B is for Beer by Tom Collins

B is for Beer by Tom Robbins

2009 HarperCollins

It is no secret that I love "The History of..." books. So far I have read the histories of salt, penicillin and cotton this year. I found B IS FOR BEER completely by accident. I was wondering arond the library, randomly picking up and putting down books, probably driving some poor librarian crazy and somehow I came home with this book.
B IS FOR BEER is hilarious. The front cover is correct this book can be either a children's book for adults or a grown-up bookl for children. Either group could read it and be amused. As an adult I found this book fun to read.
B IS FOR BEER is the history and semi how-to manual for beermaking as told to 5 year old Gracie by the Beer Fairy.(Apparently, the Beer Fairy only comes to you when you've been drinking. I think she and I dated when I was in college.)Besides telling young Gracie the fundamentals of a great beer the beer fairy also gives great advice. My favorite: But there are times, I think you'll agree, when false courage is better than no courage at all.How true that is. There are days when I run on nothing but false courage. But I digress.
I would not recommend that this book be read by children under the age of 15. There is a lot of innuendo and vague references that only adults would understand and appreciate. However, if one were beginning a research paper on the istory of beer I would start here.
FYI: Did you know that beer really originated in Egypt?

Other Reviews:

From Publishers WeeklyIn his children's book for grown-ups/grown-up book for children, Robbins (Even Cowgirls Get the Blues) takes readers on a whimsical tour of all things beer, written in the language of a bedtime story. Factoids about everything from how beer is made to the number of gallons of beer sold globally each year (36 billion) are woven into this story about six-year-old Gracie Perkel, who craves time with her beer-guzzling Uncle Moe. When Moe disappoints Gracie, she reaches for a drink and is visited by the Beer Fairy, who flies her through the Seam and offers an education about life and, of course, beer. The drive to inform the reader about malt and hops is sometimes relentless, and the language can be frustratingly dumbed-down (If you're unfamiliar with the word podiatrist, you're not alone. Fortunately for Gracie [and now for you], Uncle Moe was quick to define podiatrist as a doctor who investigates and treats disorders of the feet. A foot specialist). Still, the premise and execution of this unique book lends itself to moments of real humor. (Apr.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.