This Is Not That Kind of Book by Christopher Healy & Ben Mantle

Genres collide in This Is Not That Kind of Book by Christopher Healy and illustrated by Ben Mantle, an hilarious new picture book that keeps readers (& the book’s very own characters) on their toes.

This is a book that answers all the kids who have ever posed the question What kind of book is it?

This clever alphabet book… Wait, that’s not right. This original fairy tale… Nope. Mystery? Joke book? Superhero story? Pirate adventure? This delightful mash-up features every kind of character found in the picture-book universe–all in one book. Just when the reader is convinced the story is going in one direction, it spins off in another.

Ever-changing illustrations keep pace with the rapid reversals, and the setting shifts with nearly every turn of the page. Truly inventive, here’s a picture book that can be anything you want it to be!

Readers young and old will be delighted as this book tackles beloved and well-known genres of children’s literature, and then immediately flips the script. Even the illustration styles morph and change, as different types of book genres are introduced.

I loved seeing all the mish-mashed characters come together (shout out to the Apple, my favorite of the gang) and try and suss out what kind of book they’re in. Along the way, they learn a few lessons — not the least of which is that books don’t have to fit into a certain category to be entertaining and delightful.

This Is Not That Kind of Book will surely see incredulous kid readers laughing (& learning, gasp!), as they follow along on the mystery of what kind of book they’re actually in. Look for this charming and delightful book in stores now.