The Book with No Pictures
by B. J. Novak
E Nov
Curriculum Collection, Juvenile Easy Books, 2nd floor
How can a picture book not contain any pictures? Yes, you read that correctly: No pictures. None. Nada. Zilch. And yet, B. J. Novak has managed to create a page turner by simply playing with font, size, and font color, all placed on a plain, white background. Graphic designers and communication artists will recognize Novak’s craftiness. The back of the book contains an apt warning: “If a kid is trying to make you read this book, the kid is playing a trick on you. You will end up saying SILLY THINGS and making everybody LAUGH AND LAUGH!” It’s clear that the adult (or kid) reader becomes the main character, directed by Novak’s typesetting. It’s simple, ingenious, and downright silly.
While the Library of Congress has not yet defined a subject heading for picture books of this ilk, it does provide a handy subject heading for stories without words, and many examples of these can be found in the Curriculum Collection.
