THE BOOK OF BAD IDEAS

Illustrator Huliska-Beith’s solo authorial debut is a book that will speak to the personal experience of every reader, even one who has not: parked chewing gum for later, then forgotten where (Bad Idea #14); used parts from the stereo to create an Intergalactic Communication Device (Bad Idea #462); kept glue stick and lip balm in the same pocket (#101); or asked a friend for a quick haircut on class-picture day (#239). Saturated colors and canted perspectives give each paint and collage scene a zany energy à la David Shannon’s No, David! (1998). With just 17 actual examples, some sillier than others, this only scratches the surface, but is guaranteed to engender both laughs of recognition and plenty of additional faux pas. It wouldn’t be a bad idea at all to share it with young people prone to lapses of judgment. The hand-lettered text is curly but legible and the cartoony double-page spreads are full of goofy details to study. Good Idea #1. (Picture book. 5-8)