The Wrong Book

by Drew Daywalt (Author) Alex Willmore (Illustrator)

Reading Level: K − 1st Grade

What if the narrator of the book you're reading is just...WRONG?! This hilarious book from the author of The Day the Crayons Quit will have you correcting what you're reading--and laughing!

Do bicycles say cock-a-doodle-doo? Do firefighters shout Ding Dong! before they put out a fire?

That's what the narrator of this hilarious picture book thinks! Good thing there are some other characters in this book to set him straight...

With bright bold illustrations, this laugh-out-loud funny story, written by the author of The Day the Crayons Quit, is sure to give kids--and grown-ups--a serious case of the giggles.

Because a flower goes chugga-chugga-choo-choo. Right? Right?

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Hardcover
$18.99

Kirkus

Chaotic fun, perfect for read-alouds.

Publishers Weekly

The protagonist of this meta comedy by Daywalt (the Crayons series) and Willmore (Little Black Hole) is an anthropomorphized yellow bookmark-like entity with blue legs, brown boots, and blue thread popping out of its flat head. As an omniscient narrator begins introducing, primer-like, objects with associated songs, the bookmark is moved by the sight of a "pretty" apple and the smell of a flower with a "wonderful" scent. But when the narrator next insists that "flowers go CHUGGA CHUGGA CHOOOO CHOOOO!!!!!" it's clear that conceptual anarchy is afoot. Soon, the narrator claims not only that a puppy is a bicycle but also that "the bicycle says, BURRRRP!" Stuck in the pages, the increasingly agitated protagonist can't seem to make the narrator stop, so it tries to rally the characters: "Clearly the narrator of this book is all cuckoo-bonker-pants and doesn't know nothin'. So it's up to us. What do you say?" Even if the answer isn't what the bookmark hoped to hear, the book's resolute silliness, Looney Tunes comic beats, and topsy-turvy perspective make clear that this is a rambunctious read-aloud that's tailor-made to induce giggle fits. Ages 3-7. (Feb.)

Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

Praise for The Wrong Book

[A] lesson to viewers that being right isn't always as important as having fun. —Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Drew Daywalt
Drew Daywalt grew up in a haunted house, but now lives in a Southern California home haunted only by his wife, two kids, and a German shepherd. A Hollywood screenwriter when he is not writing for young readers, Drew's favorite crayon is Black. He is the #1 bestselling author of The Day the Crayons Quit and The Day the Crayons Came Home, in addition to many other titles.

Oliver Jeffers is a creator of art for adults and children. An illustrator of fine art, his picture books have received numerous awards and much critical aclaim. The Day the Crayons Quit and The Day the Crayons Came Home were both #1 New York Times bestsellers. Oliver has become one of the world's most in-demand artists, creating pieces and graphics for TED Talks, The New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and for U2's lyric video to the song "Ordinary Love." You can find Oliver at OliverJeffers.com.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780593621967
Lexile Measure
470
Guided Reading Level
J
Publisher
Philomel Books
Publication date
February 27, 2024
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV019000 - Juvenile Fiction | Humorous Stories
JUV047000 - Juvenile Fiction | Books & Libraries
JUV051000 - Juvenile Fiction | Imagination & Play
Library of Congress categories
Picture books
Humorous fiction
Polarity
Opposites

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