Close Menu
www.crackingthecover.com
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    • Home
    • Picture
      • Ages 0-3
      • Ages 2 and up
      • Ages 3 and up
      • Ages 4 and up
      • Ages 5 and up
      • Ages 6 and up
      • Ages 8 and up
      • Author Interviews
      • Bedtime Stories
      • Gift Guide
    • Middle Grade
      • Author Interviews
      • Ages 6 and up
      • Ages 7 and up
      • Ages 8-12
      • Ages 9-12
      • Ages 10 and up
      • Gift Guide
    • YA
      • Author Interviews
      • Reviews
      • Adult Crossover
      • Gift Guide
    • Seasonal
      • Back to School
      • Christmas
      • Earth Day
      • Easter
      • Fall
      • Father’s Day
      • Mother’s Day
      • Gift Guide
      • Halloween
      • Spring
      • Valentine’s Day
      • Winter
    • Diversity
      • AANHPI Heritage
      • Autism Month
      • Black Experience
      • Chinese New Year
      • Hispanic Heritage
      • Pride Month
      • Women’s History
    • Crossover
    • About
      • Review/interview policy
      • About our reviewers
    www.crackingthecover.com

    You should read ‘I Will Not Read This Book’

    0
    By Jessica on September 16, 2011 ages 4 & up, bedtime story, picture books

    “I WILL NOT READ THIS BOOK,” by Cece Meng, illustrated by Joy Ang, Clarion Books, Sept. 6, 2011, $16.99 (ages 4-8)

    You can’t make me read this book! In this case me is a little boy who has a lot more excuses to not read a book before bedtime than anyone could possibly have to read a book before bedtime.

    The boy has to floss his teeth, wash behind his ear, feed his fish, sip some water, scratch the tip of his nose, clean under his bed… You know what? He’s changed his mind. He’s not going to read the book after all. Reading is hard and he doesn’t read fast and some of the words are unfamiliar.

    The boy will not read this book even if you hang him upside down by one toe over a cliff while tickling his feet. Even if you add in a rainstorm and lightning and sharks below, he won’t read it. If a dragon comes and blows smoke in his eyeballs, he still won’t read it. No. Not. Ever.

    However, if you drop him, he might be persuaded to change his mind… but you’d better be prepared to catch him.

    “I Will Not Read This Book” is pitch perfect for anyone who has ever dealt with a reluctant child. Much of the reluctance comes from doing things on their own, and as we see in this book, once someone the boy loves has someone to read with him, the reluctance goes away.

    Author Cece Meng’s text is perfect. And as the boy’s threats grow stronger, the tone is just right. Illustrator Joy Ang’s images pair perfectly with Meng’s words, building with each line and adding humor throughout.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Jessica
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • X (Twitter)

    Jessica Harrison is the reviewer behind Cracking the Cover. She loves books and worked as the in-house book critic at a daily newspaper, writing reviews and interviewing authors for two years. When the company cut back, she lost her position covering books, but that doesn't mean she stopped reading. If anything, the whole experience made her more passionate about reading and giving people the tools to make informed decisions in their own book choices. She has been featured on NetGalley's Blogger Spotlight and is on Kindleprenuer's Ultimate List of the Best Book Review Blogs. Contact her at jessica(at)crackingthecover(dot)com and follow Cracking the Cover on Bluesky, Instagram,  Facebook and Twitter (X) @crackingthecovr. You can also read scaled down reviews on Jessica's Goodreads review page. Jessica is also a reviewer on Amazon.

    Related Posts

    Brighten your day with Christy Mandin’s Millie Fleur Saves the Night

    The Woman Behind the Magic tells story of Lillian B. Disney

    Picture books feature fictional and real stories about sea creatures

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    • bluesky
    • twitter
    • instagram
    • facebook
    • goodreads
    • amazon
    • bloglovin
    • mail
    Subscribe by email
    Follow
    Recent Posts
    July 15, 2025

    Brighten your day with Christy Mandin’s Millie Fleur Saves the Night

    July 14, 2025

    The Woman Behind the Magic tells story of Lillian B. Disney

    July 13, 2025

    Discover magical worlds with MG fantasy series

    July 13, 2025

    Picture books feature fictional and real stories about sea creatures

    July 13, 2025

    YA romance novels are perfect spark for summer reading

    Archives
    Categories
    On Writing

    “The dance with words and the way the hair on the back of my neck raises when it works right is what I live for.”

    —Gary Paulsen

    “I write because I exist. Because I read. Because I breathe.”

    —Lindsay Eager

    “Books are kind of like the sense of smell: inhale one page and memories come rushing back.”

    —Keir Graff

    Cracking the Cover is a website dedicated to picture, middle-grade and young adult books. It features reviews, author interviews and other book news. PLEASE NOTE: We are not currently accepting self published books for review.

    Copyright © 2010-2022 Cracking the Cover. Unless otherwise noted, all books — digital and physical — have been provided by publishers in exchange for honest and unbiased reviews. All thoughts and opinions are those of the reviewer.

    Reviews Published Professional Reader 2016 NetGalley Challenge 100 Book Reviews

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.