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If You Like... Books About Books

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 If you have young readers who thoroughly enjoy reading books, perhaps they would enjoy reading a book about a book. These are five picture books where a book is either the main character or the main subject matter is the book itself. 

Written by Bruce Handy 
Illustrated by Julie Benbassat 
East Rutherford, NJ: Minerva, 2023. Picture Book. 

In this wordless story, a young child reads a book when a spaceship comes down to Earth. Aliens have a picnic, but then leave something behind --something that is similar to a book. Readers will enjoy seeing what happens when the child “reads” this new kind of book. 

Written by Margaret Chiu Greanias 
Illustrated by Melissa Iwai 
Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, 2023. Picture Book. 

In this tale, Red, a red panda, realizes that all the panda books are about black and white pandas. To remedy the situation, Red decides to write her own book about red pandas. Kids who love animals and the thought of writing their own stories will enjoy seeing Red overcome in this story. 

Written by Angela DiTerlizzi 
Illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi 
New York: Quill Tree Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2023. Picture Book. 

A very cranky book does not want to be read. In fact, Cranky would rather that all the readers just leave him in peace and not bother to try to read him… until Cranky realizes that maybe being read just might be a good thing. This story shares the power of feelings through books and reading. 

Written by Drew Daywalt 
Illustrated by Alex Willmore 
New York: Philomel, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2024. Picture Book. 

A picture book narrator doesn’t quite get the story right, and the bookmark, who is listening along with the readers, puts up a fuss to get things back on track. However, when the narrator says that a firefighter says, “ding-dong” or a flower says, “chugga chugga choooo choooo!” Can things really get back to normal? This is a funny romp through what makes a book “right” or “wrong” and what a little bookmark should do about it. 

Written by Jory John 
Illustrated by Olivier Tallec 
New York: Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers, 2024. Picture Book. 

A very excited kangaroo tells readers that they are going to LOVE this book. It is full of “Action! Comedy! Drama! Heart! Words! Pictures!” --basically all the things that make a good book. However, when the narrator tells readers to do homework, clean their homes, or eat all the various kinds of sprouts in the world… readers will question the kangaroo’s sanity. This is a great read that will have the elementary school readers rolling their eyes and refuting the story. It is sure to be a memorable read.
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