Donkey goes King Kong on Amazon
How should we react to the knowledge that The Wonky Donkey knocked Fear, Bob Woodward’s expose´ of the Trump White House, off the top of the Amazon bestseller list?
Better. That’s how we should feel. And not just from the reflected feelgoods that come from author Craig Smith’s assurance that the donkey is as Southland as Cardigan Bay.
Such are the cares of the world that substantial investigation into the dynamics of the US presidency, in which the most powerful man on earth is so very emotionally and intellectually immature, is of course demanded.
Whereas, the benign silliness of Smith’s light and laughing children’s book stands as, perhaps not quite an antidote, but at least a reminder that there can be positive as well as negatives when grownups act like kids.
The book was already a national hit in 2010 when Smith outlined the donkey’s southern pedigree, starting with a lame joke while he and friends were relaxing after another more-or-less fine performance for the Te Anau footy team.
His girlfriend of the time asked, brightly: ‘‘What do you call a donkey with three legs?’’
We all know the answer, and by the conversation’s end the beast’s characteristics had been refined to having a missing leg, one eye, and liking country music. Hence, he was a honky tonky winky wonky donkey.
Although the unsteady critter could be called disabled, as illustrated by Katz Cowley it’s plain to see that he’s perfectly fine anyway, thanks very much; his attitude more striking than his shortcomings.
And the wee guy has shown stamina too, reaching a million copies worldwide before famously receiving a turbo boost from a recent internet clip showing Scottish granny Janice Clark’s detonations of laughter as she read the story to her grandson.
For the entire year he’s number 17 on Amazon’s topsellers list. Higher, we might add, than a couple of other resurgent books of great social stature, Dr Seuss’ Oh, the Places You’ll Go, Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People, and the 50th anniversary edition of Ray Bradbury’s Farenheit 451.
And happily, Amazon’s number one seller at the start of this month was a perfect alloy of adult issues and childish fun. Whose Boat is this Boat? is, in appearance, a children’s book. Subtitled Comments That Don’t Help in the Aftermath of a Hurricane, it devotes its text to quotes from President Trump in the wake of Hurricane Florence. It’s a piece of high-minded mischief with proceeds going to the flood victims.
The donkey is 33 places higher in Amazon’s year-so-far rankings than The Russia Hoax: The Illicit Scheme to Clear Hillary Clinton and Frame Donald Trump. Might have ranked higher if they’d called it The Wary, Scary, Clearly Imaginary Conspiracy Theory.