Debug This Book

by Omar Abed, Julie Rowan-Zoch (Illustrator)

A little boy enlists the help of various people, including the most effective person of all—the reader—when he discovers a bug is sabotaging his story in this laugh-out-loud picture book perfect for fans of Press Here.

Cody has just written an exciting story on his computer that he’d love to share with the reader—a.k.a. you!—full of adventures and intrigue and—AACK! What’s that? A bug? How did that get here? No worries, an exterminator is here to help! But wait, it’s not that kind of bug. It’s a code bug! It can’t be fixed by an exterminator, a handyman, or even a farmer.

Luckily, a programmer appears, but even she can’t debug the computer. She and Cody need help…from the reader! Maybe if the reader turns pages really slowly or really fast the bug can’t keep up. Or if they read in a funny voice, the bug won’t understand. Can Cody and the reader find a solution before catastrophic system failure?!

Genres: Picture Books

48 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication June 30, 2026

Reviews

[swalterich · Rating 5 out of 5]

There’s nothing better than an interactive storybook to guarantee an engaging storytime, and this one delivers while also introducing an important computing concept to the littlest learners. Cody has just finished a magnificent story he wants to share, but before he can he discovers a bug–pictured as an actual bug–in his story. The more everyone tries to help him get rid of it, the more his story becomes ruined. Once he figures out that turning the pages is causing the disaster, he turns to the reader, reminiscent of Grover in the Monster at the End of this Book, for help. This isn’t what works–because following this path will never get the reader to the story’s conclusion–but it is an action on the reader’s part that’s needed for the solution, providing a satisfying ending for children. The cause of the problem, when it’s finally revealed, will be something that most kids will relate to and likely to provide a few giggles. My only wish was that there was something a little more puzzling for the readers to figure out, similar to actual debugging, but the concept can be introduced after reading. Included in the endpapers is some additional information defining and explaining the term debugging, as well as an explanation about where the term came from. A recommended purchase for any elementary school library, and one I will definitely be purchasing for my own.

[Kirin · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic, fun, engaging read for kindergarten to second graders (and their adults) to learn, laugh, and be silly over 48 pages of smart text and engaging illustrations. With vibes of the classic, The Monster at the End of this Book, yes the Little Golden Book staring Grover from Sesame Street, the reader is asked to help Cody (see the pun It is one of many), debug his computer. The book starts with a story not loading, because of a bug, when an exterminator and then a repair woman and then even a farmer show up and can't fix the book, Cody reaches out to the reader to try different strategies. The Muslim authored story has no Islam or religion in the pages, but truly preorder this one, and check out his first book for delightful clever stories that beg to be read aloud, over and over and over again.