really, author? really?

one of the requirements in anth's classroom is that the students read for 15 minutes at home each night.
anth loves it.
we love it.
it's a highly lovable thing.

in order to keep the process fresh/exciting, the students are given time to wander around the room and pick a new book to bring home each day.
bern and i appreciate the new reading materials on a daily basis.
as a result, we often ask what book anth picked out that day.
why we do this, i have no idea, as anth categorically forgets what book it was until we get it out of his bag.
sometimes he has a vague notion, like "it's about a giraffe."

a few weeks ago, anth had a vague notion.
about the title of a particular book.
as in, he said, "i don't know mom, it's something like The Manly Fairy."
or, at least that was what i heard.
and immediately, my mind went in a thousand directions.

• perhaps this is educational
• perhaps this is about gender stereotypes
• what on earth are the illustrations in this?
• i was picturing a story about the plight of the male pixie
• i was curious how they would handle this sensitive topic at a 1st grade reading level

NOPE.
turns out that, maybe, i should have just pulled the darn book out of the bag first.
because the book was, in fact, called The Manly Ferry Pigeon.
for real.
it was about a bird.
who rides around on a ferry.
that operates out of the city of Manly.
which is in New South Wales.
according to Wikipedia.

intrigued?
you, too, can have this book for exactly $1.00.

so, clearly, you can understand my confusion.
right?
it's not just me?