Common Sense Media Review
By Jan Carr
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Bright, silly scenes of world turned upside down.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 3+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
THE NONSENSE SHOW is framed as a circus sideshow. It opens with a rabbit pulling a boy out of a hat, with text that reads "Welcome friends! Don't be slow. Step right up to The Nonsense Show!" The pages that follow each feature some rhyming text and a silly scene that upends our expectations -- for instance, a snake with two heads or a man in a doghouse. At the end of the book, the boy who was pulled out of the hat gleefully pushes the rabbit offstage, with a cascade of words in a speech balloon emphasizing the nonsense: "preposterous, poppycock, baloney, hogwash." The rabbit holds his arms out in triumph, shouting "THE END!"
Is It Any Good?
This whimsical book, which bills itself as an homage to surrealism, will appeal to young readers as pure nonsensical fun. A mouse chases a cat, a kangaroo has a kid in his pouch, a bird in a fish tank talks to a fish in a bird cage. The spirit isn't that much of a departure from vintage Carle, in which a hungry caterpillar eats salami, a pickle, and chocolate cake.
Kids will have fun spotting characters similar to ones in other beloved Carle books. That kangaroo looks familiar -- though this time he has a boy popping out of his pouch. And the moon? Straight out of Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me, another book with a fanciful premise. Here, some jokes are funnier than others, and the rhyme's occasionally choppy. But Carle's signature bold, bright art is catnip for the youngest readers, who're still piecing together the world and therefore very happy to be in on the joke that something doesn't make sense.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what's silly in the pictures. In each scene, what do you expect? How is it different from what you expect?
Older kids can look at surrealist paintings. How are they similar to the pictures in The Nonsense Show?
Eric Carle combines elements that don't "go" together. Try painting funny things that are different from the way they are in the real world.
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Eric Carle
- Genre : Picture Book
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Animals ( Wild Animals )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Philomel
- Publication date : October 13, 2015
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 3 - 7
- Number of pages : 40
- Available on : Hardback
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate