Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels
- Age: 15
- Grade: 10
Description
Arthur Black's voice is unmistakable on the radio and on the page. His is the voice of reason, with a generous helping of funny; the voice that scolds us for our universal human quirks, but who says it with the tone and words that make us laugh out loud at ourselves and our neighbours.
A Chip Off the Old Black, Black's latest collection of stories, will knock a sense of humour into any reader, boasting nearly a hundred tales featuring everything from yarnbombing to Bambi, from Black's love of the Farmer's Almanac to his loathing of snowmobiles and his . . . problem . . . with David Suzuki. With a talent for ranting, minus the malice, Black sticks up for the chocolate-covered marshmallow confection of New Zealand--
the politically-incorrect "Eskimo" candies. Those inclined to kvetching--a Yiddish word describing the tendency to complain persistently about everything--may just reconsider after reading A Chip Off the Old Black. After all, as Black demonstrates, it's far more enjoyable to take the opportunity to laugh.
About the author
Arthur Black's growing collection of award-winning books include Pitch Black, Black Tie and Tales (Stoddart Publishing) and Black in the Saddle Again, all of which won him the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour. He hosted CBC Radio One's Basic Black program from 1983 until 2002, while also using his comedic talents to host Life Television Network's Weird Homes and Weird Wheels. His recently released audio CD, Planet Salt Spring, features tales from his adopted home of Salt Spring Island, BC Canada.
Librarian Reviews
A Chip Off the Old Block
Arthur Black’s new book collects nearly a hundred of his essays into seven categories. From culture to science to war, Black lends his sense of humour and irony to the human foibles that beset us all. Taking on, among others, parents, heroes, martyrs, snowmobilers, bottled water drinkers, conspiracy theorists, yarnbombers and zombies, Black exposes the foolishness that defies common sense and marks the human condition in the 21st century.Black is a three-time winner of the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour.
Caution: Some adult topics including chastity belts and the benefits of swearing.
Source: The Association of Book Publishers of BC. BC Books for BC Schools. 2011-2012.
