I'm Bored

by Michael Ian Black, Debbie Ridpath Ohi (Illustrator)

Overview

There is NOTHING boring about being a kid, but one little girl is going to have to prove it in this anything-but-boring picture book from comedian Michael Ian Black.

Just when a little girl thinks she couldn’t possibly be more bored, she stumbles upon a potato who turns the tables on her by declaring that children are boring. But this girl isn’t going to let a vegetable tell her what’s what, so she sets out to show the unimpressed potato all the amazing things kids can do. Too bad the potato is anything but interested….
This tongue-in-cheek twist on a familiar topic is sure to entertain anyone who’s ever been bored—or had to hear about someone else being bored—and is filled with comedian Michael Ian Black’s trademark dry wit, accompanied by charismatic illustrations from newcomer Debbie Ridpath Ohi.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781442414037
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Publication date:	09/04/2012
Series:	I'm Books Series
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	441,708
Product dimensions:	8.92(w) x 11.08(h) x 0.42(d)
Lexile:	AD250L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

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.

Debbie Ridpath Ohi is the author of Where Are My Books?. Her illustrations also appear in Sea Monkey and Bob, written by Aaron Reynolds; I’m Bored (a New York Times Notable Book), Naked!, and I’m Sorry, written by Michael Ian Black; as well as ten Judy Blume chapter books and middle grade titles. For more info, visit DebbieOhi.com or @InkyElbows on Twitter.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

* "Black (A Pig Parade Is a Terrible Idea) keeps this simple concept funny all the way through its final, LOL zinger. Debut illustrator Ohi’s minimalist, scraggly digital drawings are anything but boring, and speak volumes about irritation, desperation, and disdain."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Genuinely funny moments.... [The girl] demonstrates cartwheels, ninja kicks and imagination games—lion taming; dragons and swords; forcing the potato to walk a pirate-ship plank—all of which Ohi sketches in pale blue."—Kirkus Reviews

Editorial Reviews

Black is a comedian and actor…when not writing children's books…and he tells his story in sprightly fashion. The illustrator Debbie Ridpath Ohi convincingly draws a child full of life, a potato full of—well, potatotude, and computer drawings that look just like good old-fashioned linocuts. Her smart cartoony artwork matches Black's perfect comic timing, making for a fun ride that should leave you amused, perhaps pensive, and no longer bored.
—David Small

The New York Times Book Review

It looks to be the ultimate ennui smackdown: a bored-out-of-her-gourd kid vs. an equally jaded potato. Then the potato accuses the girl of being the source of its boredom. “What are you talking about?” demands the feisty pigtailed human. “Kids are fun!” “Prove it,” says the potato. And almost as fast as you can say “reverse psychology,” the girl shows that she is in fact a wellspring of fun: playing games, doing “ninja kicks” and other acrobatics, turning ordinary objects into fantastic props (an overturned laundry basket becomes a snow-capped mountain in her imagination), and engaging in pretend play that encompasses everything from being a ballerina to... a potato. “Boring,” responds the potato each time, before the girl storms off. But not to worry: what goes around comes around. Black (A Pig Parade Is a Terrible Idea) keeps this simple concept funny all the way through its final, LOL zinger. Debut illustrator Ohi’s minimalist, scraggly digital drawings are anything but boring, and speak volumes about irritation, desperation, and disdain. Ages 3–8. Agent: Barry Goldblatt, Barry Goldblatt Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Ginger Knowlton, Curtis Brown. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

A Notable Children's Book Of 2012

The New York Times Sunday Book Review

"Beautifully written by Michael Ian Black and gorgeously illustrated by Debbie Ridpath Ohi... It has the courage to go unfashionably old-school and suggest that our imagination, not our gadgets, is the only cure [for boredom].... Both the writing and the illustrations are fearless."

The Globe & Mail

* "Black (A Pig Parade Is a Terrible Idea) keeps this simple concept funny all the way through its final, LOL zinger. Debut illustrator Ohi’s minimalist, scraggly digital drawings are anything but boring, and speak volumes about irritation, desperation, and disdain."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Genuinely funny moments.... [The girl] demonstrates cartwheels, ninja kicks and imagination games—lion taming; dragons and swords; forcing the potato to walk a pirate-ship plank—all of which Ohi sketches in pale blue."—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

"Fans of Mo Willems’ Elephant and Piggie series will delight in the latest book by American comedian Michael Ian Black, illustrated by Toronto graphic artist Debbie Ridpath Ohi. Echoing Willems, Black’s story is constructed around the dialogue of an unlikely couple, in this case a small girl and a potato. The text is perfectly complemented by Ohi’s quirky minimalist drawings."

Quill & Quire

A Notable Children's Book Of 2012

TheNew York Times Sunday Book Review

A kid and a tuber dispute what is and isn't boring, to no particular avail. The beginning's fun. A scowling, cartoon-style girl with a large head and sideways pigtails flops from one dramatic posture to another, complaining, "I'm bored. / Bored. Blaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. / I'm so BORED!" White space surrounds her. From nowhere, a potato appears. This girl must really live in white-space-land, because she's initially thrilled: "Hey! A potato!" Then she rejects it and tosses it upwards. It falls, bonks her on the head and sits on the ground. "I'm bored," announces the suddenly anthropomorphic potato in one of two genuinely funny moments. Previously unable to entertain herself, the girl labors to prove she's interesting. She demonstrates cartwheels, ninja kicks and imagination games--lion taming; dragons and swords; forcing the potato to walk a pirate-ship plank--all of which Ohi sketches in pale blue. The surly potato stubbornly remains bored. Their argument ends without satisfaction or vindication; the girl yells, mouth wide and black like in Peanuts, and departs in frustration. There's one more funny moment--not the appearance of a random flamingo (flamingos being, inexplicably, the potato's only interest in life), but the flamingo's closing complaint. Yep: "I'm bored." Turnabout's fair play, but the whole piece feels like a smarmy lesson about how annoying it is when someone insists on boredom. Ironically, boring. (Picture book. 3-5)

Kirkus Reviews

K-Gr 2—Languishing on the floor of her bedroom in a funk, a girl is momentarily distracted by a potato, but then laments, "What am I supposed to do with a potato?!!" In a funny twist, the testy tater complains about being stuck hanging out with a child. The youngster's ire is raised and she enthusiastically takes up the challenge of proving that children are anything but dull. Her cartwheels, ninja kicks, imaginary lion-taming adventures, and proclamations that "Kids can do ANYTHING!!!" all fail to impress the blank-faced spud, who delivers the same verdict-"Boring…Snoring." In the last laugh, the potato does get its comeuppance. Ohi's captivating, digitally created illustrations are full of wit and charm. The girl appears as a blue swirling cyclone with pigtails flying, hands sticking out, and a pink heart as she spins in circles. The text size and layout also keep pace with her frenetic antics. Quirky and fun to read aloud, this book is a sure antidote for cases of ennui.—Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada

School Library Journal