It's a Book

by Lane Smith

Smith’s cartoon illustrations show Jackass and Monkey sitting in armchairs... read more

Smith’s cartoon illustrations show Jackass and Monkey sitting in armchairs across from each other, Jackass with his laptop and Monkey with his book. In a text told in dialogue, Jackass, who has never seen a book before, peppers Monkey with question after question about what it does (“Can it text? Tweet? Wi-Fi?”) and how it works (“Does it need a password? Need a screen name?”). Exasperated, Monkey finally resorts to reading a passage of Treasure Island aloud. Jackass gets drawn into the story and asks to read it, promising to re-charge it when he’s finished. Monkey’s parting words (“It’s a book, Jackass.”) have raised some adult eyebrows, but it is the character’s name, and the author has made it pretty clear from the beginning that he doesn’t think much of the story’s antagonist. (Ages 5–8)

© Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2011

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