Coming August 20th, 2024 from Familius; 32 pages
About the Author: “Howard Pearlstein is the award-winning author of nine picture books that have been translated into five languages. His upcoming titles in 2024 and 2025 include This Book is Not For You, The Shy Book, and The Bad Book for Good Kids. Howard is also the founder of Copy Rocket, an advertising copywriting agency, and has worked on some of the world’s most popular brands, including Toyota, Verizon, and Mitsubishi. A California native, Howard now lives in Birmingham, Alabama. He has three daughters, Amanda, Jacquie, and Emily, who live across the country, and one wife, Debi, who still lives at home” (Bio from author’s website).
Find Howard Pearlstein on the following platforms:
About the Illustrator: “After having obtained an MA in architecture, she followed her passion for art and decided to attend a specialization course in both traditional and digital illustration at Scuola Iternazionale di Comics in Turin.” (Bio from WordPress.com).
This Book is Not For You is a hilarious new release written by Howard Pearlstein and illustrated by the talented Susanna Covelli that is full of contradictions. This children’s book tells you through its title exactly what it is, or rather, what it isn’t. The novel follows a mustachioed narrator and his similarly mustachioed dog. The narrator claims that this book will not be funny, nor gross, nor action-packed, despite the illustrations depicting exactly that. The narrator seems to be entirely aloof from the wild occurrences around him, including ninjas, monsters, zombies, and aliens, all illustrated to perfection by Covelli. The illustrations help guide the loose plot of this book, but, in the end, it all ties together with a perfect twist.
While I often gravitate towards picture books focused on teaching a life lesson, Pearlstein managed to catch my attention with a book that focuses on style over substance. This Book is Not For You is a quick read that will surely have children laughing and pointing, not only because of the intricate and quirky illustrations, but also because of the narrator’s fourth wall breaking and serious attitude problem. What the story lacks in plot and diversity, it makes up for with its creativity and irony. This book was a fun read that will surely inspire children to want to write their own book or even draw the different silly creatures pictured throughout, including but not limited to a boxing beaver, a golfing goat, and even hula-hooping hippos. This book pulls from different styles found in other books and typical children’s books tropes to create a motley assortment of ideas upon every page. I thoroughly enjoyed this read and believe that younger children will find it both funny and stimulating in terms of writing style and illustrations. While it is not a book that is as interesting upon a second read, I would recommend this book to any child who loves to admire picture book illustrations and laugh with a completely oblivious narrator.
This Book is Not For You releases on August 20th, 2024.
Pine Reads Review would like to thank Netgalley and Familius for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change before final publication.
Jenica Delaney, Pine Reads Review Writer