The Boring Book by Shinsuke Yoshitake

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The Boring Book by Shinsuke Yoshitake
Review Copy from Chronicle Books


The Boring Book begins where you expect is might, a bored (non-gender specific) kid. However, quickly and surprising philosophical depth, it turns into an examination of and exploration of the state of boredom. After proclaiming boredom, the narrator wonders, "what does 'boring' mean anyway?" then dives into the seemingly opposite states of fun and boredom. Every page turn presents another perspective on what it means to be bored. What does the world's most boring amusement park look like? This illustration includes the hilarious sign at the entrance to the park that reads, "Today's Apology." Can everything in the world be divided into "fun" and "boring"? The illustration for this page shows two children on a seesaw, one having fun and one being furiously bored. The narrator eventually wanders into the gray area between having fun and being bored, where you are "not thinking about anything at all." Thoughtful investigation continues, with the narrator questioning their parent ("Is being an adult fun?") the response to which is, "because you get bored sometimes, the fun experiences are even more exciting, right?"

Yoshitake hilariously ends his book with the narrator stomping off, saying, "I've heard that before . . . so IT'S BORING."


Still Stuck


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