Meaniehead

Henry and Eve #2

by Bruce Eric Kaplan

New Yorker cartoonist and bestselling author Bruce Eric Kaplan depicts the catastrophic and humorous consequences of sibling rivalry in this companion to Monsters Eat Whiny Children.Henry and Eve are two perfectly delightful children—who fight about absolutely everything. (They’re siblings, after all.) Their latest sibling spat is over an action figure. Which means it’s serious. Before too long their house is destroyed. The park is leveled. The whole neighborhood…gone. Can anything repair this rift? Or will their bickering be the end of the Grand Canyon? And Texas? And the universe?

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Humor, Fiction, Storytime

40 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 10, 2014

About the author

Bruce Eric Kaplan, known as BEK, is an American cartoonist whose single-panel cartoons frequently appear in The New Yorker. His cartoons are known for their signature simplistic style and often dark humor. Kaplan is also a screenwriter and has worked on Six Feet Under and on Seinfeld (funnily enough, one of his most well-known episodes is one where Elaine becomes increasingly frustrated over what she takes to be an utterly nonsensical cartoon in The New Yorker). He graduated from Wesleyan University where he studied with Professor Jeanine Basinger.

Kaplan joined the crew of Six Feet Under during the first season in 2001 as a supervising producer. He scripted two episodes of the first season – "The Foot" and "The New Person". He was promoted to co-executive producer for the second season in 2002 and wrote a further two episodes – "The Invisible Woman" and "The Secret". He remained a co-executive producer for the third season in 2003 and wrote a further episode entitled "The Trap". He was promoted to executive producer for the fourth season in 2004 and wrote another episode "The Dare". He served as executive producer during the fifth and final season and wrote his last episode "The Silence". Kaplan wrote seven episodes in total for the series.

He has authored and illustrated six adult titles for Simon & Schuster: the cult classic The Cat That Changed My Life; the collections, I Love You, I Hate You, I'm Hungry, No One You Know and This is a Bad Time; and Every Person on the Planet and Edmund and Rosemary Go to Hell, both featuring the wonderfully neurotic Brooklyn couple, Edmund & Rosemary. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two children.

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Henry and Eve, those poorly-behaved siblings who were kidnapped by monsters in Bruce Eric Kaplan's Monsters Eat Whiny Children , return in this second picture-book devoted to their adventures. Having fallen into an arguing "phase" this time (in the previous book it was a whining phase), their conflict escalates, eventually spreading from their own home through their neighborhood, out into their town, and even throughout the world. Eventually their argument consumes everything around them...

Like its predecessor, Meaniehead pairs a perceptive and humorous story with amusing cartoon-style illustrations. Kaplan has a gift for observation - "There's nothing sillier than fighting about what belongs to whom, but no kids and even fewer adults know that" - but his story is never overwhelmed by its message. I appreciated the exploration of sibling conflict here, and the way the story highlights the nature of fighting, and how it can escalate far beyond its original source. Recommended to anyone who has read and enjoyed the first story about Henry and Eve (although it is not necessary to read them together), and to anyone who appreciated a more prickly sense of humor in their picture-books.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know that Bruce Eric Kaplan has other things to do with his days - mostly drawing inscrutable New Yorker cartoons - but I think he really should cancel all the rest of his plans and just make picture books. They make me laugh out loud and children too. My children, anyway. Perhaps not a representative sample.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have ever had a fight with a sibling you will get the humor of this book. A silly argument over a stupid toy escalates and escalates until the eventual destruction of the planet. Very simplistic illustrations which for some reason works for this over the top story.

[Cosette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it.

[Lara · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little brother and sister pair have a disagreement. Which escalates. Dramatically.

This could have been fun, an OTT cautionary tale of the dangers of sibling quarrels. However, it fell a bit short for me. I wasn't a fan of the artwork for starters (did they at times look green to anyone else, or just me?) And there just didn't seem to be much of a punchline/moral at the end to wrap things up. I know they decide to to never do it again, but .... then? It just didn't work for me.

[Sri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tentang kakak adik yang berebut mainan yang sama, pertengkaran mereka menghancurkan dunia. Dan setelah tidak ada apa-apa lagi selain mereka yang mengambang di luar angkasa, mereka jadi sedih lalu berbaikan lagi.

[Misbah · Rating 2 out of 5]

A brother and sister fight so much that they destroy the world. Then they regret it and promise to never destroy the world again.

I guess it could be used to teach children not to fight but seems a bit over the top for that purpose.

[Emily · Rating 1 out of 5]

ok. that went a little overboard.

[E · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wtf just happened here

[Kali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely delightful and absurd little story. If you like dry humor and absurdity, then this should be right up your alley. Make sure to take time for a snack whilst reading.

[Heatherterrybell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such a silly, creative book. We’ve read it lots of times and it’s just a mindless book.

[Rudolph Ronswik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two kids get in an arguement and destroy the universe. You know how it is with kids.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kids loved this book. They died laughing. When they get in fights they joke about not blowing up the world over things.

[Brent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read completely in one standing at B&N Saturday night, out loud, our family of three loved this book. I have loved Kaplan's New Yorker cartoons and will be seeking out more of both his picture books and gag cartoons. Briefly summarized: a brother and sister's meanness takes exaggerated forms, to the destruction of everything around them. It's funny.
Highly recommended.

[Rebecca Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I liked most about this book was how well it captured the feelings of two young siblings fighting. During the fight (most likely over something ridiculous) they feel so angry they don't care what kind of chaos ensues. Afterwards when things calm down they act like nothing ever happened. I can definitely relate. In summation "let's not start that again" - The Jungle Book.

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

A brother and sister's fighting over a toy results in the destruction of the world. The text is fairly outlandish which drives home the author's message that fighting,in the first place,is dumb.

Ink and watercolor artwork. PreK-2.

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having a fight with someone can make your entire world crumble. This book takes that feeling to an extreme when two battling siblings actually destroy everything in their path--including planet Earth!

It really brings some humor into the usual theme of sibling rivalry.

[Michelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found this book to be a bit strange and not as funny as I'd hoped. Plus, they only used the term "Meanie Head" once...so I wasn't clear on why it was chosen for the title...just a little bit overdone and slightly confusing to me...

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Their town was now completely demolished. Henry and Eve stopped and


had a snack.


Then they started fighting again."


"In Texas they met up with two very aggressive football teams, who took sides, and


they all ended up demolishing the state."

[Bill · Rating 2 out of 5]

Intriguing artwork. Flat, predictable story line.

[Dex · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to like it. Bright orange cover, interesting title. A little self-indulgent if you ask me.

[Elisabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book confirms what I've decided awhile back -- Kaplan's picture books aren't meant for children. There is no way children are the intended audience.

[Annie · Rating 2 out of 5]

As much as I liked Monsters Eat Whiny Children, I'm just not a fan of this one.

[Monica Williams · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful, truly awful. Don't even bother with this one.

[Beverly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Even though this author is a renowned cartoonist, I really disliked the illustrations in this book.

[Cindy Williams · Rating 2 out of 5]

Story was ok, not a big fan of illustrations. Really disliked the way one word would be on one page and the rest of the sentence was on the next page.

[Mira Domsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brother and sister fight over a toy and destroy everything. Very silly. Good for storytime.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

So great

[Elizabeth]

Not necessarily my favorite, but it made me laugh at the end of a very, very long day, and laughing was just what I needed.

[Allie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weird.