17 Things I'm Not Allowed to Do...
Jenny Offill Creates a Protagonist Every Parent Can Relate To
A creative, if mischievous, protagonist takes the readers through some of her "better" ideas, as well as her ever-growing list of things she's no longer allowed to do.
Novelist Jenny Offill takes a detour from her usual fare, and the result is the spectacularly funny 17 Things I'm Not Allowed to Do Anymore. The first page has the protagonist telling us:
"I had an idea to staple my brother's hair to his pillow."
"I am not allowed to use the stapler anymore."
From here, the protagonist tells the reader about many of her ideas, which include gluing her brother's slippers to the floor, walking backward to and from school, showing a boy her underpants, and freezing dead flies in the ice cube tray. The result is always the same: she's not allowed to do those things anymore. In addition to a penchant for walking backward, the main character has a hilarious love of beavers, and it's almost impossible for parents who read this book to not burst out laughing when she decides to "run away to live with the kind and happy beavers." The result "I am not allowed to talk (even a little bit) about beavers anymore" is absolutely hilarious. The corresponding illustration of the protagonist's mother is priceless.
Which brings us to the wonderful illustrations by Nancy Carpenter. The simple, pen-and-ink drawings are augmented by "real" items, such as the infamous stapler, many of the fabrics in the book, and the protagonist's much-maligned cauliflower. Anyone who has read any of Lauren Child's books (Clarice Bean or the better-known "Charlie and Lola" series) will recognize a similar illustration style.
In reading many of the reader reviews of this book on certain web sites, it appears that there is some concern over what kind of example the mischievous protagonist sets for young readers. The best answer to that is that for children to develop a love of reading, they must be entertained by what they are reading. The protagonist in 17 Things is nothing more or less than a curious, creative, if slightly sassy little girl. Every adult who reads this book will be able to relate, having known (or been) a child just like the heroine. At its heart, 17 Things I'm Not Allowed to Do Anymore is about the wonder of being a child, of having ideas and trying things before any sense of “political correctness” or “polite society” have been forced on your psyche. It is a refreshing look at childhood.
17 Things I'm Not Allowed to Do Anymore (Random House, ISBN 978-0-375-83596-4) comes highly recommended for children four to eight years of age. It is a delight to read aloud, but children can spend plenty of time just enjoying the illustrations as well.
