Romancing the Stone: I'm Gonna Snitch On The Littlest B****

If you missed it, Nina Stone participated in the April round-up of guest reviews over at the pugnacious and insightful Trouble With Comics blog. If you need some bait, she just so happened to get her mitts on the long out-of-print Troubled Souls, a Garth Ennis/John McCrea team-up from 1989 that may (or may not) be the writer's first published comics effort. (She liked it.) Make sure you carve out some time to keep up with Trouble--they've got quite a line-up of guests right now, and their regular crew of comics coverage-types is one you'll most certainly recognize. Thank you again to Trouble With Comics, especially Christopher Allen, for the opportunity.

And now back to your regular program.

This bring me so much joy - my two worlds colliding into one delightful item.

By day, I teach, sing and dance with the littlest of children and (sometimes) their parents and/or caregivers. In my evenings, I either write about comics (well, once a week), or hear a whole lot about them from my husband. So just like the old Reese's commercial “Hey - you got my chocolate in your peanut butter.” “No, your peanut butter got in my chocolate.” “Two great tastes that taste great together.....” "It tastes like ashes in my mouth." 

Off topic. See where i'm going though? Somebody got a children's book in their comic, and I found it!

The Littlest Bitch: A Not-For-Children Children's Book
Story by David Quinn & Michael Davis
Illustrated by Devon Devereaux
Published by Sellers

I loved reading this.

At the very least, this is a clever and entertaining book that poignantly combines the precocious know-it-all and boss-of-it-all -isms of your typical four year old with that of a ruthless, corporate something-kinda-adult, focusing on a little girl who quickly pushes all the way to the top, burning bridges everywhere she goes. It's a perfect mix and it got me wondering why I hadn’t seen the obvious similarities before.

If one wants to take a closer look, I think even more can be taken from it. The George Bernard Shaw quote “We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing” comes to mind. In this case, though, our little friend, Isabel, doesn’t grow old. As a matter of fact - she doesn’t "grow" at all. And at some point, her lack of emotional maturity messes up her guts, and she starts physically shrinking.

Poor Isabel? Sure, at first. Her initial bossiness is hilarious, it doesn't matter that it's mean. But just like in real life, it begins to get old, even though she never does. She just gets smaller and smaller and everyone outgrows her. Eventually, she is so small that her worst nightmare comes true. She gets (literally) “eaten for breakfast.”

The structure isn’t quite that of your typical children’s book - which would have a relatively simple conflict that children can identify with -- but that doesn’t really matter because it’s not a children’s book, hence the subtitle. As a matter of fact, any of the criticism that I would have for it from the point-of-view of a children’s book enthusiast is moot. This isn't a children’s book, so it doesn't have to play by their rules. Initially I was disappointed that it was in black and white. But because it is, you can be sure that few children are going to choose to read it over Llama Llama Red Pajama.

The format is really interesting. It’s narrated by Isabel’s “Mummy.” Every time you turn a page, her narration is on the left and the comics are on the right. So, there you have your comic!! (The comics have bubbles, so there's plenty to read!) I'm sure that it could have been done completely in comic book form. But I don't think it would have been as clever that way.

Isabel is drawn with a perfectly set bob with a thick set of bangs accenting her cat-like yet dead eyes. She’s got a big head. I’m sure the pun is intended. No other face, when we see a face, is drawn like hers. Her siblings both have circular eyes, brown hair and are long and lanky juxtaposing Isabel’s blonde angles. In most frames, she’s this tiny, angular intense thing in opposition to everything around her whether it be her huge desk chair or father. As she gets smaller and smaller, the pearls that used to hug her neck get longer and longer. It’s truly delightful to see her eventually become half the size of a strip of bacon on her mother’s breakfast plate. And I don’t think it’s any coincidence that on page six while referring Beth from Little Women as “a wimp”, Isabel also says, “In the Real World she’d be eaten for breakfast.” Food for thought? (Ba-dump-bum. I’m here all week. Please tip your servers!)

It’s just funny to mediate on the similarities between four-year-olds and cutthroat big wigs. When I worked as a temp in private equity I certainly witnessed my fair share of the adult version of temper tantrums. Possibly just as many as I see in preschool? At least they don't curse so much in preschool.

Speaking of preschool, at a seminar earlier this year, we (the staff where I teach) were at a workshop where the speaker was discussing the difference in learning styles between males and females. And in discussing learning styles and behavior, the discussion about how mean and cut-throat girls become at an early age came up. Teachers were reporting conversations from their classrooms that were about girls attempting to wield power over the other girls by the old, “Lisa, you can come to my birthday party. But Sara, you can’t.” And how at those early ages they even start the whole, “okay, Jenny’s not our friend today” and then proceed to give a little girl, was just their best friend the day before, the silent treatment all day until she cries.

It’s a shame, but we girls learn this catty, manipulative, passive-aggressive behavior at an early age. It looks like Isabel was the best in her class.

-Nina Stone, 2010

Comments

[Mory Buckman]

Eh, these generalizations about gender aren't really necessary. I'm a guy, and when I was little I was doing some of the same stuff you attribute to girls. I'm not proud of it. But it's not just girls.

[nina]

Well, honestly I am not the one attributing it, actually. I was attending a seminar and the workshop leader was referencing and discussing a recent study and book on the the differences in brain development of males and females and went on to discuss how it plays out socially in the classroom. And although boys certainly do act similarly at times in life, the specific manipulative behavior of owning and disowning friends begins as early as 3 in girls the preschool classroom. It just doesn't start that early with boys. Boys have other ways of exhibiting, owning and testing their power which are *usually* more physical.

Although I haven't yet read the book(s) the professor was referencing, I witness this early behavior at the preschool every day.

[Kenny Cather]

Augh! You got this at MoCCA, didn't you? I couldn't find it! Instead I bought lots and lots of mini comics....

I'm really glad to hear you enjoyed it, though. It's fun buying new comics from new people and being pleasantly surprised.

I have nothing to add with your seminar. I agree with it. Little boys do other stuff like fighting. I remember a lot of fights designed as games and sports growing up....

[David Quinn]

Nina

I've been out of the country, so it took me a while to get to my email, but I wanted to thank you for the generous reading of our little Isabel. Nina, I enjoyed your insights and reactions... it feels great when a project reaches and clicks with the audience it was meant for! And of course, we are so glad that your many readers will now have a window into our world.

I have provided links at both my personal page and "The Littlest B" on Facebook!

Yours,

David

[David Quinn]

Kenny - sorry I missed you at MoCCA! Illustrator Devon Devereaux and I are hitting several other conventions this year, including San Diego, Detroit and New York. And all the online retailers and most good bookstores also have the book if you just can't wait!

David