Don’t Look at Me
A child’s book about feeling different
Sanford
1986
Regulars to our site will immediately recognize the creepy cover illustration style as one of our favorite authors here at ALB. For you new folks, prepare for some shock and awfulness.
Today’s book features Patrick, a boy who is dumb (his words). Other kids call him stupid and retard. Some call him fat and stupid. Mom and Dad have been overheard saying that Patrick is retarded and won’t go to college. Don’t worry, he has a lamb in the barn that is, of course, black. The black lamb “talks” to him and tells him he is good and just needs some extra help and, of course, to work very hard. Problem solved. See how easy it is?
I am sure all of you feel much better now.
Mary
One thing at least was true to my experience. “My dad said to forget it. How do you do that?” If there’s ever been a good answer to that, I’ve never heard it. Not even from a talking sheep.
Well, problem solved with his school work. I’m guessing the fact the kid is hearing voices isn’t addressed.
Is it just me, or did anyone else find reading the text against some of those backgrounds hard on the eyes?
“All beef Patty?” Hah!
You’re all right, mean kid.
That meatball comment make me frightened that Patrick is attending school with a 40 year old little person masquerading as a child. That is the only excuse for such a dad joke.
This author just can’t write a decent book. Good golly, what kind of parents say that? “We haven’t taken him to a doctor or anything, and we have no idea, but clearly that kid is a total failure.”
NNNNnooooooo! And just when I was about to have a good day too! All I can EVER think about when I see her awful books is…David DIES in the end!
I was kind of disappointed to see that that one wasn’t linked in the “see also” bit of this post. It’s such a perfect example of how bad this author’s writing and art are. I’m just going to put a link right here: https://awfullibrarybooks.net/david-dies-at-the-end/
As for this book, Patrick has such wonderful, supportive parents, doesn’t he? I kind of wish we’d gotten to see a page or two with the talking lamb.
Sometimes I think that the illustrations are created and the text is an afterthought.
“maybe having dyslexia is an excuse not to try.” c’mon skake it off kid.
What, no picture of Fluffy, the talking black lamb?
Yeah, I wanted to see Fluffy too. Although, considering how bizarre and creepy the people look, maybe it’s for the best that we don’t see Fluffy. 🙂
Oh, just work harder and everything will be all right!
Oh dear, that cover. He looks like a creepily baby-faced man leering from the end of a dive bar, no? And for the love of all that is god an holy, did NO ONE ever tell Sanford about using a smoother paper with colored pencil? Especially for large flat areas of color? That paper tooth is making me queasy. I mean, the writing and subject matter is as well, but that texture is the last straw.
Well, maybe the kid’ll grow up to be the Sheep Whisperer or something, and then they can make an inspirational film about him.
What, no Blue Velvet callbacks yet?
The mother looks more stereotypically Down’s Syndrome than her supposedly retarded son( and sounds like something far worse). But I’m just speechless at the attitudes taken all around. Yeah, just do 3 times as much as what everyone else is already taking up pretty much their whole lives to do, what are you complaining about, you lazy fraud?! That’s…comfort? And given this author’s previously demonstrated attitude toward Satan, why isn’t she more suspicious of talking black animals with cloven hooves?
That last sentence wins. Maybe she wasn’t turned on to the Devil yet?
Where is the “like” button when you need one?
He looks like Todd from Breaking Bad.
Who keeps agreeing to publish this person’s books and why?
Oh My. Maybe Dear Mary wrote this book on orders from her therapist to quiet nightmares from childhood?
There was a book at my library from 1988 dealing with sexual abuse Called That Doesn’t Feel Right about a young boy who’d get inappropriately touched by a much older woman who was like a friend of his Mothers It was a nice change of pace compared to those other sexual abuse books which primarily focused on men and girls. But still creepy non the less. Especially the illustrations which I think were done by the person who did these books. The worst part was how in depth it get. Like there was the one part that said “We’d take baths together, she was naked too. It didn’t feel right. I didn’t know what to do”
Well if it is true, then we can look forward to that title showing up here! 🙂 Now I have to get it.
I found these videos of Doris Sanford “The woman responsible for these books” incase anyone is interested.
http://vimeo.com/album/1826037
This is the saddest damn thing ever. I’ve developed an allergic reaction to colored pencils because of these books.
I have this book and understand where this kid is coming from i was made fun of for having P.T.S.D and being in the special Education classes because people didn’t understand and the school district’s in my city and state said people withe clinical depression were not aloud in regular education it was not the teachers job to understand your problems