The Best Book in the World!

PreS-Gr 2—Kicking off with a boastful title that seems to oversell its contents and a giant "gold medal" sticker on the bold red and blue cover, this picture book attempts to encourage and celebrate the act of reading and loving a special book. Creative visuals use saturated colors and graphic shapes to cleverly show a reader making her way through the story. She walks with her nose in her book, following wherever it leads--through the streets, to the bus stop, and then far away into her imagination. Each high-contrast spread offers plenty of details and discoveries to explore. Unfortunately, the text doesn't have the zest of the art. The sentences read like a chant but lack a unifying rhythm: "We're not heading home./At least not until we/reach the back cover!" The book rounds off at the end with a fun visual twist and an invitation to start again at the beginning. Those who already love reading need no push to fall into a book, but skeptics may find this heavy-handed sell somewhat unconvincing.—Julie Roach, Cambridge Public Library, MA