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I'm Bored! #1
I'm Bored
There is NOTHING boring about being a kid, but one little girl is going to have to prove it in this anything-but-boring picture book from comedian Michael Ian Black.
Just when a little girl thinks she couldn’t possibly be more bored, she stumbles upon a potato who turns the tables on her by declaring that children are boring. But this girl isn’t going to let a vegetable tell her what’s what, so she sets out to show the unimpressed potato all the amazing things kids can do. Too bad the potato is anything but interested….
This tongue-in-cheek twist on a familiar topic is sure to entertain anyone who’s ever been bored—or had to hear about someone else being bored—and is filled with comedian Michael Ian Black’s trademark dry wit, accompanied by charismatic illustrations from newcomer Debbie Ridpath Ohi.
Just when a little girl thinks she couldn’t possibly be more bored, she stumbles upon a potato who turns the tables on her by declaring that children are boring. But this girl isn’t going to let a vegetable tell her what’s what, so she sets out to show the unimpressed potato all the amazing things kids can do. Too bad the potato is anything but interested….
This tongue-in-cheek twist on a familiar topic is sure to entertain anyone who’s ever been bored—or had to hear about someone else being bored—and is filled with comedian Michael Ian Black’s trademark dry wit, accompanied by charismatic illustrations from newcomer Debbie Ridpath Ohi.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2012
About the author
Michael Ian Black
31 books428 followersMichael Ian Black is a popular comedian who began his career with "The State," a sketch comedy troupe he co-founded at New York University in 1988, which went on to have a successful run on MTV. He then co-created the Comedy Central television series "Viva Variety," a fake European variety show.
From there, he appeared on several television shows before landing the role of Phil Stubbs, the quirky bowling alley manager on NBC's "Ed," which ran for almost four seasons. His next project was "Stella," a television show he co-created with Michael Showalter and David Wain, which ran on Comedy Central. Black has appeared in several films and is a popular contributor to VH1's "I Love the..." series.
In 2005, he wrote and directed his first film, "Wedding Daze," which starred Jason Biggs and Isla Fisher. His screenplay "Run Fat Boy Run," starring Simon Pegg and Thandie Newton, came out in 2007. Black is also a stand-up comedian, who regularly tours the country. His first album of stand-up comedy, "I Am a Wonderful Man," was released in 2007, and his first book of humorous essays, My Custom Van (and 50 Other Mind-Blowing Essays That Will Blow Your Mind All Over Your Face) came out in 2008. His first children's book, Chicken Cheeks was released in January, 2009. His latest project is "Michael and Michael Have Issues," a comedy series premiering in July 2009 on Comedy Central. Black is married and has two children.
From there, he appeared on several television shows before landing the role of Phil Stubbs, the quirky bowling alley manager on NBC's "Ed," which ran for almost four seasons. His next project was "Stella," a television show he co-created with Michael Showalter and David Wain, which ran on Comedy Central. Black has appeared in several films and is a popular contributor to VH1's "I Love the..." series.
In 2005, he wrote and directed his first film, "Wedding Daze," which starred Jason Biggs and Isla Fisher. His screenplay "Run Fat Boy Run," starring Simon Pegg and Thandie Newton, came out in 2007. Black is also a stand-up comedian, who regularly tours the country. His first album of stand-up comedy, "I Am a Wonderful Man," was released in 2007, and his first book of humorous essays, My Custom Van (and 50 Other Mind-Blowing Essays That Will Blow Your Mind All Over Your Face) came out in 2008. His first children's book, Chicken Cheeks was released in January, 2009. His latest project is "Michael and Michael Have Issues," a comedy series premiering in July 2009 on Comedy Central. Black is married and has two children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 480 reviews
June 14, 2020
okay, this book is adorable.
and it was pretty awesome of ariel to give this to me on her birthday, all because i saw it in a bookstore window one time and knew i needed to read it, and she delivered.
the drawings in this book are so freaking cute. so. cute. the book tells the tale of a girl who is bored bored bored, and when she is bored, she gets LOUD ABOUT BEING BORED. which is maybe something i do. maybe.
but instead of having a greg to try to cheer her up and distract her out of her LOUDLY EXPRESSED BOREDOM,
she has a potato who rolls up to tell her that HE is bored because SHE IS BORING! which if you ask me, is just asking to get turned into a mash, but instead, she tries to reason with it, showing it all the things she can do that are fun.
but he is a stubborn ole potato.
it is a very clever book, in which a mean tuber eventually gets comeuppance.
oh my god, and it turns out, the illustrator is adorable, too!
i bet she is never bored...
come to my blog!
and it was pretty awesome of ariel to give this to me on her birthday, all because i saw it in a bookstore window one time and knew i needed to read it, and she delivered.
the drawings in this book are so freaking cute. so. cute. the book tells the tale of a girl who is bored bored bored, and when she is bored, she gets LOUD ABOUT BEING BORED. which is maybe something i do. maybe.
but instead of having a greg to try to cheer her up and distract her out of her LOUDLY EXPRESSED BOREDOM,
she has a potato who rolls up to tell her that HE is bored because SHE IS BORING! which if you ask me, is just asking to get turned into a mash, but instead, she tries to reason with it, showing it all the things she can do that are fun.
but he is a stubborn ole potato.
it is a very clever book, in which a mean tuber eventually gets comeuppance.
oh my god, and it turns out, the illustrator is adorable, too!
i bet she is never bored...
come to my blog!
July 23, 2016
This book is absolutely brilliant! With fantastic illustrations, a bored potato, and a bored (but not boring) little girl, this book uses humor to make an important point. A new favorite. 5 stars.
August 26, 2022
حوصلهام سر رفته....
سر رفته... آآآآآآآ
حوصلهام خیلی سر رفته...
- از متن کتاب :)))
سر رفته... آآآآآآآ
حوصلهام خیلی سر رفته...
- از متن کتاب :)))
May 1, 2013
I had to add this to my favorites, my 5 yr old son and I enjoyed it so much! Reserved it at the library after reading a review here on Goodreads. So glad I did! It's about a little girl who's bored but then meets a potato who is bored as well. When she asks it why it's bored, he says it's because he has to hang out with her, a kid, which is boring. She then proceeds to list all the reasons why kids aren't boring. (You can see where this is going) You think I would have seen the end coming but I didn't. I won't give it away. Thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommended! I loved the illustrations as well. I can't imagine any child not enjoying this.
December 4, 2012
I loved this book so much I bought two copies--one for myself and one for a three-year-old boy I love. The story interested me and is well written, but for me it was the lively, expressive illustrations that really made the book.
In I'm Bored, a little girl is bored until she finds a potato that talks to her. The potato is not any potato--it's a talking potato--and it's bored, too. The potato thinks kids are boring, so the little girl sets out to prove that kids are NOT boring. In trying to convince the potato, the little girl realizes just how much she can actually do and what fun she can have. She doesn't change the potato's mind--but the grumpy potato is in for a surprise!
Black has written a dryly funny text that both kids and adults will enjoy. Kids will love joining in with the potato's expected response: Boring, boring, boring! I loved how Black showed how kids can do both real-world things to have fun (turn cartwheels, skip, spin around) and use their imagination (be a ballerina, lion tamer, or fly), and also how he has the child realize that she's glad she's a kid. And the twist at the end was perfect! I was also so happy to see a mixture of things the girl could be, that kept it from being really sexist (such as that she could be a lion tamer).
Ohi's illustrations are so full of life and emotion. Think a potato can't have expressions or look like a person? Open up I'm Bored and you'll see differently. With just a few lines Ohi makes the potato come alive just as she does the girl. Ohi's style reminds me a bit of Mo Willems; I think Ohi will become just as well known and loved.
The illustrations are done in bold black lines, filled out with some color, and the characters really stand out; there is little to no background in most of the spreads. Where the background comes in is when the girl is using her imagination, and then we see dragons and lions, etc in pale blue lines that help the reader understand she's using her imagination. When the girl uses real-world objects, like a paper box with the faceplate cut out for an astronaut's helmet, it's also in bold lines like the girl.
The girl and the potato are both very expressive; I love the expressions on the potato's face, especially, when he's bored or surprised. I also love how Ohi gave the girl a pretend sword when she's a fairy princess with dragons and unicorns, which for me helped that page not be sexist.
I'm Bored is a funny book that will encourage imagination, play, and remind kids that they can do anything they want. It may also help kids (and adults) see that while not everyone may not find you interesting, everyone experiences that, and you can have fun all by yourself. Highly recommended!
October 26, 2012
This book made me smile. All the time we hear little kids say that they are "so bored". Many of us adults are guilty of those words as well; atleast I know I am! The book begins with a little girl who is bored. She is so bored that she starts to talk to a potato. The potato tells her that she is in fact boring; all kids are boring. The little girl gets a wee bit offended and makes it her mission to prove to the talking spud that kids are anything but boring. She shows all the fun things that kids can do and all of the things that kids are capable of from pretending to fly to yodelling on top of the dirty clothes hamper, (it is the Swiss Alps, you see).
The book is a wonderful representation of just how imaginative and creative kids can be. I plan on being an elementary teacher, probably k-3. This book would be great to have in the classroom because it would show all of the possibilities that kids have today, in the way of entertaining themselves. The kids just might rethink their comments of "I am so bored." It will jumpstart their own creativity and imaginations. Being a kid is better than being a potato, after all.
Black, Michael Ian., and Debbie Ridpath Ohi. I'm Bored. New York: Simon & Schuster for Young Readers, 2012. Print
The book is a wonderful representation of just how imaginative and creative kids can be. I plan on being an elementary teacher, probably k-3. This book would be great to have in the classroom because it would show all of the possibilities that kids have today, in the way of entertaining themselves. The kids just might rethink their comments of "I am so bored." It will jumpstart their own creativity and imaginations. Being a kid is better than being a potato, after all.
Black, Michael Ian., and Debbie Ridpath Ohi. I'm Bored. New York: Simon & Schuster for Young Readers, 2012. Print
March 13, 2013
The last few pages had a couple humorous twists, and those elevated the book enough for me so that I can give it 3 stars, but barely. I do like the “I’m bored” refrain and kids will certainly identify and understand. I don’t know any kid who’s never complained about being bored. However, the bulk of the book is too didactic and obviously so, and until the last few pages, I was rather bored. The pictures are very cute and expressive. The potato angle is unique, I admit.
February 7, 2019
مناسب برای بچههایی که مدام میگن حوصلهشون سر رفته 😄
January 26, 2013
So many children and adults find it hard to entertain themselves and complain about how bored they are. In this picture book a young girl finds herself in that exact state until she happens upon a potato. Although she can't think of anything to do with the spud, she tries desperately to show him all the neat things can do with their time, but he remains unimpressed. I liked how her efforts are simple at first (turning cartwheels) and then escalate to elaborate fantasies in which she fights a dragon. Through it all, though, the potato remains unmoved until a flamingo arrives on the scene. Turnabout is fair play, though, since he, too, is bored. The digital illustrations have just the right colors to allow the potato to have something of a personality while also showing the little girl working hard to impress him. All three of these characters remind me of folks that I have known over the years. As my parents always told me, "Only a boring person can possibly be bored. Find something to do."
Read
October 11, 2012Child vs potato. Very funny.
June 9, 2018
Too funny with a great message...
January 17, 2013
This is a very funny book about a little girl who tries to entertain a potato by coming up with myriad different activities and inventive ways to entertain themselves. The narrative is entertaining and the pictures are fun, too. We just loved the potato. So odd, yet funny.
Our youngest read this book aloud to us and it couldn't have been more perfect. I loved hearing her change her inflection throughout the dialogue, using diferent voices for the little girl and the potato. We really enjoyed reading this book together.
Our youngest read this book aloud to us and it couldn't have been more perfect. I loved hearing her change her inflection throughout the dialogue, using diferent voices for the little girl and the potato. We really enjoyed reading this book together.
May 25, 2014
So this is actually really cute. A very bored girl comes across a potato that's just as bored, and she goes to prove to the potato that kids aren't boring but FUN.
I found this book through Karen, who wrote this adorable review.
This book is actually really simple and it's probably something anyone can come up with but point is, they didn't. So this book is very enjoyable. :P
I love the illustrations! And hahaha, the ending is very cute too. This is worth a read.
I found this book through Karen, who wrote this adorable review.
This book is actually really simple and it's probably something anyone can come up with but point is, they didn't. So this book is very enjoyable. :P
I love the illustrations! And hahaha, the ending is very cute too. This is worth a read.
August 11, 2016
Very cute and clever way of giving kids ideas of things to do in an age where technology is sometimes a child's activity of choice. My five year old asked to read this daily for quite a while, and we had fun drawing faces on old potatoes as an activity to go along with the story.
December 2, 2012
Excellent for a summer storytime or call & response storytime.
September 24, 2012
This book is about a little girl that is bored. She finds a potato and they talk about fun things to do so they won’t be bored, but the potato thinks all of the girl’s ideas are boring. The girl talks about fun things to do like ninja kicks or walking on her hands. Then she talks about using her imagination and she acts like a ballerina, a lion tamer, an astronaut in space, a singer, a pirate, and a monster. As she is talking about all of these, the illustrations show each of these scenes. It shows the real things she is using for these pretend scenes in color and the imaginary part of the scene in a light blue. I really liked this contrast. The illustrations are simple, but they are very well done. There is a variety of color used throughout the book. I think it is a good, fun book and the illustrations go along with it very well. On some pages, there are several different scenes depicted, which I think makes it more interesting. The illustrations are simple but effective. Some books have so many different things going on in the illustrations it can be overwhelming. I think the illustrations in this book have a good balance between things on the page and different colors used. It deserves to win the 2013 Caldecott Award!
September 19, 2012
I'm Bored by Michael Ian Black is a funny story of a young girl and a potato. After sitting around being bored, the girl finds a potato to play with. Her and her imagination come up with tons of fun adventurous games for her and the potato to play but potato finds them all to be very boring. The young girl quickly realizes that there is nothing boring about being a kid, she can skip, be a famous ballerina, or a lion tamer. The illustration by Debbie Ridpath Ohi ar wonderful and grab the reader’s attention. Every imaginary activity that the young girl creates is draw in the background of that page. This book would be great for students second grade and younger to inspire children to use their imagination and find fun things to do when there is nothing else.
October 5, 2015
I read this to a class of 3 - 6 year olds and they were giggling like mad. They loved it. But the effect it had on them wasn't great.
So the ultimate message is certainly one that supports creativity and realizing potential. But what the kids took from it was that saying "boring" every time anybody says anything was hilarious. I nipped that in the bud, but the book is a good example of a book that lacks logical consequences for misbehavior. Suggesting everything everybody suggests is boring is not polite or caring but it's totally okay for the characters in the book to do so; nobody ever even suggests it's not kind. Books can be funny without teaching bad manners!
So the ultimate message is certainly one that supports creativity and realizing potential. But what the kids took from it was that saying "boring" every time anybody says anything was hilarious. I nipped that in the bud, but the book is a good example of a book that lacks logical consequences for misbehavior. Suggesting everything everybody suggests is boring is not polite or caring but it's totally okay for the characters in the book to do so; nobody ever even suggests it's not kind. Books can be funny without teaching bad manners!
September 20, 2012
Love this one. . .it's like a mix of Peanuts, VeggieTales, and Drop Dead Fred all thrown into a nice little package with super cute illustrations by Debbie Ridpath Ohi.
I think the Geisel Award pile just shifted a bit to make some room for this little gem that has the best use of text placement/arrangement I've seen that really lends itself to the humor and charm and snark of the book.
This one begs read aloud. I am trying to get my potato voice down now. I cannot decide if I want my potato to sound like Paul Lynde or a little more gruff. . .
You decide. I'll work on it.
I think the Geisel Award pile just shifted a bit to make some room for this little gem that has the best use of text placement/arrangement I've seen that really lends itself to the humor and charm and snark of the book.
This one begs read aloud. I am trying to get my potato voice down now. I cannot decide if I want my potato to sound like Paul Lynde or a little more gruff. . .
You decide. I'll work on it.
Read
April 14, 2020When a little girl is bored out of her mind and comes across a potato – a potato? – she decides that they should play together. But the potato thinks kids are boring! That is when this little girl takes it upon herself to prove this potato wrong and show him all the fun things kids can do. This silly story is a great way to squash boredom with your little one, and to start imagining up fun ways to pass the time. Enjoy this one now by checking out a copy on Mymcpl.org or searching for it on Overdrive! – Reviewed by Stephanie at MCPL Reading Rocket
February 5, 2020
I'm Bored by Michael Ian Black and Debbie Ridpath Ohi is the first picture book in what's currently a three book series. It starts with a girl on her own and she's bored. During her initial frustration at having nothing to do, she finds a talking potato who declares she is boring.
http://pussreboots.com/blog/2020/comm...
http://pussreboots.com/blog/2020/comm...
April 22, 2019
A bored little girl tries to prove to a potato that kids are really fun. Full of imaginative play. Very humorous. Fun digital illustrations are enhanced by interesting non-linear text placements.
March 27, 2019
Une enfant fait la rencontre d'une patate qui s'ennuie terriblement. Elle lui montrera toutes les prouesses qu'un enfant fait pour ne pas être ennuyeux. Ensemble, ils feront la rencontre d'un personnage important du deuxième tome... ;) Bon livre, je l'achèterais aux enfants de mes amies ! :)
August 11, 2019
So funny!
March 4, 2020
عنوان ترجمه فارسی:
حوصله ام سر رفته!
حوصله ام سر رفته!
November 12, 2012
The dreaded boredom has set in in this very funny picture book. A little girl is so bored she is flat on her back moaning when she notices a potato. When she tosses the potato away, not knowing what to do with it, the potato says that it too is bored. The potato goes on to tell the little girl that kids are boring. She insists that no, kids are fun and the potato challenges her to prove it. She shows the potato all the physical things she can do, then demonstrates using her imagination, but through it all the potato stays unimpressed. There is a great twist at the end of the book that you will have to read for yourself. A funny read that will have even the most bored child enjoying themselves.
Done entirely in dialogue, this is a fast-moving picture book. It begs to be read aloud with a grungy, dusty potato voice. The ever-bored potato is a great foil to the little girl who despite herself loses herself in her imagination and actions. It’s a lesson that kids are anything but boring, even when they themselves are bored.
The illustrations have a great rough feel to them. Done digitally, there is a feel of the organic roughness of a block print. I particularly enjoy seeing a little girl not in pink or done up cutely. This little girl is a real one, one that throws herself into things and that includes being willing to argue with a potato.
This is one book that is anything but boring. Appropriate for ages 4-6.
Done entirely in dialogue, this is a fast-moving picture book. It begs to be read aloud with a grungy, dusty potato voice. The ever-bored potato is a great foil to the little girl who despite herself loses herself in her imagination and actions. It’s a lesson that kids are anything but boring, even when they themselves are bored.
The illustrations have a great rough feel to them. Done digitally, there is a feel of the organic roughness of a block print. I particularly enjoy seeing a little girl not in pink or done up cutely. This little girl is a real one, one that throws herself into things and that includes being willing to argue with a potato.
This is one book that is anything but boring. Appropriate for ages 4-6.
August 9, 2012
The Illustrations: The illustrations in this book are simple and straight forward. The focus of the illustrations are on the main characters, with little detail or no detail given to the background. the images look like simple pen drawings with touches of color. I really enjoyed how simple these images were- they really went well with the feel of the story and complemented the humor in the story well. My little one laughed at the pictures and found it easy to follow along with multiple pictures on the same page.
The Story: What parent hasn't had a child who was bored and nothing would do? The little girl in this story (unnamed) has that very problem, and when she meets a bored potato, it turns the problem back to her. The little girl tries to convince the potato that kids aren't boring, while the author cleverly shows the reader that the little girl is actually entertaining herself in the process. The story as few words on each page and is sure to make even the smallest readers laugh along with their parents. I am usually skeptical about "celebrity" kids books, but this one was absolutely a winner. I will be picking up a finished copy of this book for my liittle one for Christmas. I recommend this for ages 2+, but it would make a good read along for even younger readers.
June 18, 2017
This book is so cute!
I read it to my 7 year old's Second Grade class the other day and they were giggling from the first endpaper (covered in the word "Bored") to the last page. They pointed and laughed and started to join in with the potato's refrain after a few pages. They chattered about what the little girl was up to as the illustrations grew more and more imaginative. They MOBBED me for the activity sheets I had printed out from the illustrator's website (debbieohi.com/bored), and dashed back to their desks to draw their own versions of the little girl and the story. They even forgot I had brought donuts until after they were half way through their own pictures!! High praise from 7 year olds!
Great book: funny, beautifully illustrated and best of all, it really, really engaged the target audience (and the adults too!). Definitely recommend this book whether you're reading to one child or a group.
I read it to my 7 year old's Second Grade class the other day and they were giggling from the first endpaper (covered in the word "Bored") to the last page. They pointed and laughed and started to join in with the potato's refrain after a few pages. They chattered about what the little girl was up to as the illustrations grew more and more imaginative. They MOBBED me for the activity sheets I had printed out from the illustrator's website (debbieohi.com/bored), and dashed back to their desks to draw their own versions of the little girl and the story. They even forgot I had brought donuts until after they were half way through their own pictures!! High praise from 7 year olds!
Great book: funny, beautifully illustrated and best of all, it really, really engaged the target audience (and the adults too!). Definitely recommend this book whether you're reading to one child or a group.
October 25, 2012
Summary: A girl is complaining about being bored. Then she comes across a potato to who tells her that she’s just a boring kid! She is not happy about being called boring so she shows that potato that she can do whatever she wants if she just uses her imagination. She pretends to be things like a famous ballerina and a fairy princess with her own castle, dragons and unicorns. The potato still wasn’t impressed but the little girl wasn’t bored anymore!
Audience: K-2
Appeal: It’s silly (there’s a talking potato) and reminds us how powerful our imagination is.
Implementation: I would use this book to remind kids that if they use their imagination they can to ANYTHING! This would be something fun to lead into a game where the students will be pretending/using their imaginations.
Citation: Black, M. I., & Ohi, D. R. (2012). I'm Bored. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
Audience: K-2
Appeal: It’s silly (there’s a talking potato) and reminds us how powerful our imagination is.
Implementation: I would use this book to remind kids that if they use their imagination they can to ANYTHING! This would be something fun to lead into a game where the students will be pretending/using their imaginations.
Citation: Black, M. I., & Ohi, D. R. (2012). I'm Bored. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
September 12, 2012
This book is LAUGH-OUTLOUD FUNNY! "I'm Bored" is certainly NOT boring! The illustrations seem simple, yet say so much. "I'm bored" is such a universal expression. My siblings and I said it as kids. Our kids said it when they were kids. I'm certain one day my grandkids will say it, but then I'll pull out this book to challenge them to show me all the non-boring kid things they can do. We'll do them together and giggle. I love the cover and that they left the author/illustrator names off (put them on the back instead)--this book just demands to be picked up off the shelf. And then oh my, what a treat--it does NOT disappoint. Great kid-appeal! Even for us big kids =)!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 480 reviews