FOOLS ON THE HILL by The...

FOOLS ON THE HILL by The Capitol Steps, illustrated by R.J. Matson (Longmeadow: $5.95). In an often quoted remark, E. B. White compared analyzing humor to dissecting a frog, noting that the subject invariably died in the process. Analyzing the work of “The Capitol Steps” doesn’t involve that risk: Their witless satire arrives deader than a frog in formaldehyde. The self-proclaimed political satirists specialize in heavy-handed parodies of popular songs, nursery rhymes and Dr. Seuss books, all of which seem even dumber in print than they do on National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered.” The real fools on the hill (and in the dale) are the suckers who shell out six bucks for these threadbare inanities.