Childproof: Cartoons About Parents and Children

by Roz Chast

One of the New Yorker's most popular cartoonists lends her unique brand of humor to the classic subject of child/parent relationships, in her first collection in six years and perhaps her funniest one yet.

Genres: Comics, Parenting, Humor, Graphic Novels, Cartoon

160 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 1997

About the author

Rosalind "Roz" Chast is an American cartoonist and a staff cartoonist for The New Yorker. She grew up in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, the only child of an assistant principal and a high school teacher. Her earliest cartoons were published in Christopher Street and The Village Voice. In 1978 The New Yorker accepted one of her cartoons and has since published more than 800. She also publishes cartoons in Scientific American and the Harvard Business Review.

Chast is a graduate of Midwood High School in Brooklyn. She first attended Kirkland College (which later merged with Hamilton College) and then studied at the Rhode Island School of Design and received a BFA in painting in 1977. She also holds honorary doctorates from Pratt Institute and Dartmouth College, and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She is represented by the Danese/Corey gallery in Chelsea, New York City.

Reviews

[Emily]

Some clever comics, some less successful or seemed like they might've originally been part of a series. Definitely a lot of laugh-inducing familiar parent/child situations. Very quick read. Looking forward to reading her book of cartoons about her aging parents toward the end of their lives (Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?) as the preview I saw and the interview I've heard are really honest and touching.

[Jennifer]

Roz Chast: master of cartoon neurosis. Excellent.

[Gloria]

Definitely one of her best collections.... and ideal baby shower present....!

[Bryan]

Rather offbeat cartoons about family life. A few of them made me really laugh, other not so much.

[Chelsea]

Short but cute comics that made me laugh.

[Charles]

For nearly all adults, the most significant thing they will do in their life is to have children and raise them to adulthood. It is an extremely challenging profession, at time filling you with the greatest joy and at other times frustrating you to the point of literal madness. It takes the twisted mind of a genius to find humor in these situations, Roz Chast satisfies that job description.
The cartoons depict common scenarios that take place between parents and children as well as between children. Sometimes they are siblings while at other times they are playmates or classmates. The cartoons are amusing because they are so true. Life’s challenges are hard, and parenting is a daily hard, balancing everything from earning a living to feeding them to simply sharing the same household.
If you want to see truth expressed in the funny papers, this is the book for you.

[Nitoy Gonzales]

It's Mad magazine meets Farside in this smorgasbord of cartoon collection. Roz really know the weirdness of parents and children that she poke fun in this book. There alot of hits and few misses and some didn't aged well. Nevertheless, this book keeps me grinning page after page.

[Anthony Faber]

Typical Roz Chast. Mostly funny.

[Michael Anderson]

I laughed out loud.

[Nick Jordan]

Lots of funny stuff, if a bit weaker of a collection than some others.

[Stephanie B]

some good stuff, but font/type way too small for this middle-aged parent, lol

[Mercurymouth]

Perhaps a little dated but there was some resonance. :/

[Krystie Herndon]

Can't help but like books that make me snort and chuckle over breakfast.

[Kat]

3.5, Roz Chast is a great writer but I think she’s definitely better at longer works than one panel jokes

[Therese Davis]

Classic Chast! Of course I enjoyed this one very much.

[Sara P]

Very quick read, all one-page, many one-panel comics. Roz Chast is one of the funnier New Yorker comic artists, and these are still fun, even 20-30 years later.

[Charlotte]

Although I do not have children, I was one once! Funny!