Textbook Amy Krouse Rosenthal

June 15, 2016
Ephemera from the life of a children's book author.In her latest book for grown-ups, Rosenthal (Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life, 2005, etc.) again organizes stories of her life into something like a reference book or textbook. The author largely eschews written narrative in favor of a broad smattering of tables, graphs, drawings, photos, a guitar chord progression, a recipe, a dream, a Venn diagram, and more. Section headings like Geography, History, and Math divide and contain these tidbits along with mildly interesting thoughts and anecdotes: a moment's conjecture at who her husband is on the phone with, her faulty interpretation of a magazine article, her decision to leave an unopened packet of honey on the passenger-side floor of her car. One page reads, "When I came back from India, I was absolutely, positively 100% sure I was going to use a lot of turmeric." The book is light; white space abounds. Perhaps aware of this, Rosenthal leaps from the page into her readers' digital lives, inviting them to text her for various multimedia experiences: three audio renditions of a humming wineglass or a poem read by the deceased poet Kenneth Koch. There is one anomalous short story in the Romance section that, despite its brevity (or because of it), is a moving tale of life, love, and anagrams. Readers who approach this book as a collection of thought experiments will find intermittent inspiration. Photos of two ice cubes--one from the waters of Lake Michigan, the other containing tea from a restaurant--poignantly commemorate moments with her children, and in "The Pinata Experiment," the author instructs the reader to hang a candy-filled pinata near a baseball field and wait for the object's discovery by Little Leaguers serendipitously wielding baseball bats. Long on inventiveness but short on substance.

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June 1, 2016
Rosenthal is a marvel. She's a publisher's dream, a rare writer who can appeal to both adults and kids. How does she captivate multiple demographics? Simple. She takes us all to school. It's been a decade since her alphabetized memoir, Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life (2005), proved that she is a talented storyteller with an experimental flair for formatting: it is an actual encyclopedia. Now she's returned with more wonderful tales from her life that are equally aspirational and relatable. Textbook Amy Krouse Rosenthal is just that, a textbook, albeit for adults. It's organized as your local guidance counselor would prefer, by subject (geography, history, math), and there is a pre-test and post-test as well. In addition, it is a text-friendly book in which the author invites readers to play the home version and text along at appointed times. This engaging, playful, and clever glimpse into one woman's life offers lots of photographs, graphic illustrations, and diagrams, resulting in a book that will make readers smile as their notions of story-delivery expand.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

Starred review from July 1, 2016

In today's digital age, with its ever mounting distractions, Rosenthal's (Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life) newest work offers some optimism for how reflection, curiosity, and imagination can be sustained. A testament to the notion that books and technology don't have to be at odds, this part memoir, part art installation offers a series of vignettes (personal anecdotes, observations, drawings, and photographs) divided into different subjects reminiscent of a high school "textbook." Yet, as Rosenthal poses questions and encourages readers to respond via text messaging, it is also a "text book." The author collects and shares outside contributions on her website, extending the conversation beyond the book. More than an intriguing concept, it is an artful arrangement of image and text and a compelling read. An abundant use of white space reveals that Rosenthal is unafraid to take breaths between thoughts. In doing so, she gives her audience the same generous opportunity, pairing the best of what print and digital have to offer: narrative for contemplation and online interaction for community. VERDICT Readers will want to return to this book again and also share it with those they love best. [See Prepub Alert, 2/8/16.]--Meagan Lacy, Guttman Community Coll., CUNY

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2016

It's hardly surprising that Rosenthal's new memoir is organized in textbook fashion (e.g., social studies and language arts). Her Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life is presented alphabetically. Since then, she's published a big pile of children's books and created videos that have gone viral. Bought in a heated-up auction and including an interactive element involving texting; with a five-city tour.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2016

In today's digital age, with its ever mounting distractions, Rosenthal's (Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life) newest work offers some optimism for how reflection, curiosity, and imagination can be sustained. A testament to the notion that books and technology don't have to be at odds, this part memoir, part art installation offers a series of vignettes (personal anecdotes, observations, drawings, and photographs) divided into different subjects reminiscent of a high school "textbook." Yet, as Rosenthal poses questions and encourages readers to respond via text messaging, it is also a "text book." The author collects and shares outside contributions on her website, extending the conversation beyond the book. More than an intriguing concept, it is an artful arrangement of image and text and a compelling read. An abundant use of white space reveals that Rosenthal is unafraid to take breaths between thoughts. In doing so, she gives her audience the same generous opportunity, pairing the best of what print and digital have to offer: narrative for contemplation and online interaction for community. VERDICT Readers will want to return to this book again and also share it with those they love best. [See Prepub Alert, 2/8/16.]--Meagan Lacy, Guttman Community Coll., CUNY

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.