I love Robert Fulghum. He’s the grandfather that everyone wants to have. Actually, I had the two best ever Grandpas, so maybe I’m the exception, but I’d love to have Fulghum at least as a favorite great-uncle. Fulghum is best known for his “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten” book. A classic that is totally worth a read. Building off that success, he went on to write books such as “It Was On Fire When I Lay Down On It“, “Uh-Oh” and “What On Earth Have I Done?“.  Of all of his, “Earth” is probably my least favorite.

All of his books are short essays, perfect for bedside or in the bathroom (oh come on, lots of people read in the bathroom). You can pick up any of his books, flip open at random and read a quick story that is either funny or poignant.

His chapters in “What On Earth Have I Done?” are concentrated geographically, based on his three homes in Washington state, New Mexico and Greece. While I expected to love this book as much as I’ve loved the other ones, I was disappointed. They seemed to lack some of the strong moral and emotional pull and instead be more focused on the truly mundane (like insect Olympics).

Fulghum books are not meant to be read in one sitting and “Earth” is no exception. Pick it up, read a few chapters, set it down and maybe come back to it later. If you’re looking for something both funny and touching, I would stick to Erma Bombeck. If you’re looking for something that’s laugh out loud funny but crass, go with David Sedaris.