Review: The Book That Did Not Want To Be Read
This post contains gifted items. All views are our own.
Once in a while, a book comes along that’s a little bit different, and we have a book just like that to share with you today. We were sent a copy to review, of The Book That Did Not Want To Be Read, by Swedish author David Sundin with graphic design by Alexis Holmqvist. Not only is this book a little bit different, it’s also absolutely brilliant!
The book starts off in a very familiar way:
Once upon a time, there was a child who couldn’t fall asleep. So the child asked a grown-up, “Can you please read me a book?” And the grown-up said, “Of course I can!”
And that’s where the familiarity ends, because the book in question is a very special book. It is, of course, The Book That Did Not Want To Be Read, and it’s going to try everything it can to stop the grown-up reading it. What follows, had both my boys in giggles and out-and-out laughter. The recommended reading age is 4-7, but both my 6 year old and my 10 year old really love this book.
The poor grown-up (first me, then my husband) had to use the book as a steering wheel; deal with muddled up words, tiny words, HUGE words, and disappearing words; stop the book flapping away; turn the book, blow on the book; sing; pet a rabbit…and more! I honestly don’t know if my boys were more amused by the shenanigans of the book, or by how silly it made their parents look. They have asked for it again, and again. Also, apparently my husband is better at reading it aloud – probably because of the silly voices he does, and he’s also better at thinking on his feet when you have to improvise and replace the disappearing words.
When the grown-up had struggled and struggled and struggled and made things up and sung and fought and struggled and blown and read and steered and struggled and struggled and struggled, at last the child said, “I want to sleep now. Goodnight.”
Except my boys DON’T say “I want to sleep now. Goodnight.” like the child in the book. No, they want us to read the book all over again. Or sometimes, my older boy reads it to his little brother. Or they read it together, giggling to each other.
It’s really hard to describe the book and do it justice, but suffice to say it has been an instant hit in our house. It’s a very special kind of reading adventure that would make a great addition to any home library.
The Book That Did Not Want To Be Read, which was first published in Sweden in August 2020, is David Sundin’s debut children’s book and became the bestselling children’s book of the year in Sweden. It’s easy to see why. The book is now available in English, in a beautiful hardback edition. It’s available from Amazon (affiliate link), or even better you can order it from your nearest independent bookseller.
Disclosure: We were gifted a copy of the book in return for an honest review. All views are our own. If you buy anything via the affiliate link in this post, I will receive a small commission – at no extra cost to you – which helps to keep this blog running. Thank you.
