The book features made-up words (“BLORK … BLUURF”), humiliation (“I am a monkey who taught me to read”), manipulation (“the kid I am reading this too is THE BEST KID IN THE HISTORY OF THIS WORLD”) and general silliness. Surely there are more interesting and stimulating ways to raise a smile? You can make lots of kids, and adults laugh by shouting, “Willy! Bum! Poo!”, and if your primary aim is to make kids laugh then shouting, “Willy! Bum! Poo!” may be no bad thing. But The Book with No Pictures has pretty much one tone throughout. Yes, it does develop a dialogue between the book, the reader and the child. And there is a slightly alien, once-removed feel to the whole project. The picture book world already contains some of the most creative and innovative books there are for any age.Īs well as lacking pictures, this book also lacking in any real charm. Books don’t all have to feature straight, outside-looking-in linear narrative. The Book with No Pictures could be a whole new way to introduce the children to the idea of what a book can do. The conceit is that “Everything the words say, the person reading the book has to say No matter what.” And the joke is, of course, that the poor old adult is forced to say very silly things, such as: “My head is made of blueberry pizza.” Novak’s, The Book with No Pictures, is a book with few words and no pictures in a picture book format, designed to be read by an adult to a child. Positive expectations have never been clearer.

But what happens to those in our community in 5-12 grades, adults (GED) and ESL learners who cannot read at grade level? Is there a way to determine how well they can read? Are there any simple 'shameless' assessment tools teachers and tutors can use in real time to find out the lesson plan needed for these readers? I introduce you to a book, originally written for K-2, but also becomes an important assessment tool for our middle, high school readers and older community readers who struggle with the written word on paper. The Minneapolis organization, “To Succeed You Must Read,” got it right the first time.

The book with no pictures book review