February 9, 2011

the wednesday bookshelf: oh, terry!

I never thought it would happen, but alas, it's here:

Today is the day that Terry Pratchett disappointed me (sob).

We finally got Where's My Cow. I've been looking forward to reading this book since I read about it in Thud!. Some background is necessary for non-Pratchett fans, you say? Oh, sorry.

Okay...

This is next to impossible. Let's leave it at: Sam Vimes (an oft-recurring character in Terry's books) reads a story to his son every night in Thud!, and it's called Where's My Cow.

Mr and I, having (as previously mentioned) huge crushes on Terry Pratchett, thought that Where's My Cow could be a great early introduction for Miss and Jr. Since otherwise they'll have to wait until they're four or so before we start reading the other novels aloud to them.

As it turns out, it's not.

Great, that is.

Oh, it's good. It's clever in an "I've already read the Discworld novels and get all the jokes" kind of way (which of course appeals enormously to me). But it's not great as a kid's book for that same reason. The story as told in Thud! is easily summarized by expanding on this excerpt in your parental imagination:

Where's my cow?

Is that my cow?

It goes "Baa!"

It is a sheep!

That's not my cow!

Not earth shaking, really. But cute. And, most importantly, Pratchett. If he had stuck to that, I would have been happy - thrilled even. Certainly amused.

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I know it wasn't written for kids. I know.