Caricature Books

If you are a) really pessimistic about life in the cities, life in the present or life in general because of b) lawyers, the IRS, families, neighbours, panhandlers, people in general, God and / or c) still have a sense of - admittedly weird - humour left, then this is a book for you. Even if it is baaad!

Otherwise enjoy life without it.

Love the humour ! Hits home everytime. I love the fact that I am able to relate to real life experiences or topics. One of the best book that I've ever "invested" and a great piece to add to my collection.

The more life experience you have under your belt the more you will enjoy Wiley's work. Both my husband and I loved this book. It was worth every penny. Just the book to pick up when you want to pick yourself up after a rough day.

This is definitely a book of, from and about the 1990's. For those of us who lived through them, this will seem extremely funny. For those whose memories start a bit later, or who were rather young at the time, this will be an interesting anthropological study. Except for the occasioanl cartoon that made me laugh out loud, bring the book to work and photocopy a page, clip the cartoon out and post it by a computer, and point it out obsessively to everyone else in the office.

Wiley is one of my favorite cartoonists, and I love his stuff... but maybe more his later stuff than this earlier stuff. He has a website, and you can read his current cartoons online (back to 2000). He even does buisness cards. I want the ones where you can have your name & info next to a picture of the penguin hovering near a flower. Unfortunately, his website stuff doesn't ship overseas... Guess I have to wait.

Anyone trying to make sense of modern culture is bound to fail. Wiley's job, it seems, it to show why. The cartoons are all just a little off from reality - it's not the difference that's so amusing, but the realities that he lampoons.

I get a taste of Wiley in my daily newspaper. This collection is a feast, a treasure of daily and sunday strips. Now that I see them collected, the recurring themes and characters are even more apparent and enjoyable.

My one complaint about this book is density - or lack of it. Other comic strip collections in this format print at least five or six dailies per page - this usually prints just two or three. Yes, I like being able to see additional detail in each panel. On the whole, I'd prefer more Wiley.

I can't stop my girlfriend from reading it. She hoots and snorts through every page. This book is perfect for any frequent traveler.

Every pilot and flight attendent should buy this book. It's funny and original. This is a little different perspective than for the frequent traveler but there are enough funny pages to be worth buying for anyone. Although I gave it 5 stars compared to someones very low review, not every page will make you laugh out loud but most will make you smile.

Yes, this book is ourtrageously corny. If you're looking for cerebral laughs, then the New Yorker would be a better choice. But, both my eight year old son and I found this book a hoot. I laughed, my kid roared(it's clean too). Silly and inane, to be sure. I'm in the "biz," but you only need to have stepped on an airplane to appreciate the gags. Well spent 10 bucks.

This was a major disappointment - bought it as a gift for an airline employee friend; since the author is supposed to be a pilot for an airline, I really expected some very funny, insightful cartoons; however, except for the "cover" cartoon (which is cute but not hilarious and is about as good as this gets), the humor was extremely "lame". An example: Picture 2 Pilots in the cockpit, with the Captain calling out, "Typhoid, Tetanus, Measles..." and the First Officer with a "thought balloon" above his head, saying, "Boy, he really likes calling the shots!". Believe it or not, this is REALLY a prime example of the humor here. My advice would be to save your money for a future flight - that's where the real humor can come in!

Very funny, As a student, i have traveled the world and relate to alot of the comics. Totally original!

I am not sure how this delightful book got stuck into this cover, but it is very
uninviting. I also happen to work at a kid's bookstore on a "help-out" situation, and
it was my impression that this book didn't move at all during the critical Christmas
holiday. The cover has to be the reason.

Inside are the delightful and sometimes hilarious answers to the question in the title,
with a wonderful selection of top children's illustrators of the day. The book is a
real keepsake and a reminder to check out other books by these illustrators.

If you want a collection of children's artists, this book would fit the bill. Otherwise, I didn't find this to be a "keeper"-check it out from the library rather than spend your money. Artists are not necessarily great writers-after a couple of readings, my kids were bored with it.

I'm not sure if my daughter enjoyed this as much as I did, but this book is hilarious and fun. This collection of illustrations is top-notch, to put it simply. This is a great book for stimulating interactive questions between the reader and the listener, too. This is one that YOU will want to read again and again. Oh yeah, and your child/students probably will, too.

Imagine your kids favorite authors/illustrators each providing a page to this book wherein they answer the age old riddle of why did the chicken cross the road? The book is funny with fantastic pictures and should have wide appeal for primary schoolers and parents alike.

An inspired idea: Get 14 leading kids' book illustratos to write the illustrate their punch line to the old chestnut of a riddle "Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road." It's like a series of knock-knock jokes: Rapid-fire visual and written humor that proceeds in wonderfully silly fashion, even if a few are not quite as clever as the others.

The 14 2-page spreads are like a narrow window into each illustrator's style and sense of humor. While each is unique, there were more similarities than I would have imagined. A common theme was that the chicken crossed to join some wild or unexpected extravaganza unavailable on the current side of the road. This might be am ultra-chic (chick?) new chicken house (Frazee), a Victorian-era picnic lunch (somewhat dull, but a great tapestry-like picture by Jerry Pinkney), a Cubist/Gaugin inspired tropical oasis in the middle of a vegetable patch (Grandpre)), or simply a huge sandwich at "Lou's Diner Across the ROad." (Catrow).

The best of the lot, I think, are those that subvert the traditional elements of the joke. Leave it to Mo Willems to picture a chicken in a police station, nervously insisyinh "I'm telling you guys, I just did it to get to the other side! Honest!" while, in a deft visual pun, another detective pours charcoal on a grill. David Shannon and Lynn Mussinger approach the question somewhat matter-of-factly: Shannon answers, "Because the light was green," with a chicken, pig, and cow joy-riding--to the joy of kids, and the shock and dismay of adults. Mussinger replies "because the light said 'walk,'" and shows an entire street full of chickens and chickens only, including police-chicken, shoppers coming from "Coopingdale's," and a tiny chicken on roller skates--even the crosswalk sign shows a chicken walking. Others illustrators take a reverse approach, and rely on fantastic (as in "fantasy") answers and pictures.

There's a two-page "Scoop from the Coop" spread in the back, in which the illustrators "explain" their answers, but do so jokingly,without giving adults or older kids any insight into their creative juices. Fortunately, there's a partial list of books they've illustrated, so that adults and kids can find more of their work. While a few of the scenes didn't quite work, this is a unique, funny, and very entertaining presentation. It'shigh concept, but in a very easily appreciated format.

What can I say? Cagle is unquestionably the best. I read his website every day religiously. So what's not to like about his year-in-review books? They're spectacular.

Br. Randall Horton

I love Cagle's website, and this book is a gathering up of the best cartoons from there. If you're into political or editorial cartoons you'll love it. It's almost like an almanac of what happened in 2005.

They just keep getting better. This third book by Cagle should't be missed. The cartoons are such a great way to review the year!

Always great to see another Cagle book of political cartoons. Very informative to see the entire portfolio of 20 cartoons that won the Pulitzer Prize for Nick Anderson in 2005.

Cagle's book has a wide variety of cartoons in various styles, but the book is badly hampered by Cagle's insistence that political cartoonists are primarily left-leaning (10 to 1 was the claim, which he ironically justifies by suggesting that liberals think that people are mostly "stupid" and so since that's where humor lies, there are naturally more liberals in cartooning. He also refers to conservatives as humorless - as a stereotype, to be fair - but one that makes you wonder if the man has ever read P.J. O' Rourke, Jonah Goldberg, Rob Long, Mark Steyn, or listened to Rush Limbaugh, just to name a few.) Cagle then goes on to pander to that assumption my placing an overwhelming number of liberal cartoonists in the pages, mildly broken up by the odd conservative cartoon.

The intros to the chapters are full of misinformation (One example is the matter of fact state ment that there's a civil war going on in Iraq...not yet, though sadly I'm sure that's wishful thinking on some leftists' part - but a country whose factions are all working towards a single government is not in civil war - there's a difference between that and a country wracked by terror. Another: In the intro to cartoons on Hurricane Katrina, there wasn't a single mention of Governor Blanco or Mayor Nagin, an appaling omission.)

Even the chapter selections, including a section on Pat Robertson, but leaving out Howard Dean and the DNC which got a fair amount of attention from political cartoonists (and writers) this past year demonstrates a kind of calculated bias on Cagle's part.

The main problem though is that the intellectual quality of political cartooning has diminshed considerably in the past two decades. This was already apparent when Berke Breathhead won a well-deserved award for Bloom County some years back, an award richly deserved over the polemical and often plainly didactic work of the majority of political cartoonists then and unfortunately now.

Cagle's collection is full of works that rely on the most biased, unfair, and extreme take on events, a take which will leave many readers on both left and right scratching or even shaking their heads.

However, to be fair to Cagle, this sort of simplistic bias is well rewarded by the media and the same establishment that liberals always seem to rail against, forgetting that they form a large part of it. Anderson's Pulitzer portfolio was embarrassingly didactic and ham-fisted, and example of an award that seems to have been given out because it was one cartoonist's time.

The art of the cartoons vary and it is still nice to see some artists using brushwork and detail, even in the face of the increasingly small spaces newspapers give their artists to work with.

Ultimately though, Cagle's book is a sad reminder of the fact that the polemics of the overrated Post cartoonist Herblock have trumped the more balanced and thoughful approach of a cartoonist like Mauldin. That probably shouldn't be such a surprise in an age where partisan rancor is extremely high and unbearably dishonest. To see it celebrated though is a kick in the gut to those of us who have followed and admired political cartooning for decades. One hopes this the a deep valley from which this valuable craft shall emerge. Right now though, that's seems a day too far off.

This book is great. It is so beautiful. I think this book is sweet. I am fond of the author/artist.

As one who loves good literature and cats, I was eager to own this book after reading the reviews. I was disappointed with each and every page! I found the story and the 'characters' lacking both depth and interest. I am not familiar with the author, but closed the book wishing he had allowed someone else to put his sketches to word.

This book was given to me for my birthday by my wife after we had seen it in a bookstore. I've always found Steadman's work to be amazing, and he doesn't disappoint this time. From all accounts, Jones was a typical cat: supremely disdainful of everyone around him, and yet more than willing to take advantage of Hunter, et. al., when necessary. The bond between a cat and a person is never easy to describe, and yet Ralph does so with surprising ease. Those of us who are familiar with Dr Thompson and his works can easily see how he and Jones were perfect for each other. A must read for cat lovers and Hunter fans alike.

This was a very enjoyable book, especially for cat lovers. As a person who has nine inside cats, I really understand the personality of Jones and can see how he got under Ralph's skin. The drawings are wonderful, and even though I personally didn't know Jones, I felt like I did. I give this book 5 stars and recommend it to anyone who likes cats.

Jones was the cat of Hunter S. Thompson. Ralph Steadman, the artist for many of Thompson's books, was at his house on numorous occasions and made various scetches of the cat. After jones had been dead for some time and Ralph famous, this slim volume was published as a tribute.

What can I say? I like cats and I like Ralph Steadman's art. It works for me.

The funny antics of that cat who says whatever he wants, without fear of consequence, once more continues to inspire laughs to be brought to life.

Garfield does everything in this book-reminisces with Odie, catches mice, eats all the lasagna (of course) and abuses Jon. This book is another pat-on-the-back for Garfield and his lovable friends and foes.

This is awsome! I love the part where jon becomes a weight lifter! Ha Ha Ha! I loved it!

When I read this book back in the 5th grade, I was actually dissapointed cause it wasn't as funny like Garfield Loses His Feet or Garfield Rounds Out, but if you love garfield, then you should give this book a try.
Love live Garfield.

Everybody out there keep buying Garfield books! They can be worth a lot of money someday and can become collector's items! I'm always going to keep all of mine so when I have kids they can read them!

"Greetings From This Modern World," published back in 1992 collects Tom Tomorrow's politically charged comic strips from 1989 through the end of 1991. While the content itself is over a dozen years old the book still manages to read as if it were published weeks ago with the bulk of its subject matter covering George Bush (Sr.), Iraq and Sadaam Hussein, big government and the warped skewering of 'news' by media broadcasters/publishers/advertisers. While the book will entertain with its razor-sharp aesthetic of sarcasm and political commentary it is somewhat unsettling when realizing how little things have changed since this book was first published.

I love Tom Tomorrows's THIS MODERN WORLD, read it avidly in the local alternative press, and so was delighted to find a copy of this particular title at our local public
library.

These cartoons are a bit old now...circa the Gulf War & aftermath. But they're still quite funny...We need Tom's
insights now more than ever with the war-hysteria that is
once again gripping our nation (the Gulf War segments in
this collection take on an eerie ring of familiarity in
recent days).

I've kept up with Tom's latest cartoons and he hasn't
missed a beat. Thank you Tom!

For anyone sick of anything in this modern world that we live in, prepare to be entertained.

Tom Tomorrow writes his comic with a well-crafted wit that is for anyone who is tired of the misguided politics and organizations of America. It will make you laught, cry, and wince as you come to realize the pathetic and scary state of our United States, and will inspire you to make a change.

...but that's part of why it's so unsettling. Tom Tomorrow's use of clip art - and his prevalence of '50s imagery - may well be an attempt to cover up a lack of drawing ability, but it works incredibly well to get across a feeling of unworldliness - that the material he deals with happens in some strange parallel dimension where families are still nuclear, politicians are loving, and there's two cars in ever garage. This, of course, makes the fact that he's actually making observations on how everything works in the real world even more biting and relevent than it would have been if he just drew everything from scratch. His humour is sarcastic and surreal, tending towards analysis of politicians and the media. This, his first collected volume, shows his progress from vague satire on contemporary consumerist society to more directed attacks on the banality of television, the fact that we're continually surprised by political misdoings, and, well, satire on contemporary consumerist society.

Thoughtful, witty, sarcastic and surreal, Tom Tomorrow is a very clued up cartoonist. Definitely worth reading; several times, for preference. How many other cartoons can deconstruct network news coverage of Gulf War protests and still have you crying with laughter on the floor?

Tom Tommorow is a true rebel--unlike most of today's hipsters and ironists, he has the guts to stand for something and stay committed to"outmoded" ideas like peace and social justice while holding on to a damn good sense of humor and an eye for the truly absurd(aka the rich and powerful). His honesty, wit, and,yes, stridency puts him a few notches above any other cartoonist I've seen. Buy the book and you'll look at the culture we live in with new eyes. Peace out

Garfield and Odie live with Jon Arbuckle, and frustrate him sometimes. They also frustrate a neighbour living next door. Because of this, the neighbours call the pound, and Odie is taken away. Garfield decides to rescue him. Without Odie, who will keep him company?

1982's "Here Comes Garfield" is a colour comic based on the TV special of the same name. Some funny moments here, but not my favorite. 3.5 Stars.

To say that I am a fan of Garfield the cat would be putting it mildly. Although I am more of a dog person (since I grew up with dogs), I have to say that in terms of comic relief cats are funnier, Garfield the cat in particular. I have loved Garfield since I started reading his comics back in the early '80s. His constant putdowns and insults are a neverending source of laughter for me. It was inevitable that Garfield would make the move from newspapers to television. His first special was "Here Comes Garfield". I still have my copy of the book. Like the early Garfield animation, the drawings in "Here Comes Garfield" is a bit crude but a lot better than what he looked like in the late '70s. The story revolves around Garfield trying to rescue Odie from the city pound after a neighbor calls the pound on the mischievous pair for terrorizing his small terrier. The story is both funny and poignant. I'm almost thirty and I am still a big fan of the fat, orange tabby cat who is the size of an aircraft carrier.

I really liked the vhs movie. If it is still available buy it! I believe the book and video go together. Read the book, watch the video. A good way to teach reading.

This movie/book was very very sad. I read the book in school. When I rented the movie I got teary-eyed. Garfield thinks back on his relationship with Odie and all the mean things he did to him. Read the book it heartwarming, touching, and sad. Be sure to have a tissue handy. The movie is more sad then the book. But they are both good.

I want to find somewhere on net a song "So long old friend" from "Here comes Garfield" !!!

This is actually one of the better middle to high school dictionaries out there. Readable font size, extensive word list, moderate definitions (not too little or too much detail).

Why this dictionary over others, though? Admittedly it's Garfield. Students have spent a lot more time "inside" this dictionary than others for obvious reasons. In this case it's ok. I'd recommend this dictionary to any parent/family member considering a dictionary for a middle or high school aged student.

Consider buying a used one too - for some reason there are always a lot of them for cheap!

I needed a dictionary for my son (3rd grader), and he told me he used a Garfield dictionary. He said this was the one he used when I showed him the picture. I was so surprised when I received it, to see that its just like a normal dictionary, except there are comics in it, using examples of words in the dictionary.
It can be used for children or adults alike.

I get really bored using those thick and heavy dictionaries that have such small fonts i'd get dizzy looking up words. this is where garfield helped me, the font size used in this dictionary is just right and the comics made looking up words something fun to do. although some words were kinda inappropriate for some of the comic strips, it nonetheless got the essence of the word. this dictionary has enough words for let's say kids and teenagers but as you read adult books, you'll find words that aren't in this dictionary anymore. i'll have to go back to my good old merriam-webster collegiate dictionary 11th ed. but then again this dictionary was made for kids aged 9-12 so it's all good, it serves its purpose. a good buy for kids who'd like to learn and for adults who want to be entertained.

This is a serious dictionary, not a kids dictionary as you would be led to believe. Most pages have a Garfield cartoon with a highlighted word defined on that page. Sometimes I question the choice of words, because there would be a better word in the strip, but that's a minor complaint. I will warn you that this is a real adult sized dictionary with all the words you would expect in that type of book. So if you are buying it for your elementary school Garfield fan, you should be forewarned. Of course if they don't outgrow the Garfield fascination they can use it a long time!

This book has humor for all ages of people. It adds a humorous aspect to looking up words. I guarentee that if you like Garfield that you will love this book! There is a garfield comic on every page which uses one of the words on the page. It is used in a humorous context. You will never look at a dictionary the same again.

Anyone who is vaguely interested in this wonderful show should get this book. Although not illustrated by Bonnie Timmons (who did the artwork for the series) the characters are drawn in a similar style and quotes are used directly from the series. It is a cute and delightful little companion to a wonderful tv show.

"Caroline in the City" is a good way to show that people can still be nice even in a big city with mean people. It also shows how one person can make a diffrence in your life, as we have seen with Richard(malcum Gets)and Caroline(Lea Thompson). This show has inspired me to always be the nicest person I can be because mabey one day I could change someones life.

I was recently introduced into the comedic, sarcastic, and hilarious world of Caroline Duffy and her friends, especially the sarcastic, morbid, and drop dead funny Richard Karinsky. This book is awesome and is a must have for any Caroline In The City fan.

I don't think anyone who doesn't love Caroline in the City would like this book, but fans will go wild over a quick Caroline pick me up. This book takes scenes from the series, and makes them into one panel comics. I was kind of disappointed that this wasn't like a comic strip in the daily newspaper where there are three panels. Fortunately very funny incidents from the series were used. It was nice to revisit favorite Caroline moments.