Review: It Itches

First, the facts:

Title: It Itches

Author: Franklin Habit

Published by: Interweave Press

Pages: 111

Type: Comedy.

The In-Depth Look:

This is a hard review to write because I don’t want to give too much away.

This is a little gem of a book. 75 cartoons, 10 essays, all funny.

It’s not, however, a large book. Which means that I can’t really tell you too much without spoiling the fun. Giving you too many details (or photos, heaven forbid) would be like telling you the punchline of all the jokes. In fact, it would exactly BE telling you the punchlines, and where’s the fun in that?

I can mention that one of my favorite cartoons was the one with two angels sitting on a cloud. My dog entirely agrees with the dogs meeting on page 17, and is grateful that I’ve never knit him a sweater. I’d love to know where the Lucky Knitter Casino is, and how many quarters I should bring. I laughed out loud at the auto mechanic searching for a clicking noise. The In/Out trays sat on a desk I’d like to work at.

But, of course, I can’t tell you the JOKES. That would be mean, and would prevent you from the pleasure of discovering the punchlines yourself. And it is, indeed, a pleasure. This book is delightful. It’s fun. It’s light-hearted. It’s clever.

The author says at the beginning, “So, here it is–my humble stash of knitting cartoons. I hope it makes you laugh. Because as Grandma said when I told her about it, ‘If this one does well, maybe next time they’ll let you write a real book.’ ”

This is not a weighty book at all. The most serious issue addressed is what, exactly, goes on with the stash in the closet–does it breed in there? Nor is it heavy to hold, even in its hard-cover, it’s light and nimble (as books go). It won’t take you long to read through this little charmer, but it’s just the right size. Just like you wouldn’t want a full meal of sugary confections, this is just the right size for dessert.

(All right, I would have liked to see Dolores in here … Although, I’m guessing she’s lobbying for a full-size biography, and, really have to agree. Her super-sized personality would have overwhelmed this book. But, Franklin? Interweave? If you’re listening, wouldn’t a collection of Dolores’s adventures be a fabulous idea? Just a chance to introduce her to friends and family who don’t slather over new blog entries would be enormously helpful … Um, I got rather off-track there, didn’t I?)

This is a charming little book, a winner right from one of my very favorite cartoons on the front cover.

It’s available for $10.15 over at Amazon … and just think what a great stocking stuffer this would be for your Holiday gift-giving!

Want to see bigger pictures? Click here.

My Gush: Funny! Adorable! Cute! Love it!

Other posts for this authors:

• An Interview! An Interview with Franklin Habit