I loved the illustrations but the story didn’t work for me. I get that this was a parody of the author’s previous book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie but I didn’t find it funny. I found the story clichéd and annoying.
The man wants a cookie, then he wants milk, then he puts the empty milk container in the fridge, etc… I’m sure lots of people will love this book but it just wasn’t for me.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.
⭐⭐
Rating: 2 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
#1 New York Times bestselling author Laura Numeroff, author of the hugely popular children’s book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, offers this hilarious parody of her own book for the man in your life.
If you give a man a cookie … he’s going to want milk to go with it … God forbid he should get it himself.
If You Give a Man a Cookie is a woman’s commentary about her helpless man and the chain of events that leads him on a journey from the bed to the bathroom to the couch and back to bed at nightfall.
Now, this is my kind of book! I expect that the level of childlike joy I experienced while reading A is for Asteroids, Z is for Zombies and examining the gory illustrations shows just how much of a sick, sick puppy I am.
I inherited my warped sense of humour from my beloved Nan (the coolest person I’ve ever met) who, despite her adoration of cats and adoption of too many to count throughout her life, owned a well worn copy of 101 Uses for a Dead Cat by Simon Bond. This was one of my favourite books growing up. I would page through it every time I visited Nan and ended up buying my own copy as an adult. The humour in this book reminds me of Simon Bond’s.
My Nan would have loved A is for Asteroids, Z is for Zombies just as much as I do. Taking on some serious contenders for our impending doom, then adding verse that rhymes and lulls you into a false sense of security with the feel of a children’s bedtime story, Paul Lewis has done a fantastic job with this book.
The illustrations, mostly black and white with the appropriate splashes of red, bring the words to life (or should that be death…). Ken Lamug has captured the tale perfectly with simple yet detailed, devastating yet hilarious, scenes of destruction. I loved watching the father’s expression change throughout his reading of Aunt Dorcas’ thoughtful gift for Tim, her nephew.
I expect this book could be polarising but if you aren’t my kind of person I doubt you’d pick it up in the first place. For those who do pick it up, you’re in for a treat that I’m certain you’ll be compelled to read more than once.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the opportunity to read this book. This has just become one of my favourite reads of the year.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
A darkly comic fable that offers visions of the apocalypse for every letter of the alphabet.
Starting with a father whose son has been asking questions about global dangers, A is for Asteroids, Z is for Zombies takes us inside our worst fears, laughing at some and taking others seriously. With macabre verse and fantastically gory illustrations, it provides gallows humour for our doom-haunted times.
The comics in this book are broken up into sections: grooming and habitat maintenance, life ambitions, mating habits, self-care and social conduct. I started out relating to a lot of the comics early in the book but then realised that I’d already seen all of the good ones on the internet and didn’t really enjoy or relate to the rest.
It’s possible I’m too old for some of the humour and it would work better for women in their late teens or early 20’s. It’s a cute gift book but I wouldn’t personally read it more than once.
Thank you very much to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.
⭐⭐
Rating: 2 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
A collection of Loryn Brantz’s vibrant and relatable Jellybean Comics about her everyday experiences as a lady.
Home manicure tips, awkward seduction techniques, scoping out the snack table, and — most important — prioritising naps: Lady Stuff reveals these womanly secrets and more. In sections like “Grooming and Habitat Maintenance,” “Mating Habits,” and others, these brightly coloured, adorable comics find the humour in the awkwardness of simply existing.
Schizanthus Nerd 