0
    • Elementary Secondary Higher Ed Common Reads
    0 0
    Download high-resolution image

    I Am Not Boring

    The True-Life Story of a Log

    Author Lena Podesta On Tour
    Ebook
    Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed | Ten Speed Young Readers
    9"W x 9"H
    On sale May 26, 2026 | 40 Pages | 9780593838303
    Up to Kindergarten
    Add to cart Add to list Exam Copies

    See Additional Formats
    The funniest (and totally not boring) picture book about a log that has ever existed, full of scientific facts and delightfully silly storytelling

    What’s so special about a log? It just sits there and does nothing. How boring! However, you may be surprised to learn that logs are anything but boring—they are an essential part of life in the forest. Logs provide shelter, become food, and even turn into a safe place for a new tree to grow.

    Told with humor and heart, I Am Not Boring shows how an old log is not, in fact, boring at all. This endearing, goofball picture book by author-illustrator Lena Podesta is subversive humor at its best. Factual back matter about log lifecycles is also included. While readers are giggling along, they're learning about the importance of ecosystems—and believing in themselves.
    Lena Podesta is an illustrator and animator based in Oregon. She loves to create character driven work for both kids and grown-ups that is mostly sweet and a little bit wicked. She is the author/illustrator of Too Crowded and the illustrator of Baby Dragon, Baby Dragon. View titles by Lena Podesta
    This is the most boring story ever told.

    It is about a log.

    The end.


    Just kidding!


    That story would be boring,
    but also very short.

    This story is boring and long.
    Hundreds of years long.
    Much longer than you or
    I will be alive.
    Copyright © 2026 by Lena Podesta. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
    “An eye opener for readers who think that a log ‘doesn’t do anything but sit in a forest.’ . . . The jaunty banter between the narrator and the log will elicit chuckles while offering a potentially eye-opening revelation: Even seemingly static environments are often teeming with life. . . . Animated and informative.”—Kirkus Reviews

    “Readers will be anxious to go out into nature and find fallen logs to explore the impact they have on their local environment. . . . This title will be useful in environmental units and will be especially helpful for classes prior to visiting parks or nature preserves—it’s both interesting and entertaining.”—School Library Journal

    “A seemingly boring log argues with its narrator about its true value in this playful picture book. . . . A whimsical, informative picture book that highlights the hidden life of logs, showing that ordinary objects often have extraordinary stories to tell.”—Booklist

    About

    The funniest (and totally not boring) picture book about a log that has ever existed, full of scientific facts and delightfully silly storytelling

    What’s so special about a log? It just sits there and does nothing. How boring! However, you may be surprised to learn that logs are anything but boring—they are an essential part of life in the forest. Logs provide shelter, become food, and even turn into a safe place for a new tree to grow.

    Told with humor and heart, I Am Not Boring shows how an old log is not, in fact, boring at all. This endearing, goofball picture book by author-illustrator Lena Podesta is subversive humor at its best. Factual back matter about log lifecycles is also included. While readers are giggling along, they're learning about the importance of ecosystems—and believing in themselves.

    Author

    Lena Podesta is an illustrator and animator based in Oregon. She loves to create character driven work for both kids and grown-ups that is mostly sweet and a little bit wicked. She is the author/illustrator of Too Crowded and the illustrator of Baby Dragon, Baby Dragon. View titles by Lena Podesta

    Excerpt

    This is the most boring story ever told.

    It is about a log.

    The end.


    Just kidding!


    That story would be boring,
    but also very short.

    This story is boring and long.
    Hundreds of years long.
    Much longer than you or
    I will be alive.
    Copyright © 2026 by Lena Podesta. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

    Praise

    “An eye opener for readers who think that a log ‘doesn’t do anything but sit in a forest.’ . . . The jaunty banter between the narrator and the log will elicit chuckles while offering a potentially eye-opening revelation: Even seemingly static environments are often teeming with life. . . . Animated and informative.”—Kirkus Reviews

    “Readers will be anxious to go out into nature and find fallen logs to explore the impact they have on their local environment. . . . This title will be useful in environmental units and will be especially helpful for classes prior to visiting parks or nature preserves—it’s both interesting and entertaining.”—School Library Journal

    “A seemingly boring log argues with its narrator about its true value in this playful picture book. . . . A whimsical, informative picture book that highlights the hidden life of logs, showing that ordinary objects often have extraordinary stories to tell.”—Booklist

    Additional formats

    Other Books by this Author

    Related Articles

    Books for LGBTQIA+ Pride Month Book Covers: 9780241743508 A KIDS BOOK ABOUT PRIDE (DK) 9780593525371 ONE DAY IN JUNE (PYR) 9780593651681 SOL GOES FOR GOAL (RHCB) 9781662620027 ROBIN’S WORLDS (Astra)
    English Language Arts Social Studies & History

    Books for LGBTQIA+ Pride Month

    In June we celebrate Pride Month, which honors the 1969 Stonewall riots in Manhattan and highlights the accomplishments of those in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual + (LGBTQIA+) community. Browse our titles that celebrate LGBTQIA+ history, creators, and stories. LGBTQIA+ Elementary Titles

    Read more

    Books for LGBTQIA+ Pride Month

    English Language Arts Social Studies & History

    Penguin Random House Elementary Education

    © 2026 Penguin Random House

    Back to Top
    0
    Wish List (0)