Perfect preparation for Heads of State

Daniel B. Smith explains in this commentary on Slate why he hates The Very Hungry Catepillar, the children’s book that gained a certain notoriety when George W. Bush declared it was his favorite book as a child, even though it wasn’t published until the year he graduated from Yale.

Eric Carle’s beloved book just celebrated its 40th anniversary in March to great praise. Translated into 47 languages, it has sold 29 million copies — in short, a success. So why does Smith hate it so?

“Eric Carle, the most successful children’s book author of our time, sucks,” he states. As someone who has read this sacred text 796 times to his daughter, Smith feels qualified to pass judgment.

“My objection isn’t to Carle’s artwork. It is to his lack of narrative creativity—a laziness and repetitiveness that in time can breed deep parental resentment,” writes Smith. “he sticks closely to field-tested formulas. He’s a franchise-builder, the Nora Roberts of the toddler set.”

Perfect real world preparation for the little tykes, I say. Look how well it worked for GWB!