The Boring Book

May 13, 2019
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.

June 15, 2019
The oft-heard childhood phrase "I'm bored" becomes the jumping-off point for this philosophical picture book. There is nothing to entertain or distract this child today, and so the protagonist becomes inquisitive about boredom. What does it mean exactly? Does everyone experience it? Even animals? Is life a continual dichotomy between fun and boring? Is boredom a matter of perspective? As the child demonstrates with bemusement, sometimes wandering through such answerless wonderings can itself be the antidote to boredom. Each page offers a thought experiment examining the nature of boredom sure to provoke curiosity and insight. This English translation of a book originally published in Japan in 2017 makes reference to Japanese culture through the illustrations; school children wear traditional uniforms, and adults sit cross-legged at tables low to the ground. All characters have the same paper-white skin, simple facial features, and brown or gray hair; the repetition of hairstyles, clothing, and facial expressions on the people emphasizes a sameness that is characteristic of boredom, yet even so, the illustrations are interesting and evocative. Adults and children will find this boring book a wonderful resource for sparking conversation. It's a terrific reminder for readers of all ages that boredom is always optional. A perfectly mild unpacking of the nuances and subtleties of boredom. (Picture book. 6-10)

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August 1, 2019

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

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 25, 2021
The Metropolitan Bicycle Museum is having a big celebration, and everyone Etta the elephant knows is going—after all, who would pass up a chance to ride a bicycle inside a museum? It’s an expansively magical and interactive environment, with a display that recaps bicycle history, rooms for pedal-powered air and water vehicles, a model house powered entirely by bicycles, a complicated racetrack, and a hall filled with adaptive bikes. Rendered in gouache and mixed media, the busy pages are expertly choreographed, with a fine sense of line, color, and whimsy; dialogue balloons and narrator cues provide additional incentives to linger on each page (“A koala mom looks for all five of her joeys. Who is going where?”). While readers can follow Ella’s journey through the event—which culminates in a thrilling surprise engineered by her Aunt Ellen—the real attraction is Farrell’s (Runaway Signs) endless imaginings of the ways that animals might ride pedal-driven vehicles: a short list includes a rabbit parent with an impressively long, bunny-filled bike trailer; a cat on a pontoon bike (“So fun! And I don’t even like water!”); and a pig on a bike-powered blender. Ages 3–5. Agent: Elena Giovinazzo, Pippin Properties.