The Fussy Stuff
Title: The Book with No Pictures
Author: B.J. Novak
Format: Picture Book
Genre: Children’s Fiction, Humour
Quick Take: A pure silly-fun read-aloud that kids will fight you on exactly once, and then request over and over again.
My Take
This one is an easy recommend.
Like I am sure many parents will tell you, I had to put in a little work to convince my kid to even try this one. A book with no pictures is not exactly an easy sell when you are a child choosing books based on maximum visual excitement.
But once he actually listened to it? Huge hit.
He was laughing his tail off. And not in a polite little “that was cute” way — he was fully cracking up and immediately all in on the whole ridiculous idea. Weeks later, he was still repeating one of the lines that made us laugh the hardest. That is kind of the magic of this book. It is so simple, but it works ridiculously well.
This is not a book I would overthink. It is not secretly educational or trying to teach some big life lesson. It is just pure goofy fun, and sometimes that is exactly what you want.
There is no world in which I would say anything other than yes, pick this up and read it. Especially if you have a kid who likes to laugh, likes being a little mischievous, or enjoys watching the grown-up in the room be forced to say absolute nonsense.
Unfussed Verdict
An easy yes. Silly, memorable, and a great choice for read-aloud time.
Unfussed Homework (Optional, Obviously)
Think about the last book that made your kid really lose it laughing. Was it the story itself, or was it the experience of reading it together that made it such a win?
The Unfussed Reader 
Leave a comment