Parent's Corner: If You Give a Kid a Cookie Will He Shut the $*%& Up?

Jenn's Thoughts:  Unlike, Go the F**k to Sleep, which is an original story told in rhyming verse, If You Give a Kid a Cookie, Will He Shut the F**k Up? is a spoof of the children's story, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. The original tale is an imaginative supposition of the chain of events set into motion by feeding the mouse, ending in having to give the mouse another cookie. It's a book that helps children think through consequences and imagine, 'what if'. I actually find the original a little too cutesy for me, so I was interested to read the spoof.

The spoof takes the zaniness in another direction, starting with a father who is too busy drinking to pay attention to his child. The chaos that ensues is amusing, but certainly not as raucously funny as Go the F**k to Sleep. The premise actually detracts from the story for me; there is never a time when it's okay to not pay attention to your child. However, if you can get beyond that, it's a good chuckle.

Julie's Thoughts: Don't leave If You Give a Kid a Cookie, Will He Shut the F**k Up?: A Parody for Adults laying around the house especially if you have a child that is trying to read everything in sight. Sure it looks like a children's book but it is definitely not. I can't say that we've read If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (If You Give...) in our house, so I don't know how closely this parody follows the original text. What I can say that while I found it highly entertaining and chuckle worthy; I didn't feel that it was as relatable as Go the F**k to Sleep. I don't know too many parents who end up in jail and are handed divorce papers because of events steming from their kids tantrums. Yes I know that it's a parody/satire but it still needs to draw in its audience. The illustrations are quite good and very descriptive of the events taking place on each page. For me, this would have worked better if it has centered around daily life and not extremes. If you give a kid a cookie will he...eat his dinner, go to bed, jump around like a jumping bean, etc. You know all the things parents regret doing even for a moment of silence.

That being said, it is definitely enterataining and would make a great holiday gift for your friends who have a sense of humor.

I wonder where this trend of parody books will take us. Will we see more children's books being hijacked for adult humor? It will be interesting to see if this is a long-standing genre or a flash in the pan.


Thanks to St. Martin's Press for providing Jenn and I our copies.