Week 3: Great Books to Read Aloud

The Book with No Pictures

by: B.J. Novak

Second Grade

• APA Citation: Novak, B.J. (2014). The Book with No Pictures. New York: Dial Books.

• Description: "A #1 New York Times bestseller, this innovative and wildly funny read-aloud by award-winning humorist/actor B.J. Novak will turn any reader into a comedian.
  You might think a book with no pictures seems boring and serious. Except . . . here’s how books work. Everything written on the page has to be said by the person reading it aloud. Even if the words say . . .
   
  BLORK. Or BLUURF.
   
  Even if the words are a preposterous song about eating ants for breakfast, or just a list of astonishingly goofy sounds like BLAGGITY BLAGGITY and GLIBBITY GLOBBITY.
   
  Cleverly irreverent and irresistibly silly, The Book with No Pictures is one that kids will beg to hear again and again. (And parents will be happy to oblige.)" Retried from Amazon.com on September 22, 2017: https://www.amazon.com/Book-No-Pictures-B-Novak/dp/0803741715.

• Age/Grade Level: 5-8 years old; Kindergarten-3rd grade.

• Justification: I would read this book to students at least twice, using different inflections and voices, and emphasizing different parts. I would then have students draw their own version of accompanying illustrations, and then discuss their different interpretations, and how illustrations and the way a story is read can affect interpretation. They will compare and contrast their illustrations with their classmates to demonstrate CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.6. (English Language Art Standards >> Reading: Literature >> Grade 2, Retrieved from Common Core State Standard Initiatives on September 22, 2017: http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/RL/2/)

• Keywords: humor, interactive, imagination, onomatopoeia

• Review: "K-Gr 2—The actor (and writer, producer, and director) has penned his first picture book, but can it be called a picture book when there are no pictures? Entering the field of unique interactive books begging to be opened, including Hervé Tullet's Press Here (Chronicle, 2011) and Adam Lehrhaupt's Warning: Do Not Open This Book! (S. & S., 2013), this title will instantly intrigue children. Upon opening the book, readers are drawn in ("Here is how books work: everything the words say, the person reading the book has to say. No matter what."). What follows is an uproariously raucous time, with readers being forced to utter nonsense words ("blork," "bluurf") and phrases that will have young listeners in stitches ("And my head is made of blueberry pizza."). Admittedly, there are no illustrations, but Novak has employed the use of various sizes of black typeface with expansive white space and color to highlight some of the text. This book is sure to be a crowd-pleaser, and it's perfect for one-on-one sharing with a parent or caregiver. Expect requests for repeated readings.—Michele Shaw, Quail Run Elementary School, San Ramon, CA" Retrieved from Amazon.com on September 22, 2017.

"The Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak – It’s not the first time someone did this idea (the Elephant and Piggie title We Are In a Book does something very similar to what Novak does here) but I’ll admit that I haven’t ever seen anything exactly, precisely like this. With that in mind I bought a reasonable number of copies for my library system.  Then it took off like gangbusters.  Folks who’ve never even heard of Novak were pulling it from the shelves.  I’m not going to say it’s the most successful celebrity picture book of all time, but it sure comes close.  Wowzah." Retrieved on September 22, 2017 from http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2015/05/26/what-makes-a-picture-book-mega-hit/#_. 

• Citation: Bird, E. (2015, May). Novak, B.J. The Book with No Pictures. School Library Journal. Retrieved from: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2015/05/26/what-makes-a-picture-book-mega-hit/#_. 
• Awards: