THE WRONG BOOK: Why Recommend That?

PHILOMEL, 2024

When looking for THE WRONG BOOK, written by Drew Daywalt and illustrated by Alex Willmore, be sure to check carefully. Including contrarian words in a picture book title is not unusual, and there are plenty that merit a good look. In this case, though, THE WRONG BOOK is the right one to read!

 If there's one sure way to hook young readers it is to combine humor with visual puzzles and a frustrated narrative. Throw in having an inanimate-personified narrator (an indignant bookmark? ) who breaks the fourth wall and expects readers to step up and speak up (a la PIGEON books my Mo Willems). Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

This book has all that, plus opportunities beyond entertainment, of which there are plenty. Many reading strategies can be practiced, and expanded discussions can emerge. The end papers show "bookmark" with a wide variety of simple facial expressions, inviting lots of empathy/emotional "reading" and naming of emotions with young audiences. Once the actual spreads are viewed, predictions can involve realistic expectations and then wildly funny potential options of alternate sound-making from the anticipated page turns. The ending is somewhat surprising in that the confused/silly mix-ups are not only allowed but mimicked by that irritated bookmark. It literally says, "If you can't beat them, join them". The various sounds used are onomatopoetic, offering fun examples of this figurative form of writing and also inviting some motivating decoding practice. 

I included a larger view of the cover to allow you to explore the tone and fun of the interior art and story.The title is correct (THE WRONG BOOK) and bookmark's mission to get things right is revealed, with expected  sounds and even creators' names in need of correcting. Illustrator Willmore is known for the comic visual and humorous interpretation of text, as well as the purposefully scrawled, oversized lettering that invites reading aloud with powerful expression. The personification of bookmark echoes author Daywalt's approach in THE DAY THE CRAYONS QUIT and other titles in that series.

Another fun use of this book would be to share/compare with INTERRUPTING CHICKEN, (reviewed HERE) those PIGEON titles from Mo Willems, and a delightful classic, BABY SAYS MOO! by JoAnn Early Macken. With so much shenanigans in the spotlight here, I can't blame someone for doubting my word, but kids will not go wrong with THE WRONG BOOK.