Nicholas becomes increasingly frustrated as all these characters enter his book; the poor boy is just trying to tell his story and they keep interfering. ‘Go away!’ he says, ‘You’re in the wrong book!’ He only has a chance to tell us what he intended the story to be about on the final page, just as the words ‘The End’ are crashing down.
The illustrations are brilliant. Large, vivid and colourful, they almost jump off the page and into real life. Those being told they should not be in the book are beautifully perplexed at Nicholas’ obvious anger, which is (annoyingly for him) extremely funny.
Although this story is officially aimed at the 4-8 year age bracket, it can appeal to a much wider audience. For example, I have read our copy to an eighteen-month-old, a three-year-old and a six-year-old, and they have all laughed hysterically and loved yelling out the phrase, ‘You’re in the wrong book!’
One glance inside this book will make the reasons for it being shortlisted for the 2010 CBCA Book of the Year award crystal clear.
The Wrong Book is a fun story to read aloud to young children – the louder and crazier you become, the more they laugh. And, to me, anything that makes a child laugh is a winner.
Title: The Wrong Book
Author/Illustrator: Nick Bland
Publisher: Scholastic, $15.99 RRP
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781741693416
For ages: 4 - 8
Type: Picture Book