This Is Not That Kind of Book

August 1, 2019
A motley crew of character types argues over what kind of book they are in, in this humorous meta-romp. The text begins like a rebus: "Aa is for [a drawing of apples]" set on a bright yellow background. The capital A has eyes and a mouth, as does one of the apples in the small pile. But from across the gutter, a brown-skinned, curly-haired girl in a red, hooded cape peeks from the spread beyond, folding back the page and calling, "Hey! This is not an alphabet book!" A is disappointed but joins the girl on the next spread, which reads "ONCE UPON A TIME..." and is set in the woods. The girl assures A that the thing "lurking in the shadows" is going to be a wolf. But on the next spread, she is surprised when it is a robot that declares, "This is not that kind of book." On come more changes in setting, and characters conscious of their own tropes and types vie for dominance over the narrative until at last they work together to discover the book's important lesson: that they all belong. The narrative text shares space with dialogue bubbles, reinforcing the feeling of intrusion and interruption. Mantle's clear and humorous illustrations give characters distinct personalities and go far to increase the playfulness and storyline with fake page turns and no-man's-land white space. Cleverly meta and totally fun, with a spoonful of (almost tongue-in-cheek) morals thrown in. (Picture book. 4-9)

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November 1, 2019

Gr 1-3-Readers thinking they have heard this story before will find multiple twists and turns as they try to predict the next sequence of events. Despite its appearance of a simple alphabet book and opening with the letter 'A' and a verbose green apple, a page turns in the middle of letter 'B' and one knows this is definitely not an average, predictable tale. Is it a fairy tale, a superhero story, science fiction, a joke book, or maybe a pirate adventure? Even the newly arrived Inspector with magnifying glass in hand is mystified. The cartoon characters, including a hedgehog, a robot, and a banana named Captain Knock-Knock, search for clues about the book's genre in detailed digital art scenes. Led by an adventurous and knowledgeable Red Riding Hood, they all work together through a confusion of events to reach "The End." VERDICT A humorous introduction for students mastering the elements of literary genre. This suggested first purchase highlights an ingenious plot running with each page turn through a variety of colorful settings, and enough witty dialogue for young readers to stage a class reading.-Mary Elam, Learning Media Services, Plano ISD, TX

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