I've seen the Fowl Language cartoons around now and again, but I've never really sat down to read a bunch of them. I know I'm not a parent, but I have rabbits, so I totally related to a lot of these. I'm not even kidding. Rabbits are just as contrary as a small child, and even less capable of explaining what they actually want...

The art is cute, but pretty samey; the theme is basically "parenting is hard but worth it". It's not a big revelation or anything, but it's still a fun little collection -- especially for a parent, I imagine.

Review link goes live 15th Sept.

I love Fowl Language comics. All funny because they're true.

Never heard of this comic or author before, but this was really funny. And definitely all true!

While I'm not a parent I still really enjoyed this book. The comics were funny and entirely relatable. Plus, the drawings are of ducks. What's not to love about ducks?!

I've observed so many of these moments with friends' kids, along with the sticky kids who always end up next to you in the checkout line and the ones playing the games with annoying music at the highest possible volume on their parent's phone at the doctor's surgery. Whenever I come across a Fowl Language moment I have such admiration for the way parents manage the seemingly impossible and usually think, 'You poor things' and feel myself wanting to give the frazzled parents a hug. Yet at the same time I'm probably also thinking, 'This is reason number 638 why I don't have kids'.

There's always something cathartic about finding a "Me, too!" moment when you feel like you're the only one going through something and parents are definitely going to find plenty of those in this book. This is a book that can used to reminisce - "Look what we survived!", to encourage - "I think I can, I think I can" or possibly even as an effective form of birth control.

I received an ARC from NetGalley (thank you so much to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the opportunity) in exchange for honest feedback.

Brian Gordon's comics are laugh-out-loud funny, and so true. I enjoyed the many comics that are new to this book (as I've already enjoyed all of the ones on the Fowl Language website). Note to parents: this is a book for adults and it includes some language you may not want your children to learn. Honestly, I could do without the cursing, but the humor is still wonderful.

I follow Gordon on Instagram and love his comic. This compilation is no different. Hilarious anecdotes about the joys and pains (mostly pains) of raising kids. Even if you don't have a child yourself, this is highly relatable if you have siblings or friends with children. I laughed the whole way through.

This is Brian Gordon's second book of funny cartoons about parenting based on his cute and quirky duck family.

Readers will probably be most familiar with the series due to the number of these images that have gone viral on Facebook, and it is easy to see why these cartoons have struck a chord with parents across the world. The father duck is seen struggling with many aspects of parenthood familiar to us all, such as how you can love your kids so much, yet still be driven crazy by them regularly! This is a set of cartoons that cover issues such as squabbling siblings, demands for snacks (but not healthy ones) and other common annoyances (infinity = time taken to buckle a car seat when you are running late is a recognisable one for me!) Any parent will find something here they have experienced.

A fun and enjoyable read for new parents and old hands alike.

Yep. These comics are my favorite thing to give to parents of young children, but only after I know they're ready for it. This usually happens around the first time I see eyes twitching. This second collection is still funny, and still gets everything right on the nose.

This book had me laughing out loud! I loved all of it. And parents can relate to each of them. They are spot-on! I think kids, especially teens, could also relate to this. If you are having a bad day, this will fix it! I loved it!

A quick and fun read!

As a parent, I found truth in all of these. I laughed out loud at a few of these, especially at the baby monitor, the cussing one, and the mess and sneaking a snack.

I felt a lot of these could have just ended at just the one slide- as they were funny enough-then the second or third slide would show up and kind of put a damper on the whole joke.
I had kept seeing his work on 9gag, and wanted to check out more of his stuff. This book for sure put a smile on my face, and can't wait to check out even more of his artwork and silliness.

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley for an honest opinion. I would like to thank Brian Gordon and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this Arc.

I loved the few comics from Fowl Language that I had seen come across on meme pages and on Facebook. I thought I would give the book a shot.

I laughed out loud pretty constantly. I annoyed my friends to read the comics and kept shoving my phone in their faces. They either love the series or hate it now, hard to tell since I was bouncing around too caught up in the comic to really pay attention.

The basic premise is there is a duck family. The father duck interacts with his two ducklings as they act like typical children. I don’t have children, but I have two very needy dogs so I feel like I understand the mild version of what the artist and author was going for.

The art is consistent, easy to read, and fits the story wonderfully. I doubt the comic would be as funny if the characters were anything but animals. It makes things seem a but more ridiculous which is fitting for the subject matter.

I am a big fan and I will be tracking down the other books!

Introduction:

A couple of years ago, I had read a graphic novel called “Tales from the Crib” which was written by Henrik Drescher and it detailed the struggles of parenting in a humorous way. Several years later, I came across this interesting new graphic novel that I received from NetGalley called “Fowl Language: The Struggle is Real” which is by Brian Gordon and it also details the struggles of being a parent in a humorous way and I enjoyed this graphic novel as much as I enjoyed “Tales from the Crib!”

What is this story about?

This graphic novel is basically about the main character, who is a male fowl, trying to deal with his two children and the graphic novel goes into the ups and downs of being a parent such as; trying to get some peace and quiet while the kids are gone, trying to find other adults to talk to after spending so much time with your own children and trying to get your child to go to sleep. Also, this graphic novel shows that despite all the craziness that you are put through when dealing with your children, you still love them in the end!

What I loved about this story:

Brian Gordon’s writing: Oh my gosh! I still cannot stop laughing after reading this graphic novel! Brian Gordon has done a fantastic job at writing this graphic novel as I really enjoyed the harsh trials of being a parent being shown in a humorous and satirical way! I loved seeing the scenes where the father duck is trying so hard to deal with his children, while trying to get some peace and quiet, whenever his kids are away as it does hit home for many parents who have to cope with dealing with their children’s demands. But at the same time, this graphic novel shows the struggles that parents have to go through with their children in such a hilarious way that I cannot help but laugh at the father duck’s misfortune at dealing with his kids! Probably two of my most favorite moments in this graphic novel was one where the father duck is imagining a parody for the TV series “24” by titling it “21” and the joke here is that the father duck has to find a TV program that his kids would sit down and watch so he can have time to do the chores around the house (luckily, the program that the kids are watching is ninety minutes long, giving him even more time to do his chores). The other moment I enjoyed was the one where the father duck is trying to explain to his kids about what a record player and a CD is since the kids are only familiar with YouTube and it reminded me of the few times where I try to explain to some little kids about what a CD player is since some of them grew up listening to music on an iPhone or through YouTube.

Brian Gordon’s artwork: Brian Gordon’s artwork is both cute and hilarious to look at as are all the ducks in this graphic novel are drawn in a cute squat style and I especially loved the images of the father duck having wide popped out eyes whenever he gets shocked or annoyed by his kids’ hijinks. The simplistic style of the artwork also brings out the humor in the situations that the characters get into as the highlight of the artwork is seeing the ducks’ reactions to whatever hilarious situations they all get into.

What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:

For anyone who does not like strong language, there is some usage of the “f” and “s” words respectively and some readers might be taken aback by the coarse language clashing with the cute artwork displayed in this graphic novel.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, “Fowl Language: The Struggle is Real” is a hilarious read for adults who are parents or are becoming parents and want to find a book that pokes fun at the tough trials of parenting! I am definitely going to be reading the rest of this series pretty soon!

I follow Brian Gordon on Instagram so many of these I had seen before but they are still funny. Funny because his view on fatherhood is so similar to mine: the ups and downs, the best and worst moments, how challenging it is and then that one shining moment that makes all the sleepless nights totally worth it. Every dad (and even mom!) with more than 1 child really needs to read this. You're not alone!

A funny collection of comics describing the trials and tribulations of parenthood. A great collection, I only wish it had been longer!

I started seeing this Fowly cartoons on the internet and Facebook and found them hilarious. All the situations that mommy Fowl has to deal with, I have experienced sometime in my own life with my own son. Very funny and relevant! Worth your time.

There are moments of amusement here and I appreciate that most of the strips appear to be originals, not things I have previously seen online. The drawings are cute and I like the idea of using ducks for children. Sadly my market is as far away from nappy valley as possible in London, so this isn't quite right for us, and it's not quite dark enough for the tongue in cheek gift from aunts or uncles.

I laughed out loud when I read this book, and that's something I rarely do. It is so funny and at the same time, so true. I'm not sure that it would be a good first baby present, but for a second or third baby, it would be wonderful. At the very least, it would remind the parents that they aren't alone.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

I think I already have seen some of Brian Gordon's comics on the internet, so when I spotted this book over on Netgalley I couldn't resist. Especially when it is about parenting. I just love books about that topic. I don't have kids myself, but I have babysat, and also worked at day cares, so I have seen my fair share of kids being kids. :P

So I could definitely relate to various things in this book. And so I had a lot of laughs while reading, on these moments I am happy I am currently at home, and not anywhere near anyone, or else people would wonder what the hell I am reading that makes me laugh so hard.

It was nice to see him alone, reflecting on things, or chatting with other adults/parents.

I would have liked the book to be more chronological. Now at times the ages of the kids varied from big enough to talk, back to babies. It was a bit confusing.

I like that the author decided to draw his parenting stuff in the way of ducks. It is definitely a chance from all the other comics where everyone is drawn as a human.

All in all, a hilarious comic book that I would recommend.

Brian Gordon captures many moments where parents are their wits' end, trying desperately to remember that they still love their children. In several of the comics, he even talks about that parental feeling of thinking you know what love is, only to have it completely redefined when you have children. This book is great for parents battling between the two ends of the spectrum...

I love that he opened the book with a reminder that the reason airplane flight warning instructions start with "Put your mask on first, then on the faces of those around you who need help" because he's right...if a parents don't take the time to give themselves a little release, how can they be expected to take care of anyone else?

As I was always do, I highlighted my favorite of the comics to return to after: "Parenting is mostly just trying to explain in gentle, age-appropriate terms why being a dumbass and doing dumb shit will fuck your shit up."

Another great collection from Brian Gordon of the strip that seems to constantly pop up everywhere. There's a lot more here that the usual fare that gets shared, and it highlights Gordon's ability with pathos and dry wit a lot more than what we quickly swipe through on facebook or instagram.
You don't need to be a parent to appreciate this collection, but it definitely helps with some of the strips. While not 'laugh-out-loud' funny, there's plenty that this mum related too.

This was a quick hilarious read! This is the first book I've read by Brian Gordon and I loved it! I'm going to look for his other books.

If you have kids this is totally relatable!

This is a quick little comic style book, continuing Brian Gordon's humorous take on parenting and dealing with young children. About 70% has panels previously published elsewhere and online while the remaining 30% is new and exclusive to the book. Gordon always strikes the right balance between highlighting the frustration and the highs that come with parenting. It's a nice little "oh thank goodness it's not just me!" reminder when you need the pick-me-up. Raising kids is fricking hard and Gordon's work reminds us that sometimes you have to laugh at the absurdities to get to the good stuff.


I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The most honest look at parenting I've ever seen. Plus it's hilarious! The language is pretty adult, but my kids enjoy this as much as I do.

I especially like the comics where I can point out that is how they act. Kind of a fun way to say, "see how silly that is???"

There was a comic in here where a mom was saying her son won't eat meat anymore. I'm living that reality. All they could come up with is the kids must be messing with her. And I thought, "yup, that makes sense!"

I read this one night after putting my kids to bed, I had to keep choking back the laughter so I wouldn't wake them up. I think I sounded like an air mattress with a slow leak - lol.

You do not need to read the first book to read this one. It completely stands alone, most of them comics are stand alone. It's more of a collection, not a set story line. But I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a laugh.

Even though I'm not a parent, I love this collection of hilarious comics!

Like many of the other comic artists that I have read lately, I first discovered Brian Gordon on Instagram. The work is great, combining the ups and downs of parenting with well-drawn comics that just get it. Though not a parent myself, I've experience quite a few of these instances with children, and they are spot on. A fun book to read as a parent or to buy as a gift for parents who are in the middle of all the crazy things life with children brings.

I may not be a parent myself but I've been around them many times and seen many public meltdowns that made me glad I font have kids of my own. This book is one of those that, parent or not, wonderfully illustrates the highs and lows that come along with kids. Hilarity ensues. It's also a quick read, which is especially nice since that's all you really get time for with kids.

Absolutely hilarious and, from what I know, entirely accurate.

I love Fowl Language, so naturally, receiving an ARC e-book copy of this book from NetGalley to review was super exciting for me. I'm not a parent or parent-to-be yet, but I've visited other parents and have had the opportunity to watch their interactions with their kids, interact with others' kids myself, or talk to the parents about parenting and their kids when the kids are out of earshot. Fowl Language: The Struggle Is Real captures parenting perfectly in comic form and I could not stop laughing at nearly every page. It's something I'd want to share with every one of my friends who are parents or are planning to become some soon. I will inevitably reread these again when it's my turn someday.

Oh my gosh! As a non parent I absolutely love these comics. They are hilarious, and sometimes really sweet. And make me remember why I don't have children.

Parents of all stages and ages will laugh out loud as they instantly connect to this hilarious comic collection, Fowl Language: The Struggle Is Real. The illustrations are simplistic, yet the humor is perfectly on point and relatable. Fowl Language gets its name because the characters in the sketches are drawn as ducks. Of course, those familiar with Gordon's work will also recognize it as part of the author's schtick. It's a pun or a play on words as well because Gordon often times expresses himself in words with bite, aka foul language. And while this may not bother some readers, it doesn't really add anything to the overall humor. Meanwhile, for some, it may actually detract from it. This reader, however, appreciated how each comic truly captured the moments of parenthood, the ones that aren't so picture perfect and make you want to bash your head against a wall. It's this true to life, I'm am not alone, portrayal that promises to leave you nodding your head and grinning ear to ear.

Thanks a bunch to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an early copy of this brilliant book for review. Now, everyone go buy a copy as soon as it hits your local bookstore's shelf!

Granted, you do not have to buy this book. You could just go to the <a href="http://www.fowllanguagecomics.com" target="_blank">Fowl Language</a> online. But if you go there, and find yourself chuckling at the comics, then you should go buy this collection.

If you have been a a parent of young kids, and if you remember what it was like, if your kids are long grown, you will find this series funny. This is light humor about the bumps along the road, of raising kids. This, like <a href="http://www.lunar-baboon.com" target="_blank">Lunarbaboon</a>, these little bits of parenting are from the male, father point of view, which gives it a little spin we don't usually get with parenting cartoons.

This is the second collection of his strips, and just as funny a the first one.

Thanks to Netgalley making this book available for an honest review.

I see these comics on Facebook often but I've never seen so many altogether. As a parent of a two year old I can totally relate to many of these. I think my favourites were "What small children are like when they're a little tired" & the baby monitor making your child look like something scary.
I did think the author could tone down the profanity as I did find it excessive at times.
All in all a very fun, quick read.

This is truly a funny adult comic, what with all the fowl language and all, I get what the author is saying and I have to agree with them it’s a novel way to look at the things we have said and done at one time or another. I would love to say the fowl language could have been omitted but I don’t want to be a hypocrite here, let's be reasonable we have all at one time used such language in the same situations or like before we came to our senses. So folks let's have a laugh about our past antics if you dare to brave the fowl language, it’s truly a funny comic book, so read without remorse it's just pure fun with a sharp learning curve that opens our eyes to the facts.

Overall a pretty funny collection of comics. As a new father, I definitely relate to the baby-related comics and still could enjoy the ones about children as well. Some jokes definitely landed better than others, but as a whole I laughed or smiled throughout. Definitely enjoyable and worth picking up, especially for readers with babies or young children.

Fowl Language: The Struggle Is Real follows a duck parent and shows scenes from his life raising his kids and the struggle of doing so. Brian Gordon, the author and illustrator, did a really great job illustrating the book. The ducks actually looked like ducks, not lopsided bird things. The comics in this were funny, and they had me laughing hysterically quite a few times. I think this book works for both parents and children (though the former group always is included in the latter). This fits with my image of what parenting will be like. My favourite comic was the one discussing baby-proofing (hint: best way is to become a monk).
A digital copy of this book was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Fowl Language is truth in a comical form, allowing those with children to laugh at themselves, their children, and their situation.
Brian Gordon looks at both the bad and the good sides of parenting allowing parents of any kind to connect with his ducks and understand the feelings of these fowls. Each comic hits home with truth but like life, you must laugh so you don't cry. Gordon brings out the laugh instead of the cry.
A fun collection, Fowl Language: The Struggle is Real is a perfect gif for your weary parent friend.

A very real look at parenting through a humorous lens. Fowl Language is full of funny and loving moments, something every parent can relate to. Gordon hits up all sides of parenting, and isn't afraid to tackle the tough subjects either. I highly recommend this book!

This is a fun look at parenthood told by a family of ducks. While it looks cute a fluffy, it's really, funny, and contains a bit of foul (hehe) language. It's full of chuckles, and things so true you can't help but laugh.

I do not have kids and found myself hysterically laughing aloud at all of the strips compiled in this collection. Embarrassed, I finally had to show them to the people next to me with tears streaming down my eyes. I shared a handful of panels with my friends who are parents and they wholeheartedly related with them as well. I highly recommend this one to everyone, whether or not you are or have been a parent, I guarantee you've known these people.

I received an advanced copy of Fowl Language: The Struggle is Real from Net Galley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
I’ve always been a huge fan of Brian Gordon and his sense of humor, so it came as no surprise to me that I enjoyed Fowl Language: the Struggle is Real. It’s a quick and fun read, and for those of you that haven’t been following him before now, I highly suggest you look up his webcomic (which is where the comics in the novel pull from).
Gordon has a knack for making his comics endearing and relatable – even to people who have not been in the circumstances he’s talking about. For example, I’m not a parent but I greatly enjoy his parent series, as it’s hard to miss the human elements he uses to tie everything together. I’m sure parents also find his work hilarious, likely shouting “me too!” or “been there!” at particularly whimsical moments.

I don't recommend trying to eat while reading this book as you are going to make a mess from laughing so hard and I do speak from personal experience! All I can say is that someone has clearly been spying on my family and those two ducklings are absolutely my kids. If we cannot laugh at the insanity that is parenting then all that is left is to cry and laughing is so much more fun.

I do not have any children, but still found this book charming. I think I would find it more funny if I had children by my own. Or at least more relatable.

Still the cartoons are nice and charming, and funny at times. If I would buy it I think it would have to be as a present for my mom, as she probably can relate to the cartoons. This book also took some more time to read than the other cartoons I have read, which is a large plus as cartoons usually are too smal.

This is the second Fowl Language book I have read and I still laughed at many of the jokes because I could identify with them. This book was a little different as after the joke, there was another panel that wasn't as funny, so I enjoyed the other one much better. I did see myself and my children on many of these pages and love that my son is going through this now with his own children. The fact that the characters are ducks makes it just a little cuter. I think the funniest pages for me were the meal one and the healthy snack one. I could hear those words coming out of my mouth. There is also mention of social media which is so prevalent in our society. A cute book for soon to be parents or for those fearing empty nest syndrome.

Don't read these during naptime, because you'll wake your kid up cackling. This is the perfect baby shower gift to a parent who already has a kid-- or maybe buy it for your spouse after a particularly bad tantrum (on either their or your kid's part). Super funny, super relatable, but definitely full of some foul language, so if that bugs you, might not be the best choice.

I loved this book!! The images are spot on and it did make me laugh - my daughter is six weeks old and I know that I have a lot of this to come with her! Perfect present for any new parents or those with toddlers and younger children - 5 stars!!

This book is a collection of comic strips which I follow almost religiously on Facebook. Surprisingly the book contained quite a few that I had not come across earlier.Even if it contained more repetitions it would still have been the enjoyable read it was. They contain heartfelt confessions from the point of view of a tired out parent. It is so well presented that those of us who have not yet gone through the phase can extrapolate to such a time and relate to it.

Apparently Fowl Language Comics is a bit of an internet sensation, but actually this is the first I've seen it, in the second book of the range. It's aimed at parents, covering many elements of parenting that others will be able to relate to, addressed in a humorous way using comic strips. Some of the strips are far funnier than others (some I didn't find at all funny), but on the whole it's an amusing book which would make a good stocking filler type present for any long-suffering and worn out parents!

As a mother of a six and a four-year-old, I could relate and laugh at the very funny jokes. My favorites were the ones about tired children, sibling's fights and why they won't try the food.

As always this was fun.. I follow the author on instagram and some of the comics I have already seen on there and loved.. It was fun to see the ones I hadn't.

This is a great comic book with quite cute (lol) and fun graphics and really fun writing and it is a great time pass and you can go back to it again and again..

I related more to it this time around as I recently became a parent. Loved every bit of this hilarious comic book.

And I totally agree with the title. :D The struggle is real. Ha!

Special thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this copy.

DESCRIPTION:

When Brian Gordon became a parent, he thought he was going to ruin his kids and/or make some catastrophic mistake. Fortunately, for both himself and for his kids, "Despite their fragile appearance, evolution has seemingly hardened small children against numbskull parents like [him]."

What Brian has done, is taken all the weird and wonderful, serious and strange and yet somehow universal parenting issues and day-to-day struggles and used them to create blisteringly hilarious comic vignettes. If you are a parent it will be near to impossible not to literally laugh out loud at Brian Gordon's FOWL LANGUAGE comics.

Using ducks (fowl) to represent the members of a family, the comics each represent a moment in parenting that all (or most) parents can relate to and that when seen in print will have readers laughing out loud.

This is the second book of Fowl Language Comics that I have read and reviewed. To see the review of BOOK ONE, visit http://bit.ly/FowlComics1  

I rate this hilarious book as 5 out of 5 Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 and with its October release date it makes perfect sense to purchase as Christmas gifts for family and friends.