Picture This

A Drawn and Quarterly Petit Livre by the cartoonist of "What It Is"This endearing myopic monkey inhabits an everyday world, but one not without a supernatural charm; she is just as likely to appear at your doorway with a freshly baked pie as with her elephant-eared imaginary friend. "Nearsighted Monkey" collects a series of portraits in which the pleasant primate goes about her daily life--smoking while hogging the remote, making pancakes, waiting for the bus--alternately bundled up for her travels or lounging in slippers and a housecoat. She might drink all of your wine, or the last of the coffee, but all is forgiven upon her presentation of a perfect grilled cheese sandwich.Lynda Barry presents this remarkably familiar character in colorfully inked pages, sometimes painted upon typed science and arithmetic notes from the 1920s. Contrasted in this fashion, the monkey and her pursuits become much more substantial than the long-forgotten lesson plans they upstage. Similarly, in true Lynda Barry style, they serve as a reminder of the playfulness so key to genuine learning and to a satisfying daily routine.