A Child's First Book of Trump

by Michael Ian Black, Marc Rosenthal (Illustrator)

Overview

A New York Times bestseller!

What do you do when you spot a wild Trump in the election season? New York Times bestselling author and comedian Michael Ian Black has some sage advice for children (and all the rest of us who are scratching our heads in disbelief) in this perfectly timely parody picture book intended for adults that would be hysterical if it wasn’t so true.

The beasty is called an American Trump.
Its skin is bright orange, its figure is plump.
Its fur so complex you might get enveloped.
Its hands though are, sadly, underdeveloped.

The Trump is a curious creature, very often spotted in the wild, but confounding to our youngest citizens. A business mogul, reality TV host, and now…political candidate? Kids (and let’s be honest many adults) might have difficulty discerning just what this thing that’s been dominating news coverage this election cycle is. Could he actually be real? Are those…words coming out of his mouth? Why are his hands so tiny? And perhaps most importantly, what on earth do you do when you encounter an American Trump?

With his signature wit and a classic picture book style, comedian Michael Ian Black introduces those unfamiliar with the Americus Trumpus to his distinguishing features and his mystifying campaign for world domination…sorry…President of the United States.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781481488006
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Publication date:	07/05/2016
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	545,153
Product dimensions:	7.90(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Michael Ian Black is a writer, comedian, and actor who has appeared on Another Period, The Jim Gaffigan Show, and Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp. He created and starred in many television series, has written screenplays, and regularly tours the country as a stand-up comedian. Michael is the bestselling author of the book My Custom Van, the memoir You’re Not Doing It Right, and the children’s books Chicken Cheeks, The Purple Kangaroo, A Pig Parade Is a Terrible Idea, I’m Bored, Naked!, Cock-a-Doodle-Doo-Bop!, and I’m Sorry. Michael lives in Connecticut with his wife and two children.

Marc Rosenthal is the New York Times bestselling illustrator of many books for children, including the Small Walt collection by Elizabeth Verdick, All You Need Is Love by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, I Must Have Bobo! by Eileen Rosenthal, We Love Fishing! and Mabel Wants a Friend by Ariel Bernstein, and Archie and the Pirates, which he wrote. He lives in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Learn more at Marc-Rosenthal.com.

Editorial Reviews

07/04/2016
Striking a semi-Seussian tone, Black (Cock-a-Doodle-Doo-Bop!) explores the "strange beast" that seems to be everywhere these days—from its propensity for saying "I'm the best!" to its poop that "spells out ‘Trump' in ten-foot-high letters!" Black checks off all the key Trump jokes with some pretty clever rhymes ("Its fur so complex, you might get enveloped./ Its hands are, sadly, underdeveloped"), and Rosenthal (1 Robot Lost His Head) portrays the "American Trump" as an orange, bean-shaped biomorph with unmistakable pursed lips and an intensely horizontal coif. But the truth is that Black has picked the easiest of targets; he assumes a sympathetic readership, but lets them off scot-free by positioning them as victims. What's more, he gives the worst advice possible when it comes to dealing with a bully: ignore him ("You can cover your ears or run up a tree,/ But the best thing to do is... turn off your TV") or run away—the final image shows crowds streaming toward the Canadian border. Author's agent: Barry Goldblatt, Barry Goldblatt Literary. Illustrator's agent: Holly McGhee, Pippin Properties. (July)

Publishers Weekly

2016-06-26
Like an orange potato with arms, legs, and windblown blond hair—and, of course, a big mouth—Americus trumpus is explicated for a putative child audience.Like Go the Fuck to Sleep before it, this is no "child's first book," despite the format. Yes, it rhymes, and yes, it has pictures, but this is full-on political satire that's about as subtle as, well, its subject. Black (Navel Gazing, 2016, etc.) adopts Seussian rhythms to describe "this strange beast you keep hearing about," while Rosenthal likewise emulates the good doctor's palette and line. "The beasty is called an American Trump. / Its skin is bright orange, its figure is plump; / Its fur so complex, you might get enveloped. / Its hands are, sadly, underdeveloped." Here the white-coated professorial narrator points to a labeled diagram. And so the book goes, plucking almost every possible piece of low-hanging fruit. A Trump loves cameras; it eats cash. "I've won each and every game that I've played," it declares, clutching an Oscar statuette, a taco-eating trophy, and a first-grade attendance trophy. There are debate victories and the wall, paid for "using another's dinero." Rather oddly, the book counsels readers to defeat the Trump not by going to the polls (or encouraging their parents to) but by turning off the TV, for "ignoring a Trump is a Trump's biggest fear." There are certainly chuckles to be had in this book for readers of the blue persuasion, and it's probably no coincidence that Rosenthal depicts most humans as various shades of blue. Except for the wall, however, Trump's racism is entirely absent, and none of those blue figures, even those seeking refuge at the Canadian border at book's end, is wearing a headscarf or otherwise obviously Muslim. In the end, this is something of a one-joke pony that can't compare to its inspiration's seemingly endless capacity for self-parody and doesn't go nearly as far as it could or he does. Just about as ephemeral as a Trump's noxious emissions.

Kirkus Reviews