Everything's Better with a Beard

Everything's Better with a Beard
By Si, Willie, Phil, Jase, Jep, and Alan Robertson
Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2014
Reviewed from NetGalley
Audience:  Ages 4 to 6
ISBN:  9781481418188
Publication Date:  March 14, 2014

Photoshopped pictures and rhyming text explain why beards are great and would make everything better from priceless art to semi-trucks.

You know by now that Duck Dynasty has a little extra drama, but I'm not that kinda of blog.  I'm just here to help you evaluate a book.  About beards.  On everything.  It's a fun idea and the pictures will get a couple of chuckles, but it's nothing special, to me at least.  The two-page spread with the dogs wearing beards is pretty great, but some dogs already have beards in a way.  There is a hint of religion in this book, which won't at all offend fans of the show, and likely if you're not a fan of the show, you'd never pick up this book to begin with.

But let's talk about the technical for a minute.  Rhyming texts are very fun and a great way to connect with readers, but it's harder than it looks.  Young readers and adults will notice when the rhyme skips a beat and is not smooth and there are a couple of skips here.  Let this be a warning to everyone out there that thinks it's easy to write a rhyming book:  read it out loud to yourself a dozen times at least to make sure the meter is correct!

Final verdict:  (shrugs) eh.  There's nothing especially entertaining here.  If you know a little redneck in training, it would make a good gift book.  I would think that most libraries can save their pennies for something with a little more substance, and interlibrary loan it for those patrons that would like to read it.  Fad books like this are tough.  Ducky Dynasty isn't a marketed children's show, although plenty of children watch it.  It's the type of book that will likely check out well for a year or two, shelf sit for five or six years, then land on a book sale.  If you do buy, the best you can hope for is two years of hard use, then weed it due to condition.  

Can you tell I base my purchasing decision on if a book will check out?  It's a good philosophy if you ask me.

Basically, if you like the show, you'll like the book.  If you don't like the show, ignore the book--this fad will pass soon enough.

Happy Reading