Matthew Gasteier

More bizarre than anything. Guy produced a whole book of him ranting at the cat for plotting something and the Weddell seal for eating penguins and the penguin for pushing other penguins into the water to be eaten and the panda for being endangered and not giving a crap. Plentiful allcaps. I think the backstory to this one must be that some semi-intouch zoologist heard that the kids were into lol-animals and bands called wolf and bear, and he sold some semi-intouch publishing-industry people on the idea of a book of science facts disguised as a book of hipster fauna. That makes me feel like this is endearing rather than pointless. But there aren't really a lot of science facts, and the ones that there are feel so Wikipedia that I'm afraid somebody actually thought this was the way to make his fortune. And, well, at least one person bought a copy (the one I looked at in my friend's bathroom). Maybe it was his semi-intouch aunt. Anyway, allcaps ranting don't substitute for actual jokes.… (meer)

I hadn't heard of this blog before, but saw this book on a list of recommended titles for reluctant readers. I'm really not all that reluctant of a reader, but I'm apparently all for telling cute animals what's what. Matthew Gasteier covers all the bases... animals in our homes (take that, adorable kitten), animals from around the world (and that, yoga polar bear!), and some of the more exotic creatures (you don't know fear until you see a binturong). Penguins are particularly hard hit, but deservedly so. Each entry consists of a mind-numbingly adorable picture of an animal (mmm... capybaras!), Gasteier's telling them what's what, and some cold, hard truths about said animal.

This is a fun book to flip through and Gasteier is hilarious. If your wallet is a little light, then you can just head over to the blog and get your laughs for free. Or buy a t-shirt. Just don't let you cute animal run your life anymore. Now I have to go tell my dachshund what's what.… (meer)