OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "COVIDinners" by Katie M Zeigler.]

COVIDinners by Katie M Zeigler is a humorous picture book. The entire thing is a compilation of whiteboard pictures.

The year 2020 has been a hard one. Stay-at-home orders have forced a lot of families to spend more time together than they normally would. Because of this, many people have tried to find more engaging and interesting ways to interact with their loved ones. Zeigler used her whiteboard to create daily comics pertaining to “Tonight’s Dinner.” The results were extremely entertaining.

There is no storyline for me to describe. Instead, each page has a photograph of a whiteboard. The tops all say, “Tonight’s Dinner,” and underneath they all have a clever hashtag pertaining to the picture. My favorites were all ones that had to do with numbers (I enjoy simple jokes like that). For example, “Couscous Bowls” had a pair of circles with arrows labeling them as “couscous” and a single circle labeling it as “cous.” The hashtag for this was #oneflewoverthecouscousnest, which is also a clever twist on couscous. Other favorites included those where Mom clearly needed a night off. “Wine” was all one night had listed. It sported a giant wine glass next to a much shorter woman with an arrow pointing saying, “Actual Size.”

My least favorites were those with pop-culture references. They were still great, I’m just personally not a fan of this type of humor. For example, “Chicken Scallopini” included a rendering of Beavis and Butt-Head with a hashtag of #hehheh. I only have a vague understanding of these characters, so this comic was lost on me. “A Little Bit Lasagna” had a hashtag of #schittscreek. Since I don’t watch this show, I didn’t understand it at all.

There are a few pictures that are intended for an older crowd. “Twice Baked Potatoes” includes a pot reference, “Hump Day BBQ” has a sex joke, “Hors D’Oeuvres” has a hooker joke, and several include alcoholic references. That being said, I still think a majority of these pictures could be enjoyed by young children. At the very least, they could serve as inspiration for other parents and their dinner whiteboards.

I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. There are no spelling or grammatical mistakes, just a few play-on-words (ex: “hair apparent” instead of “heir” but this was intentional). Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and laughed out loud at quite a few of the pictures. The drawings I described above are just a small sampling of this 52-page book. There’s certainly something for everyone between these pages.

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COVIDinners
View: on Bookshelves

Thank you for the introduction. I also took a read at this book. Easy to understand and the kids can also enjoy.

This one is certainly unique. I wonder if it's mostly humor or there something one might get out of it. Well-done review!

This book sounds quite quirky and unique! It's been a very weird year and a bit of humor is definitely needed. Might give it a go!

Damn.... The title of the book alone sounds funny. This surely one to have on your book shelves.

This book sounds hilarious and timely. I would love to see all of the puns! Thanks for a great review.

I found it hilarious when you indicated the lack of storyline to share in your review. The book underscored the saying that "a picture is worth a thousand words". I really like the concept of the book.

This review was well detailed.. I would like to takes peek, however am worried that it is a book that pokes fun at what is happening in the world today

Suzer6440 xyz wrote: ↑01 Jan 2021, 01:39 am worried that it is a book that pokes fun at what is happening in the world today

It does poke fun, but not in the way you think. It has absolutely nothing to do with the pandemic. But, as a result of the pandemic, many people have found themselves stuck in close quarters with their loved ones for long periods of time. This author lightened the mood of her household and shared that humor with us in her book.

I can't wait to see this book on my list. It sounds hilarious. I think we all need something to make us laugh about covid. Thanks for your review.

Thank you for your review on this book inspired by the pandemic.

This graphic novel sounds like a great coffee table book that you can keep out and occasionally flip through, for a laugh. It reminds me of the show, "Bob's Burgers". It's about a man named Bob who runs his own restaurant, and each day his 'burger of the day' is a different pun, and is a running gag throughout the show. Some of the names are:
- rest in peas burger
- totally radish burger
- olive and let die burger (a play on the movie, live and let die
It's a fun show, and the book sounds like it'll make for a great gift, too.

I really like the idea for a humorous picture book. We desperately need that in a time of pandemic. Thanks for the good review.