A Barrel of Laughs, A Vale of Tears

Jules Feiffer won hearts and a whole new audience when he leapt from the realm of cartooning to create books. His The Man in the Ceiling, the story of Jimmy the boy cartoonist, was a boisterous calling for us to believe in our dreams. In A Barrel of Laughs, A Vale of Tears Feiffer gives us more help in understanding our dreams: If we don't end up where we think we're going in life, maybe we're better off somewhere else--like where we are now. He introduces us to Roger, a prince with such a sense of humor that the king's wizard sends him on a quest to sober him up a bit. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) the quest backfires: Roger enters the Forever Forest, traipses over the Dastardly Divide, and ventures downward into the Valley of Vengeance only to find himself on an entirely different quest than the one the wizard sent him on. Lucky for us, Feiffer's cartooning experience makes him an adventurous author, and he takes us on the ride of our lives, complete with timely asides, wizened wisecracks, silly drawings of characters walking in and out of the story, and more. A Barrel of Laughs, A Vale of Tears will give people of all ages (especially rowdy teenagers who sneak comic books to classes) a barrel of laughs and a wallop of wisdom!