THIS IS A SERIOUS BOOK

No it’s not.

The meta–picture-book trend continues in this silly offering. Addressing readers directly, the text begins by listing many things that are not allowed in a serious book: “funny faces, back handsprings, dressing up, jumping up and down. / And definitely no tooting.” The accompanying illustrations show a mischievous donkey doing all of these forbidden things, raising the ire of the unseen narrator. When a zebra shows up the mischief only increases, and the narrator ultimately loses all control as monkeys, a snake, and a penguin join in. “Okay, I give up….This book is a… / NOT SO serious book!” reads the closing text, with the words “NOT SO” painted in red by the donkey, who holds a red paintbrush between its teeth. Rieley’s mixed-media illustrations make the most of the book’s large trim size, with their exuberant, not-at-all serious characters cavorting about the white backgrounds of the pages. Together, text and art are sure to provoke laughs, though the brand of humor is well-trod in recent publishing cycles.

This is a funny book. Seriously.