Last Night Tonight‘s skewering of a Pence family book for tots has already dwarfed Veep-associated offering in terms of sales and now the same-sex friendly version of bunny Marlon Bundo’s adventures is set to be donated en masse in the Hoosier State.
A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo, a kids book written by Jill Twiss and illustrated by EG Keller, emerged in response to Marlon Bundo’s: A Day in the Life of the Vice President written by Vice President of the United States Mike Pence’s daughter Charlotte and illustrated by Second Lady Karen Pence. The John Oliver endorsed psuedo-parody takes aim at Pence’s anti-LGBTQ2 viewpoint by taking the real life Pence family pet and placing him in a pro-LGBT and marriage equality tale. Will & Grace showrunner Max Mutchnick was so taken by the book that on Friday he announced plans to distribute the book to public school’s in Indiana, the home state of the Pences.
Mutchnick shared his plan on Instagram along with a letter sent to Turkey Run Elementary School explaining the reason for the donation.
“I was blown away by the new John Oliver children’s book, “A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo.” With Easter upon us, I wanted to not only support the brilliance of John Oliver, but also celebrate the Gayest Bunny of Them All: The Easter Bunny. So I decided to buy a copy of Oliver’s “Bundo” (written by Jill Twiss) for every public grammar school in Indiana. All 1,121 of them,” shared Mutchnick.
“Here’s why: Mike Pence has had an enormous platform in Indiana, and as it relates to gay people, he’s used it to spread a message of intolerance. By donating these books, I hope to counter those efforts and provide positive role models and a story of inclusion for children in Pence’s home state. If this book can help one boy or girl in Indiana love and accept who they are, I know both Marlon Bundos would be proud—even though one of them is on the downlow.”
You could certainly do worse for an Easter or Passover gift. If you attend one the 1,121 designated Indiana schools, kudos on your library’s new acquisition.