During the first lockdown in summer 2020 my friend, illustrator Jorge Martin, got in touch to say he was starting a new publishing house in Spain, and did I have any ideas for a book. I sent him a few very vague thoughts, and he mentioned that he’d liked some posts I’d done on Instagram, which were Would You Rather jokes.
For anyone unfamiliar with Would You Rather, it is a highly sophisticated game that goes like this: “Would you rather: e.g. Eat a poopy sandwich, Roll around in a smelly puddle, or Smooch a polecat on the bum.” Rarely/never does it go: “Would you rather: e.g. Forego free will to forward a fair society, Go back in time to derail the invention of leaded petrol, Share a madeleine with Proust”. Or perhaps it does, and I’m moving in the wrong circles.
There are a lot of Would You Rather books for kids on the market. The classic picture book is John Burningham’s Would You Rather, published in 1978. It’s wonderful! So I wanted to do something different to make my offering a worthwhile addition.
I was influenced by a book I was mad about from when I was eight - Uncle Shelby’s ABZ by Shel Silverstein. My copy is in tatters, but I post some pages below. Interestingly, googling this book now, I see it comes with a flash on the front saying “A primer for adults only”. I think this is pretty skittish - the book is a far cry from Silverstein’s famous The Giving Tree (and way less traumatic) but it’s not really hardcore fare either.
*FUN FACT CORNER*
Shel Silverstein wrote the song made a hit by Johnny Cash, “A Boy Named Sue”. You can hear him singing it here!
I thought this book was SO HILARIOUS when I was young. I’d never come across this kind of irreverent voice speaking directly to me, the reader; making arch, daring jokes and giving me the compliment of knowing I’ll get them. Also the whole thing was a conspiracy between Uncle Shelby and the reader against parents - hilarious!!!
Once I’d started thinking that my own book could be a sort of joke self-help course in making good choices, Uncle Shelby’s interactivity was often in my mind. The book is called How to Make Good Choices. It’s a primer in becoming a good decision-maker, based on the wisdom of Professor Choosy and The Academy of Good Choices.
The book has four sections:
The Theory section, the Practical section (Would You Rather games), the Exam, and then depending on your results, Celebration and Accreditation or Derision and Banishment.
Here are a couple more spreads.
Cómo Tomar Buenas Decisiones publishes soon in Spain by Paco Editiones, and the translation from English to Spanish is by Inés Mesonero - thank you Inés! We are very keen (keen!) to get co-editions, and I’d love an English language version.
Although this book (I’m sorry to say) will possibly NOT help anyone become a better decision-maker, the idea behind it is not entirely a joke. Like many people, I’ve long fought with indecision. My dad, a very decisive person, used to say: “ANY decision, even the wrong one, is better than no decision at all”. I have tried to take this to heart, and I think I’m improving as I get older. However, it’s a long old road, isn’t it - and I have often wished for a real-life Professor Choosy and his academy to help me navigate it.
This looks so good! And as a Spanish speaker, I'm delighted that I can actually read this! Hurrah! Also, A Light in the Attic was my Shel Silverstein Bible and I still think about certain poems regularly (like the diving one - poor Melissa of Coconut Grove)
Ok, but would you rather...poo out of your mouth for the rest of your life, or eat out of your bum? I’m very KEEN for a UK edition - very much need to read this right now!!