version, read by Samuel L. Jackson.  Warning (in case you ignored the first one)
:  Don't watch this at work, in front of your mother-in-law, or with any kids in the room.



Now admit it - that really is "pants-wettingly" funny!

*Bonus points if you can name that movie.

3 comments:

  1. I feel as if I've seen the movie just recently, but can't the title or context! aaargh.
    I put up answers to the CW quiz.
    Listening to Samuel Jackson read GTFTS now. LOL

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  2. I think I've finally got it!!!!! The Dirty Dozen!!! Telly Savalas' character.

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  3. The movie quote is from Blues Brothers. Aretha Franklin's character, Mrs. Murphy, when the Blues brothers enter her cafe to tell her they are on a "mission from God".

    But now you've got me curious if there is a similar quote in the Dirty Dozen. I'm off to research.

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