This could actually almost be a children's book (the page about being a stripper pole makes this decidedly *not* a children's book), but as it turns out, it's a pretty good spoof of children's lit. It also turns out that I Am a Pole is surprisingly moving in a patriotic sort of way. It's a curious combination of moving and irreverent. In the end, I think Maurice Sendak said it best; "The sad thing is, I like it!"