The Wonderful World of Ladybird Books for Grown-Ups (Ladybirds for Grown-Ups)

Product Information

These great clothes make me look really interesting,' thinks Chris as he sits down at the piano to practise another slow, sad song that gets slightly louder at the end.' T]he original satire on the Ladybird children’s education series was an art project written and illustrated by Miriam and Ezra Elia – We Go to the Gallery – and published under their own imprint, Dung Beetle Books. When the book first appeared in 2014, Penguin erupted in fury and demanded that the entire print run be withdrawn and destroyed. When this didn’t work, they decided it was a case of “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em”, and published their own comic series under a different creative team. Unlike these subsequent titles, such as The Dad, We Go to the Gallery was genuinely funny – a brilliant spoof on both the Ladybird style of education and the contemporary art world. Anyone disappointed by the official Ladybird parodies and with a glancing interest in contemporary art is advised to get hold of the Elia version, which will have them laughing out loud. I believe the authors are currently preparing a sequel." This book explores 'The Meeting'. Those never ending sessions at work where you all sit round a table, maybe on a regular basis, listening to someone go on about something that actually isnt really important. For what it's worth, the books in this series are published in the U.K. as "Ladybirds for Grown-Ups". The "Fireside Grown-Up Guides" are now starting to be published in the U.S. by Simon & Schuster, and are fairly faithful adaptations. Either way you can find them, as Ladybirds or as Fireside Grown-Up Guides, these books are a hoot. These spoofs have been so successful, there are spoofs of the spoofs - which are far better than this. See Dungbeetle’s We Go To The Gallery, which I reviewed HERE.

Indeed, there is so much information captured in so few words, it’s entirely possible this review has a higher word count than the book. Arguably, this makes the book one of the most fact-rich business texts available today, a powerhouse of business knowledge that punches well above its weight, which is exactly 127 grams. So the next guide we need is one on how to dodge boring meetings without being noticed. Funny and entertaining as usual. The authors would like to thank the illustrators whose work they have so mercilessly ribbed, and whose glorious craftsmanship was the set-dressing of their childhoods. The inspiration they sparked has never faded.” The authors begin by informing us that 'People at work spend a lot of the day in meetings', which can be true on occasions but I often found that meetings went on far too long as idle chit chat wasted so much time. And an interesting comment is that the refreshments provided can tell a lot about a meeting; fruit, for instance, can mean 'the meeting is very serious' [I must confess I have never been to a meeting where fruit was provided - sorry I have just remembered that is not quite true, I once went to a meeting at The Dorchester Hotel in Wimbledon fortnight and the organisers provided strawberries and cream - I think they wanted some concessions from HM Treasury!] while biscuits suggests 'it is a happy meeting'. I must confess when I chaired meetings in my office I never provided refreshments (other than carafes of water), it generally kept the meeting short.The Ladybird imprint began life in 1940 with Bunnikin’s Picnic Party, the first of a new series dreamed up by Loughborough-based printer turned publisher Wills & Hepworth, which had set itself up in 1915 as an outlet for “pure and healthy literature” for children. Between 1940 and 1980, it published 646 titles, in 63 series, on topics that ranged from British history to fairytales and how to make a transistor radio. He told the Independent he wanted to help adults make sense of the world, just as the classic books had helped children through the decades understand how locomotives and computers work. The Fireside Grown-Up Guide to Mindfulness' by Jason Hazeley and Joel Morris combines classic book illustrations with funny captions. Like the other volumes, I had mixed reactions. Flood, Alison (20 November 2014). "Ladybird drops branding books 'for boys' or 'for girls' ". The Guardian . Retrieved 24 November 2014.

Armistead, Claire (22 September 2015). "The flyaway success of the Ladybird art prank". The Guardian . Retrieved 20 August 2016. Over the years, Gareth has bought his sister Kelly every possible birthday present he can find related to the film he remembers her enjoying in 1989. The company traces its origins to 1867, when Henry Wills opened a bookshop in Loughborough, Leicestershire. Within a decade he progressed to printing and publishing guidebooks and street directories. He was joined by William Hepworth in 1904, and the company traded as Wills & Hepworth. As a child, I loved the simplicity of the Ladybird books, as they were easy to read, very visual and provided as much information on the subject as a child needed. As an adult, I’m forced to spend time in meetings, but I also like to laugh, largely as an antidote to all the meetings. The new Ladybird collection of books for adults helps with the last and the “Ladybird Book of the Meeting” covers all the bases. The journey from educational mind-expanders to dinner party conversation-starters arguably began many decades ago when comedians began to poke fun at the earnestness of the stout little tugbooks that had pride of place in homes and classrooms across the UK. Even the prat-falling Frank Spencer of the 70s TV sitcom Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em, had a book called Learn to Fly with Ladybird.Another reason for their success and enduring popularity is the distinctive font and style of illustration. Got some time on your hands? Then why not make yourself a cup of tea, grab a biscuit and settle down in your favourite armchair to read this unputdownable guide to The Quiet Night In . . . THE PERFECT GIFT for the party animal . . . or at the very least, for that person you know who doesn't know when it's time to go home.