This Is Not That Kind of Book
written by Christopher Healy
illustrated by Ben Mantle
Random House, 2019. 36 pages.
Review written September 3, 2020, from a library book
Starred Review
Here’s a fun picture book that plays with a meta-narrative and gets kids thinking about genre and storytelling.
The book starts with “A is for apple.” But Little Red Riding Hood, who’s portrayed with dark skin, interrupts. She says, “Hey! This is not an alphabet book! Sorry, this is a fairy tale. Come see.” And she leads us to the next page.
All through the book, the Apple-with-a-face only says one thing: “I’m an apple!” On Red Riding Hood’s page, she invites it into her basket.
They see a shape in the shadows. Little Red Riding Hood tells the Letter A, “It’s going to be a wolf. I’m very familiar with this type of story.”
However, when we turn the page – it’s a giant robot!
And new characters show up with every page turn, with their own opinions about what kind of book this is – and isn’t. My favorite is probably the banana named Captain Knock-Knock from a joke book.
Finally, Little Red Riding Hood explores outside the book and learns from the back cover:
This is a book about a group of characters who have nothing in common, but who work together to figure out what kind of book they’re in.
And the odd assortment of characters end up making friends. And it’s all very silly and delightful and gets kids thinking about they types of books they read.
Because of the meta-narrative, this edges toward early elementary kids more than preschoolers. But it will get any child thinking about stories and about how books work, which builds their early literacy skills.
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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.
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