Children teach us patience and offer us a fresh perspective on life. As parents, we unconditionally love our children and would do anything for them. Oh, and we swear we will never lick a napkin and then wipe our child's face off with it. Oh, but the best laid plans...

Still, even with all of our parental wisdom, adults can learn a thing or two from kids. The literal and honest way children look at the world is often refreshing and preferable to the suspicious way adults can see things. With complete innocence, children can cut to the quick and do so in a way that is not condescending or adversarial.

From this seed comes Pop Goes the Culture: A Father and Son's Take on the World. Both father and son have written brief essays on 52 diverse topics. Many are kid-related: Burger King®, Elmo®, Icees®, and school uniforms. Some are not: Autumn, going to church, records, and love. While the father tries to craft droll commentaries replete with esoteric pop culture references, his son presents very literal takes on the same topics.