The Whole Hole Story: A Bright and Playful Picture Book About Imagination for Kids

by Vivian McInerny, Ken Lamug (Illustrator)

In Vivian McInerny’s playful debut, readers will fall in love with wonder again as Zia imagines what might happen if the hole in her pocket became big enough to fall right through. The Whole Hole Story is perfect for readers looking for a fresh take on the classic Harold and the Purple Crayon .

Zia is used to the hole in her pocket—she frequently fills it with frogs and other objects. And as it gets bigger and bigger, she starts to wonder what might happen . . . if she fell right through. Would she cover it with a blanket to catch an elephant, or dig a tunnel to the other side of the world? The possibilities are endless, and readers will love following Zia’s adventurous imagination from beginning to end. 

With hilarious wordplay paired with Ken Lamug’s bright and colorful illustrations, The Whole Hole Story will appeal to kids’ divine sense of silliness. Perfect for fans of Du Iz Tak?, and They All Saw a Cat.

Genres: Picture Books, Fantasy, Childrens, Adventure, Fiction, Juvenile, Humor

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 12, 2021

About the author

Vivian McInerny is a journalist and fiction writer. Her short stories are published in several literary anthologies including 805 Lit + Art , The Dunes Review, and The Cardiff Review. Her ebook novel was a Best of the Writers Project 2016 selection of Multnomah County Library in Portland, Oregon. She's a Fisthtrap fellow and recipient of a Metropolitan Arts Commission grant for fiction.

McInerny is working on a collection of linked short stories, a novel, and a memoir about traveling overland from Europe to India at age eighteen.

More than 55K follow her writing on the site ello (now dead) where she posts drafts and essays.

Reviews

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I really loved about this new picture book was the word play. When the other animals accuse the lion of lyin' or the snake is telling "tails," there is great potential for turning a read aloud into an experience that kids want to repeat over and over. The colorful illustrations will also provide many conversations. The hole in Zia's pocket provides a multitude of opportunities for imaginations to flourish. Just what you want in a good children's book. Like Harold and his purple crayon, I hope the hole in Zia's pocket takes on additional adventures in the future.

Thank you to Versify and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an electronic ARC from Versify through NetGalley.
When Zia finds a hole in her pocket, she uses her imagination to make the hole become whatever she wants it to be. I love when she owns that it only has to be as scary as she chooses. She moves from adventure to adventure until she decides the hole needs to be shrunk to fit in her pocket at the end. Humor throughout as readers study the illustrations and follow the adventures. Terrific for group discussion on what readers would do with such a hole.

[Michele Knott · Rating 3 out of 5]

A whole new way of looking at a hole! Lots of imaginative fun in this one.

[Theresa Grissom · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love imagination stories! Kids will love this.

[Charlotte Offsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Whole Hole features Zia who falls right through the hole in her pocket and reimagines its purpose and what fills it. She swims in it, uses it to catch an elephant, and becomes covered by it. Complete with brilliant wordplay and beautiful illustrations this playful picture book celebrates imagination and encourages thinking outside the box!⁠

[Lisa D · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a cute book! Loved it!

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastical, whimsical circle story that puts me in mind of the fun absurdity of Neil Gaiman’s FORTUNATELY, THE MILK.

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

“To tellers of stories, which is not the same as fibbers. But close.” —V. M. Zia is one cute kid with a big imagination and a whole lot of creative ways to tell this story! Vivacious illustrations add to the fun of Zia’s lollapalooza of an adventure in her imaginary hole.

[Lisa Yee Swope · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why don’t all “girl clothes” have pockets? Zia’s, fortunately, do. Unfortunately, one has a hole. But oh, the things a good imagination can do with a hole if you just remove it from your pocket! I love Zia’s creativity to make her hole into a place to fish, to swim, for animals to gather, and to catch an elephant too heavy to pull out so they dig through to India!

[India Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet story that is relatable to every kid because every kid has an imagination! The story winds in surprising, whimsical ways, similarly to "Harold & the Purple Crayon," and the illustrations are gorgeous & so detailed -- you can almost play "I Spy" within the illustrations! There are so many little details and surprises that you'll discover with re-reads. My 19 month old loves it & so do I.

[sparkypink · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute story about a girl with a wild imagination as she discovers what is really inside the hole in her pocket. The illustrations were beautifully done.

I received an electronic ARC of this book thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review copy: Digital copy via illustrator

What a fantastical adventure and a great one to add to my list of portal books. Zia travels through this delightful world of her own making. It's like a dream sequence, but she has determined that it will not be a scary place so all is cheerful.

The illustrations are playful and Zia's expressions are a lot of fun. It would be a great mentor text for imaginative writing or illustrating. It seems like a book that would really inspire readers to think about what they would do if they had their own portal world to explore.

Recommendation: This will be a fun addition to any collection particularly if you are looking for fantasy picture books. I'm happy to have another example of portal fantasy to share with students during our genre unit.

[Viviane Elbee · Rating 4 out of 5]

One time I was in the bookstore, and a customer was looking for a longer fiction picture book, with lots of text. This is the sort of book he may have been looking for. This longer story is good for older kids, who still love picture books, but who want a book with more words and more story.
In this story, Zia has a hole in her pocket, which grows so large, that she ends up falling through the hole. She uses her imagination to make all kinds of incredible adventures happen with the hole.
The artwork is delightful.

[Abby Johnson]

This is an imaginative story about a girl with a hole in her pocket and the marvelous things she imagines when she pictures herself going through the hole. This would be a fun classroom readaloud paired with asking kids to brainstorm together what adventures they would have on the other side of an imaginary hole.

[Gretchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could easily see using this book as a mentor text in writing to take an idea and let your imagination go wild! Zia begins with a hole in her pocket that morphs into many different whole "holes" that she needs for different activities that she wants to do. I could see students taking the same premise as this book and coming up with their own stories or using the overall structure and starting with something different than a hole - something else that could be imagined in different ways like the color blue maybe. Just a random idea but kids can come up with the best ones!

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This children’s book is incredibly imaginative and amusing. The author’s voice comes through clearly in phrases like “She floated on her back just because.” The illustrations of little Zia are really cute, and you can’t help but like her. Excellent book!

[The Library Lady · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is too wordy for your toddler, and they won't get the humor anyway. But preschoolers and kindergarteners should like it.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story of exaggeration, imagination, and creativity akin to Alice in Wonderland.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

The plays on words and imaginative story are delightful!

[Kenneth Lamug · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imaginative, Colorful, & Fun! A great story that is sure to spark the little ones imaginations. Zia goes on a whimsical, imaginative adventure sparked by a hole in her pocket. She travels the world, makes friends and wraps it up where it all started--- with a hole! There's great wordplay and storytelling that is reminiscent of A. A. Milne. Highly recommended!

[Ron Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's cute and I love that it stars a BIPOC character but otherwise it doesn't really go anywhere.

[Coley]

My boys and I love the story of Zia and her hole. We love the adventures she has and the creatures she meets. Zia overcomes challenges by taking matters into her own hands. She is brave and faces adversity head on, even when it's all in her head. This helps kids push the boundaries of their imagination and bring the skills they develop in play and reading from practice to real world experience.

[Kirsti Call · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful story of creativity paired with whimsical illustrations.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagination & perspective galore in the brand new picture book The Whole Hole Story! The endless things we will be able to do with this book... creative writing project, here we come!

[Alan Spinrad · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful story, wonderfully illustrated, with some great Dad-style jokes. Can’t wait to read it to my grandchildren!

[Annamarie Carlson (she, her)]

Zia falls right through the giant hole in her pocket and finds herself in another imagination-filled world.

[Mrs. Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I grow older I learn that I've never truly let go of my love for imagination - my own imagination, or the creations that are born from others, and this little picture book, filled with zest and zeal, brought me joy. There's no real message, or sentiment even, its simply about being imaginative and letting the process lead you on a journey. The Whole Hole Story is a brilliant play on words, and it cleverly interacts with the reader, making this whim of a tale an absolute favorite.

[Dina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let your imagination loose is the theme of this book, which I think is great for kids. Vivid illustrations are a plus for the book. Overall, a like-able book, but it fell short of what I had hoped for.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute book about a girl's imagination. Love the main character's name (unique but easy to pronounce and what I wanted to name my kid if it was a girl). A little long for some preschoolers and maybe a little over their heads at times, but would be great for kindergarten

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.