Do Not Open This Book!

by Michaela Muntean, Pascal Lemaître (Illustrator)

In the spirit of the bestselling classics DON'T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS! and THE MONSTER AT THE END OF THIS BOOK comes a riotously funny, interactive picture book from a hot new team. "Excuse me, but who do you think you are, opening this book when the cover clearly says, DO NOT OPEN THIS BOOK? The reason you weren't supposed to open this book is because it is not yet written!...You think it's easy to put words together? Hah! Now go away--I need time to think."So begins Pig's valiant attempt to pen his masterpiece. But he is constantly interrupted by the reader who is seduced at every turn into foiling his efforts ("please go away" "please do not turn the page")--until at last we reach the final page & discover that together, Pig & the reader have indeed created a book.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Humor, Writing, Fiction, Storytime, Animals

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the early 'meta' books. A little hostile; right from the start the pig-elf-author tells us that we're being "rude." Not my favorite of this now-crowded field, but not bad.

[Sophia Hermosillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Do not open this book”, by Michaela Muntean was a very differently styled picture book to what I am used to reading. The beginning started out with the main character, a pig, telling the reader not to open the book. What caught me off guard at the start of reading the book was how personal the pig got to the reader. The pig speaks to the reader one to one as if you were really having a conversation. The pig uses words like “you”, and since that is directly speaking right to you, the reader, it makes the reading experience feel a lot more personal. We find out at the beginning that the reason for why the pig did not want us to open the book was because it was not finished yet. He spends half the book pages trying to decide on what story to write, it’s adorable.

The dialogue is very informal. In a good/entertaining way. Which is perfect to bring kid’s attention to reading a picture book. It is very comedic, the pic uses many words that make sounds. And a variety of vocabulary is used as well, this too would catch me off guard. An example of how informal the dialogue content would become is when the pig starts to announce no one can open the door. After that he even gets a little upset at the reader, it’s hilarious. The protagonist was the pink pig. You could tell he was very ecstatic about having the reader read the pigs book. Although this pig did not enjoy the readers company for the majority of the book, he is what made the book come to live. Every page would either make you laugh, giggle or at least smile.

A visual element that makes this book stand out from the rest is the large variety choice of color the author incorporated in this book. Every and any color you have ever seen is in this book, you may come across it from a text bubble or from the drawn pictures. I did love how the background was always kept white to not overpower the incorporation of the colors. On the other hand, the font was probably my favorite visually pleasing aspect of this book. It would change according to the tone of the dialogue. For example if the pig was yelling something versus saying something the font would progressively get larger compared to speaking normally.

This book is categorized as postmodern. The postmodern style is shown through narrative techniques. A technique used well in “Do not open this book” is fragmentation. The crazy variety of words, and different fonts, and colors made the book seem crazy yet well put together because of the thought out and organized fragmentation.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful postmodern picture book that tells a story of a pig who is trying to write a story. The cover and title immediately draw any reader in because it tells them not to open the book. Of course, you want to find out what the book is about. Throughout the book, the pig continues to pester the reader since the reader keeps turning the pages. Then, somehow, the pig winds up making the story about the reader. In the end, the pig sarcastically thanks the reader for helping him write the book.

I love the entire concept of this book. Most students will not have seen or heard a book like this before. Before you know it, you have read the entire book! Students will love inserting their name into the blanks and becoming a part of the book. This book would allow a teacher to discuss this type of book and talk about other books that draw the reader in and make them a part of it. Students could keep this book in mind as they find other books that are similar. Overall, this book would be great for K-5 students, especially if they have never experienced this type of book.

[Daniele Bower · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great way for young readers to see the process of writing a book. We start this story by being advised not to open it. Once the book is opened, we are instructed by the character to leave and not turn the pages. As we turn the pages, we cause words to fly around the page, and for the author to be disrupted. At one point, the main character invites us to read a story that they have written about us, and how annoying we are to him and his writing process. Throughout the story, we watch the main character attempting to create a book, and eventually he figures out that he had been creating one the whole time.
This book can be used to introduce fictional narrative writing. The main character shows the importance of word choice, and how wording can change the meaning. I would use this book in an elementary setting due to the silly component of it. It is a great way for students to see themselves as authors.

[Jessica Dodge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do Not Open This Book by Michaela Muntean is a fun, interactive postmodern picture book about a pig who is trying to write his masterpiece but is continually interrupted by the reader. He begs and pleads for the reader not to turn the page, but his efforts are fruitless. This is a hysterical story and I love the main character. This pig is so frantic and frustrated, and it's so enticing to turn the page and get him all riled up again. All he wants is some peace and quiet so he can sit down and work on writing his story, but he’s so busy yelling at the reader that he doesn’t notice the story that’s already unfolding.

I think this is a great read aloud book to get reluctant elementary writers to find their voice. It has a great lesson about the effort it takes to go through the writing process, but also that it’s perfectly okay to make edits and to try something brand new. There are plenty of writing styles and techniques to model. It's also a great resource for teaching about word choice for upper elementary and middle school students as the character struggles to find the right words and put them together.

[Jesse Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the book, Do Not Open This Book, by Michaela Muntean and illustrated by Pascal Lemaitre is a book under construction. The main character speaks directly to the reader expressing their displeasure with being interrupted and bothered while they are in the act of making a book. This postmodern element lends humor and irony to the text. It includes insight into the thoughts, feelings, insecurities and resentments of the main character which is very funny. There is even a back-and-forth with the storyteller trying to stop the reader from turning pages and progressing through the book, which hasn’t been written yet. I would use this book with my students as a way to demonstrate how the reader is actually an active participant in any book that they read. How they bring their own perspective, questions, and interpretation to every text. This makes every book a little different depending on who is reading it. Students will practice how to hone their craft to tailor text to different audiences and consider opposing perspectives and interpretations. This book would also be great to use with younger students to begin brainstorming and sharing elements that go into writing a book. This would be a great starting point in a class project for students to create their own original picturebook.

[Michael Mendoza · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will say that this is the first time a book has insulted me and has told me to go away. I will say that this book was written in an odd dialect that every reader should be able to understand. The pig, which does not have a name and could be a boy or girl depending on your preference, basically talks to you. That alone is something that most readers do not see at all in any book written now. We mostly see and read book with dialogue that are used with other characters and are not directed towards the reader. That is when we read something with narration in it. That alone was a bit odd However, what I found a bit interesting is the fact that there was no real setting. The pages were white so the reader could determine where the setting was based off of their own knowledge or experience. That I thought was a bit of trickery and engagement for the reader. However, on some of the pages the pig had some of the word written down and pasted to the wall and then the actual picture of what he wrote came to life. Like the "really big rock". finally, the last part that caught my attention was how the pig made the reader then join in on the story where you had to place your name in the text and read the story as though you were a part of it. that is very powerful and can really make a reader want to read more especially if they are encouraged to be part of something.

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 4 out of 5]

My kids seem to have inherited my love of metafiction. After enjoying The Book That Eats People we checked out Do Not Open This Book! by Michaela Muntean.

What do you do with a title like that? Of course, you do exactly the opposite. You open it right up. Inside the book is a harried pig who is trying to finish the book before you read it. Every page turned is another moment of frustration for him.

In the middle of the book there's a funny mad lib style story where you're supposed to substitute in your own name. The result is a story within the story about how you as the monster are terrorizing the poor author pig as he's trying to finish his book.

The entire book is an on going argument with the pig. The reader gets to tease him as he writes. It's fun way to introduce writing to children as the story makes them think about what might go into a picture book.

Do Not Open This Book has been as much a hit with Sean and Harriet as The Book That Eats People was.

[Matthew Henson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a great book. I enjoyed the bright colors and the illustrations. With all the small humor in it I believe that children would love this book. All ages would enjoy this book with all its humor and pictures.

[↜ƈɦǟռ☂ɛℓℓɛ↝ · Rating 4 out of 5]

★★★★Do Not Open This Book by Michaela Muntean

This is a cute book about a pig who's write a book. Thing is,he doesn't want you to see until he is done. But you don't listen, and open it anyways. It's a fun book that gets kids to interact.

[Tanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much like the "monster at the end of the book" with Grover. a little more dense, but still entertaining.

[H · Rating 5 out of 5]

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[Renea Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do Not Open This Book is a silly book about a pig who is having trouble writing a book. He is having a hard time putting words together to create a story, and all he wants is for the reader to close the book and let him work alone in peace and quiet! With various techniques, the pig attempts to get the reader to close the book, but will he succeed? This is an interactive and playful book that will have the reader giggling all throughput the story.

What caught my eye about this book was the title. It is a smart and effective way to unlock the mischievous side of everyone and pick up the book. I really liked how the author made the story 100% dialogue between the pig and the reader. It made the story more intimate in a way. I also really liked how the pig was so animated throughout the book. He yelled and became frustrated which really added to his character. The design elements of the story were impressive as well. I liked how the illustrator made the pig filled with so much impatience and rage. He had all sorts of facial and body expressions that really showed how irritated he truly was. The author also designed the book to be very interactive between the pig and the reader—there was even blanks left on certain pages, so the reader could add in their name.

This was a great post-modern picture book because of the silly nature of the story. I really enjoyed turning each page and seeing what other goofy antic the pig had up his sleeve. I think kids will really enjoy reading this book.

[Rachel Olive · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: This book was a comical book on how hard it can be to form sentences and stories. The book is narrated with the main character of a pig floating throughout pages on pages with random words on it. The pig is trying to write this book, but can't decide what type of book to write and keeps getting mad at the audience for having opened an unfinished book. This book ever page had you laughing at how silly this character was, but also wondering how hard is it to write books.

Analysis: I really enjoyed this book in the way it can turn something that seems very hard and scary to children into something comical. The relational level of seeing all these words on a page and floating to make a sentence would be very helpful to kids seeing this book and maybe learning to write stories themselves. I did get nervous at points for this book might overwhelms students who don't know many words, because the quantity on a page, but how they would also find it interesting.

How I would use this book: I would use this book as something to have on my shelf for students to read, but also to talk about writing. Going through the steps on writing sentences if they are younger to writing paragraphs as they get into middle school and late elementary. This would be a great book to use for vocab practice as well, if you decide this is your book of the week that you want to learn new vocabulary from.

[Hannah Werkheiser · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Do not open this book!? If a sign on a door says do not enter, do you enter?" (Muntean, 2006).

If someone told you to not open a book, would you be tempted to peak inside? Follow along with an aspiring pig author that is trying to create the perfect story. What kind of story will he create? Will it be a bedtime story or scary story? With your help, pig can start to write his own story. Although he may argue with you, in the end you may just help him create the best storybook of all time!

This is a post modern storybook that really resonated with me. It is full of laughter, irony, spirit, and an all around good time. Students can be placed in the story though Munteans placement of fill in the blank and teachers added questions. Teacher can really get students involved in the reading by asking students questions like "should we turn the page?" or "what will pig write about next?" This is a very fast-paced engaging text for students to enjoy as well as adults. Some literacy education ties I would incorporate with this story is practicing prediction skills with students as well as having students practice writing their own stories just like pig. This would also be a great storybook to practice prosody.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it for K-2 students.

[Erin Kautzman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is about a monster, who is unnamed, and his attempt to halt the reader from finishing the book. Page after page, he tempts the reader by saying not to go any further and even attempting to threaten the reader with silly warnings such as their hair will turn gray if they turn to the next page. In the end, the monster reveals he is casted under a spell and will turn into a frog if the reader makes it to the last page. This postmodern book gives the reader the opportunity to decide whether they want to finish the book or not. My curiosity got the best of me as I finished the book; However, some readers may choose to "save" the monster by not finishing the book and therefore not turning him into a frog.

In the future, I would love to use this book for an example of how to be persuasive. The most effective unit would be when my students are working on persuasive writing. I would give them the opportunity to hear the book read aloud and then write about what lie they would tell to persuade the reader to not turn the page. This would be a fun entry lesson into persuasion!

[Reagan Busbee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Summary: Do Not Open This Book is an interactive story about a little pig who is in the middle of trying to write the book. The pig is physically trying to glue words onto the page to make a story however “you” the reader are bothering it. However, the conversation the pig is having with the reader eventually fills up the book and ends with the pig being too tired and going to bed.

Opinion: Do Not Open this book has some moments, but it is honestly repetitive with the pig telling the reader to go away. It isn't very relaxing or enjoyable to be told to go away constantly while the book itself is trying to get you to stop reading it. The concept is unique and creative that the pig is physically constructing the book.

Classroom: there were some parts of the illustrations where the pig had boxes labeled, “nouns” or “Verbs” or even “Dangerous words” This book could be used as a tool to help students visualize how nouns verbs and adjectives are used in constructing a sentence.

[Cassandra Arrotta · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great way to teach children about how words can be used to hurt others. It begins with a pig doing construction of the book and brings us through the story by addressing the reader personally. The pictures found within this book are intentionally left unfinished and chaotic, much like how a person may view a story that hasn't been put together completely yet.

I can see this book being used within the educational system to teach children about the words they choose and the fact that the writing process can be of feel very messy and chaotic at times. It can also teach children about being warned to not do something and the consequences of doing it anyway. I can see this book being presented at the K-2nd grade levels and possibly being used as a short picture book story to be read by the teacher while assigning the students to come up with their own finished and completed story of version of the story to create their own book.

[Katie Jimenez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is VERY different from the traditional picture books, and I noticed this right off the bat as soon as I saw even just the cover of the book. Firstly, it is addressing the reader by telling them NOT to open the book. This is such a strong attention grabber because the readers of these types of books are normally kids who love to do the exact opposite of what something is telling them. Then right away the main character of the book addresses the reader again by telling them that the book is not even finished. The book contains many different types of illustrations that will have the reader looking at each page ten times over and finding something new and exciting in it. It is also quite comical how the narrator keeps telling the reader orders as they scramble to create the book as we are reading it.

[Sebrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do Not Open This Book is an interactive picturebook that follows the story of a pig writing his very own story in the book that we weren’t supposed to open. The pig scolds us for not listening to him throughout the book, as he fears that he won’t be able to write his story, but by the end, he realizes that thanks to the reader, his book is complete. The plot overall is fun and humorous, including the reader into the story and making it overall more enjoyable. The illustrations are bright and amusing, adding to the overall humor and fun of the story. They depict what the pig is doing, so it’s best to truly look at them in order to get a better understanding of what is happening in the story. As I read, the type of voice I interpret is exasperated and nagging. The pig wants us to leave him alone, and that must reflect in the way he speaks to the reader.

[Molly Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about a pig who is writing a book. He is constantly telling the reader to not turn the page, in fear of messing up the story. The pig is basically fighting with the reader so they will not turn to the next page while trying to finish his story.

I found this book to be funny. It is a humorous story about a pig trying to finish writing his own story. I like how the book interacts with the reader.

This book would be good to use in a first grade classroom. Since the pig is attempting to write his own story, there are multiple words scattered throughout. This book could be read to students and then students could write their own story using words they saw on the pages of the book.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is not for someone who has no sense of humor and isn’t interested in having one. We use a bunch of voices to show how frustrated the pig is about us opening the book. My kids, when they’re around the ages of 6-9, laugh a ton because it is absurd not to open a book and the wording they use.

I think it has the potential to show kids that people don’t appreciate their boundaries being breached. The pig tells the reader it’s rude to open this book, talks about not entering rooms with “Do Not Enter” on the door, and knocking before opening a closed door,, etc. It also brings up consequences for opening a book that isn’t complete.

We don’t read it for anything other than having something with a sense of humor.

[Melissa Horton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I'm almost 20 and I still laughed at the writing and was enjoying the plot. The illustrations are done in a way that is similar to cartoons. The narrator of the story is the person writing the story, but it is also talking to you and demanding you to not open the book or turn the page. It is very silly and at one point I wondered about how fun it would be to read this aloud to either my students or children in the future. It was a very colorful book in how it is illustration and has the text in mainly speech bubbles, so it is a little different than normal picturebooks but it is very easy to read. Overall, this picturebook was one of my favorites that I have read this semester and I am definitely going to read more by Michaela Muntean.

[Matthew Reyes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is interesting in the sense that their is a metaphysical connection between the reader and the main character of the story. The little pig in the story is upset with the reader because despite the clear warning not to read the book, the reader will obviously continue reading the book. The little pig objects most of the story and is trying its best to formulate some kind of contextual story. The little pig does whatever he can to prevent the reader from advancing through the stories, giving whatever reason to not turn the page and even using words to keep the reader from turning the pages. This story creates a new perspective between the reader and story. The reader essentially becomes a part of the story and creates the story as its being constructed within the story.

[Madelaine O'Neil]

I really liked this book! It was so creative and playful and funny, it reminded me of "The Book with No Pictures" because both of them break the forth wall. Of course a child is going to want to open a book that tells them not to do so, and the story keeps interacting with the reader the whole time. There was a section where the reader fills in the blank with their name, and this would be really fun for the students to hear a name they know be in the story. There were lots of silly parts in the book, and also a great sentence that tells the reader to be careful with words, which is a good lesson. I think it would be so fun to read this book out loud to my future class and have them interact with the book and laugh.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a pig that is trying to write a story and he gets mad when you interrupt him. He tells you repeatedly not to turn the pages, and tries to come up with different ways to prevent you. I have mixed feelings about this book, because my 3 year old is adamant about following directions (unless they come from me, *grumble grumble*) and really resisted turning the pages. He repeatedly told me "no!" and that we should wait for the pig to finish. In fact, we haven't finished the book yet because he won't let me. Also, I feel like the pig is not particularly nice. I can understand you might be mad if you get interrupted during your work, but it's a children's book! 

[Jayme Beck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do Not Open This Book by Michaela Muntean was a very entertaining and interesting way to write a book. Throughout the book the main character, the Pig, get mad at you for opening the book and turning the pages. He is trying to think of a story and use the different words on the pages to make sentences. Pig get more frustrated throughout the book saying that the reader needs to go away and stop turning the pages. At the end Pig writes a story with blanks in it and you are supposed to read your name for each blank. This is a creative way to keep kids engaged in a book and to have reader interaction.

[Mei Chen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do not open this book! By Michaela Muntean
Review by Mei Chen

It is an interesting book for children to read, it has a clear topic “do not turn the page”, because it will make the words in the wrong order. The author bold the main words showed up in the story, to let children deepen their memory. The illustrations are interesting and clearly express the scenarios, the whole book is colorful, and it has a letter for children can put their names in, to let them have a sense of substitution.

I would recommend this book to children, because the theme is very novel, breaks the children's inherent view of picture books.

[Margo Schulz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, Do Not Open This Book is a fun read and breaks the barrier between story and reader, going as far as to put the readers name in the book. The pig is upset that the reader has began reading the book as the book hasn't been written yet. The scattered words and illustrations really sold the idea of the book being incomplete, which I think provides a little sense of humor for younger audiences. The illustrations are up against a white page, simplifying the scene to make it all about the scattered words. Becoming apart of the story is this books main selling point, and I found it a great way to spark more interest as the reader is officially apart of the story.

[Sierra · Rating 4 out of 5]

The pig begins the story by instructing the reader, "Do not open this book!" But how does he expect anyone not to turn the page?? It's a book for Pete's sake! We quickly learn that the pig is in the process of writing a story and does not want to be disturbed. Similar to Grover in "The Monster at the End of this Book" by Jon Stone, the pig is displeased every time a page is turned. This book really is a story within a story.

While I think students of many ages would enjoy this book, I can see how it may be used as a model text in the upper elementary grades. It would be fun to have students write their own book following Muntean's engaging model.