Parents' Guide to

The Book with No Pictures

By Regan McMahon, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 3+

No pictures but oodles of silly words and giggles.

Book B.J. Novak Picture Book 2014
The Book with No Pictures Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

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age 4+

Based on 3 parent reviews

CharlieSD
CharlieSD Parent of 14-year-old
May 18, 2023
age 4+

Lots of fun to read!

The Book with No Pictures hugely entertaining and delightfully silly book to read to and along with small children. It is sure to elicit lots of giggles from the orator and their audience! Makes a great gift for any 4-7 year old (or thereabouts).

This title has:

Educational value
mcy2019
mcy2019 Adult
September 7, 2019
age 4+

Fun and interactive book with one minor flaw

We love this book in my family. I have a 5.5 yo and a 2.5 yo. They roar with laughter as I read the pages in silly voices. The one minor flaw is the inclusion of the word "butt" for the hippo friend "Boo Boo Butt." For those of us who discourage our kids from using that word,--or at least using it in a silly way--it was curious and disappointing to me to see it in the book.
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What's the Story?

The narrator speaks directly to the reader, saying that it probably seems as if a book with no pictures will be "boring and serious. Except ... Here's how books work: Everything the words say, the person reading the book has to say. No matter what." So as the pages turn, the reader has to say words such as "BLORK" and "BLUURF" and must read in a monkey voice, then a robot voice, per the instructions. Only a few words per page in different colors and type size add to the fun, including the giant red name of a hippo: "BOO BOO BUTT." The reader must sing and make all kinds of silly sounds, too. The book ends with the narrator telling the reader, "Next time, please please please please please choose a book with pictures. Please? Because this is just too ridiculous to read." And then he throws in one more red "BONK."

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3 ):
Kids say (4 ):

Author B.J. Novak hilariously proves his point: that a book with only words can be as amusing and engaging as one with images. THE BOOK WITH NO PICTURES is super silly and very clever as it panders to young kids' love of funny sounds, made-up words, and undignified words such as "butt."

Novak's comic timing is impeccable, his tone light. Kids will delight in seeing their parents or teachers compelled to say ridiculous things such as, "Yes, I am a monkey" and "my head is made of blueberry pizza." This radical non-picture book goes a long way toward fostering a love of reading -- robot voice optional.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about teh silly words and noises in The Book with No Pictures. What's so funny about them?

  • Are you now convinced that a book without pictures can be as fun as a book that has pictures? How about a book that has pictures but no words?

  • What do you think about a narrator speaking directly to you, the reader? Does that help make the story funnier?

Book Details

  • Author: B.J. Novak
  • Genre: Picture Book
  • Book type: Fiction
  • Publisher: Dial
  • Publication date: September 30, 2014
  • Publisher's recommended age(s): 3 - 8
  • Number of pages: 48
  • Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
  • Last updated: July 12, 2017

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