How This Book Was Made, brilliant, unusual and really funny

How This Book Was Made is the latest book by Mac Barnett. The book’s illustrations are from Adam Rex and together they’ve made one of the most difficult to categorize, utterly strange and wildly enjoyable books we’ve read in a while.  From the title you’ll think the book is an inside joke at how an author perceives a book’s creation process-and to an extent you’re correct.

But then you’ll dig into How This Book Was Made and see Barnett arm wrestling a tiger. We’ll meet his editor who eats fancy lunches in her skyscraper while wearing a tiara. Barnett’s multiple drafts will also be sent across the country, leaving dotted line like Billy from The Family Circus. The tiger returns with a fox, octopus, seagull, chef, panda and more to confront the author and look over the draft.

How This Book Was Made is a book about the publishing industry as seen through the lens of Monty Python, with just a hint of Sesame Street. It’s a funny book that makes you smile and is very enjoyable. For a moment though, you’ll briefly wonder where the book is going and what its purpose is. Is this supposed to be a children’s book? It could be a humor book-or maybe a book that’s great for any age, somewhere in the vein of Oh, The Places You’ll Go.

The answer is that it’s a mix of all of them.

The second half focuses on the work that the illustrator did and the physical process of making it. We meet the old lady in Malaysia that runs the printing press, watch as some astronauts float around the Earth eating ice cream and looking at the massive stack of finished books that now need to be shipped back to New York. But then some pirates attack the ship that has the books, but there is no treasure, only books-so they leave.

How This Book Was Made is a great book. Our 6 year old likes it, but we read it to him first. As a children’s book, for ages 7 and younger, parents will want to read it to them a couple times so that kids can understand the pacing, humor and some of the bigger words.  Kids 8 and up will love the absurdity of the situations, subtle recurring sight gags (like the tiger) and the variety of the art.

Some of the art are drawings of the author writing or arm wrestling with a tiger. Other illustrations look like it’s a physical thing, a 3D paper creation of a skyscraper or model of the Earth. And still some pages are a blend of the two, like when the pirate crashes through the bulkhead of the ship; it has the feel of real cardboard set against a pencil created pirate. It culminates with a wink and a nod that reminds us of one of our favorite Sesame Street books of all time. How This Book Was Made is a satirical love letter to books that is refreshing, kind of weird and one that anybody can enjoy.

How This Book Was Made is a hardcover book from Disney Hyperion and retails for$17.99.