It’s so much fun to read picture books with my toddler. She simply loves reading, and although here books of choice often revolve around The Berenstain Bears and Clifford or Dora (none of which I enjoy all that much), sometimes I can get in some great books that I love too. 

Help! We Need a Title! by Herve Tullet (Candlewick Press, 2014) is the newest book by the clever interactive book author of Press Here! My toddler daughter loves this book, and I must admit it has a certain charm, although it’s a pain to read aloud! In this book, the main characters (“heroes”) are not complete. The author has not figured out what story to write, and when the book begins, the characters are startled to “see” people reading a book. They call a monster to make it interesting, but they all know that they really and truly need an author in order to make their story into an actual story.

The pictures are created with pen, crayon, pencil, paint, a photo of the author himself, and probably more forms of art that I have not recognized. Most of the pages are truly messy, as a “work in progress” would certainly be. My daughter loves that the main characters talk directly to her, and the unfinished look to the pages throws her off, but I love how it’s an unfinished look: it opens up discussion on the writing and creation process itself!

What picture books have you discovered lately?

Related posts:

Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt (and Other Interactive Books for Kids) The Life of Wilkie Collins (Biographies by Clarke and Peters) The Twelve Days of Christmas by John O’Brien Painting a Novel: East of Eden by John Steinbeck