Hasta La Ideas

A children’s story on lessons learned from Mary Jane

Ricardo Cortés has a gift for charming us with the uncomfortable. Recent praise for his illustrations in the bedtime gem “Go the Fuck to Sleep” created quite the stir this past summer, and the author has now released the third edition of “It’s Just a Plant,” previously unavailable in hardcover and running upwards of $100 for sold-out past editions. The book tells the story of a young girl’s education in cannabis as explained by her parents, a doctor and a friendly gang of Rastafarians. Tackling difficult concepts like criminalization and recreational drug use, Cortés’s introduction provides a mature but still cheeky way to inform children on the status of drugs in society.

“It’s Just a Plant” counters the tendency to avoid uncomfortable topics in family discussions, giving liberal-minded parents an illustrated adventure story to express to their kids their stance on such polemic issues. The third edition also includes new illustrations and edits to the original text. Contributing artists for the new edition include Futura , José Parlá, Too Fly, Smarcus, and V. Court Johnson.

The hardback is available for $20 from the book website. You should also look out for Cortés’s next book “Coffee, Coca & Cola,” which is currently in the works.