2000 YEAR OLD MAN [Hardcover]

Mel Brooks (Author), Carl Reiner (Author), James Bennett (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

About four days ago, a plane landed in America with a man who claimed to be 2000 years old. Today, that man is visiting a school just like yours to tell the children of the world what it's like to be 2000 years old.

Here are some of the things you will learn:

What did the 2000 Year Old Man use for transportation?
FEAR. You see, an animal would growl at you, and you would go two miles a minute!

What language did the 2000 Year Old Man speak?
Rock. Basic rock. Like, "Hey, don't throw that rock at me! Put that rock away!"

What food did the 2000 Year Old Man eat
Only what was natural and organic. Clouds, stars, rocks. Big things and small things. But we had to be careful of the red ants because a few live ones on your tongue will eat your tongue before you eat them.

Comic geniuses Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner have teamed up once again to bring their beloved 2000 Year Old Man to school. This is one show-and-tell exhibit you're never going to forget!

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-8–With this book, the zany antics of the character created by Brooks and Reiner in the '60s are introduced to children. Newly arrived in America, the man answers questions during a school visit about what his life has been like: Back in the old days…Nobody kept time. We just sat around, pointing to the sky, saying, ‘Oooh! Hot! Whoa!' We didn't even know it was the sun!' He skims across the centuries, giving hilarious explanations and insights into history. For example, the handshake and dancing both started because of fear: A handshake was a way to see if a fellow had a rock or a dagger....a STONE or a MARBLE that the other person could STICK IN YOUR EYE.…Dancing is the COMPLETE use of BOTH hands, plus you keep the feet busy so the person can't kick you! He knew Robin Hood (Lovely man), King Arthur (There was no ROUND table…it was really...OVAL...), and Einstein (He was good). Children will laugh over his explanations of how Murray invented fire, and how cling peaches are good for diarrhea. The colorful cartoon illustrations are wild, with main characters who look exactly like Reiner and Brooks, and supportive figures with superbly rendered, expressive faces. Using close-up and panoramic perspectives, Bennett captures the story's tenor perfectly. Silly plays on words, slapstick humor, energized artwork, and the accompanying CD will make this a popular choice.–Lee Bock, Glenbrook Elementary School, Pulaski, WI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: IBOOKS, INC. (June 28, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060766778
• ISBN-13: 978-0060766771
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 10.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,282,574 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The 2000 Year Old Man Goes to School, Goes Beyond The Limits of Family Comedy, July 23, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The 2000 Year Old Man Goes to School (Hardcover)

" The 2000 Year Old Man Goes To School" by Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner is extremely entertaining and has laughs for readers of all ages. It is a delight reading the work! Every page gets funnier and zanier as you flip through the book full of eye-popping illustrations. If you do not laugh or giggle throughout this book, you have no sense of humor because this book is perhaps one of the most witty and comical books I have ever read. Complete Genius!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The 2000 Year Old Man Goes to School, August 21, 2005

By 

D. T. Dunton - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The 2000 Year Old Man Goes to School (Hardcover)

Wonderful humor for the kids and the parents and delighful illustrations

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE 2000 YEAR OLD MAN GOES TO SCHOOL, October 3, 2006

By 

Jewish Book World Magazine (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The 2000 Year Old Man Goes to School (Hardcover)

Borrowing the format of the grown-up guest who comes to class to tell you something new and wonderful, Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner introduce their 2000 year old man to young students in a free for all Q & A. Actually this 2000 year old man is only 40-something because he dates from 1960's TV, created then by this new picture book's two authors, themselves zany, hilarious performing artists and writers. In this book, set in a classroom, young children ask the old, old, old man wide ranging questions about his experiences at school and at home. The clever, humor comes from unexpected connections or a play on words. Many answers were funny, but it is unclear whether young readers would find them so. Hopefully they will perceive them as silly and lighthearted and will be absorbed into the spirit of crazy fun. The book inspires learning because it shows what imagination can do with common knowledge. Most children studying cave men do not consider playing with the facts; this comedy puts perspective on historical information and contemporary living, the mark of successful satire. The final question slips in moral advice about not cheating. The tone is gentle and silly; it proves you can have fun and still be a mensch. The color illustrations capture the modern classroom and the ancient caveman's milieu. The historical scenes are lively and bursting with action. There is no Jewish content in the words or pictures; it is simply a book by two Jews. However, the book includes a CD (differing marginally from the text, but is essentially the same thing), that is funnier. It delivers not only the words, but also their timing and inflection, and herein lies its Jewish value. This CD captures the rhythms and Yiddishkeit accent of the famous Jewish standup comics whose style entered mainstream American humor. This is one of our culture's great gifts to our national arts. Contemporary youngsters who do not know the Jewish origin of this comic delivery can experience it here. The CD is a piece of living history. Recommended for all ages. Reviewed by Ellen G. Cole