Sink into Nonsensical Squid Knowledge

i-f11ebaf8c3f6584f087c41d84bce99c8-squidbook.jpg Have you ever wondered if it is appropriate to wink at a west-coast squid? Or, perhaps, which of his tentacles is used for deep tissue massage? If you would like to know the answers to these questions, and more, but don't have time to slip through the looking glass and ask the Walrus (who likely wouldn't give an honest answer, anyways,) then this is the book for you. Animals of the Ocean, in Particular the Giant Squid is the latest installment in the How Book Series of the Haggis-on-Whey World of Unbelievable Brilliance, following such informative delights as Giraffes? Giraffes!

Dr. and Mr. Haggis-on-Whey dive into the mysteries of the deep in Animals of the Ocean, offering sporadically useful information, such as what water does on the weekend, or which layers of the ocean contain the most feces. Accompanied by colorful, hand-drawn illustrations, these salty tidbits will delight audiences of all kinds.

My favorite section discusses the many wonderful uses of squid ink. While I'm a huge fan of surrealist art, I was surprised to learn that this ubiquitous black ink was used in Rene Magritte's famous piece "Ceci n'est pas une Pipe." While the authors hint at another, lesser-known piece called "My Bad, C'est una Pipe," they do not say if it was also painted in squid ink. Some things shall remain a mystery.

Whether you're a squid-lover, a surrealist, or just want something to evoke giggles while sitting in a small room, be sure to check this one out. (Or better, buy it, and confuse your friends!) My family enjoyed it as much as I did, including my 6-year-old son, who is just learning to read. (He insists, however, that no matter how much squids like it, that's his pie.) Others here at ScienceBlogs were wary of sharing this book with small children, but I agree with my SciBling, Janet--kids can identify and enjoy nonsensical satire when they see it.

If you'd like to add this enjoyable piece, or any of the other works by Dr. and Mr. Haggis-on-Whey to your collection, hop on over to McSweeney's Store.

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Ha ha, this looks brilliant. My girlfriend HATES Squids and Octopus – says she's sure something happened to her when she was a kid or something with a Squid or an Octopus. It basically gives her the creeps. She can't even handle me eating Calamari (although, I hope to put an end to that very soon...) Anyway, this book looks great – maybe this is the very book I need to help put her off her squidophobia... there must be a real name for it.

But doesn't this carry the same inherent flaw as globalization...one site gets compromised and due to their interconnectivity they ALL get compromised...