"The Very Persistent Gappers of Fripp" by George Saunders (illustrated by Lane Smith)
Read: 2/21/09 4/5 stars I found this treasure at Booksale, and though I wasn't supposed to buy any more books (owing to my New Year's Resolution), I couldn't let this one go. I always say that illustrations bother me because I'm not really a very visual person. Neither do I buy books because they're pretty; I often focus on the text, and usually mass-market paperback versions are good enough for me. However, when I saw this book, I had to throw my resolution out the window again. The Very Persistent Gappers of Fripp is, according to its blurb, "an adult story for children, a children's story for adults." I would say that's a very good summation. When I became an adult (read, when I turned 18, 'cause Lord knows if I'm really an adult), I developed a taste for children's literature--something which i left behind me soon after the third grade. Currently, having children provides me an excuse to buy children's books that I love. And us...