The Boring Book

Japanese author and illustrator Yoshitake (Still Stuck) zeroes in on a ubiquitous childhood experience and probes it with dry wit. The creator's human figures draw smiles from the get-go as a boy sprawls on the couch, dead bored: "My toys are boring. There's nothing to watch on TV." His mind wanders: "Why am I bored? What does 'boring' mean, anyway?" In vignettes and multistage spreads, the boy considers the many permutations of ennui. "I wonder what the world's most boring amusement part is like," the boy says, as Yoshitake shows children in an advanced state of stupor shuffling through a park ("The Ferris wheel is low. The roller coaster is slow. Most of the rides are closed for repairs"). Is everything either fun or boring, or is there something in between, "like when I'm peeling a hard-boiled egg"? Just don't ask the adults about being bored. Their replies are... dull. The uncredited translation conveys the book's humor, though the warm, handwritten text of the original is swapped out for chilly printed type. Alive to paradox, Yoshitake demonstrates that talking about what's boring can be a lot of fun. Ages 4-8. (Aug.)

PreS-Gr 2--A fluffy-haired boy says the commonly heard childhood phrase, "I'm bored." Mom is busy, so he wonders to himself just what makes things boring. Why is he bored? What does boring actually mean? He imagines boring situations, parks with no playgrounds and such. While pondering the concept of boringness, he discovers that the act of thinking is not boring at all. The boy continues musing on the state of being bored: Is it fun when 300 boring people get together or is it 300 times more boring? He concludes that no matter how bored he feels, it is up to him to make his own fun. Cartoon illustrations in primary colors depict the boy in various whimsical scenarios as he analyzes his mental state and observes the world around him. Short sentences of prose, segmented throughout the page, work well with the illustrations to keep readers engaged and thinking critically along with the boy. VERDICT This book was first published in Japan, and is sure to entertain self-proclaimed bored children everywhere, provide them with food for thought, and inspire a few chuckles as well.-Mindy Hiatt, Salt Lake County Library Services