No Reading Allowed: The WORST Read-Aloud Book Ever

by Raj Haldar, Chris Carpenter, Bryce Gladfelter (Illustrator)

A new, hilarious picture book for kids from the #1 New York Times bestselling authors of P IS FOR PTERODACTYL!

What makes this picture book for kids be THE WORST read aloud book ever? Try reading these sentences

The mummy prepared farro for dinner.

The mummy prepared pharaoh for dinner.

Sounds the same, right? But they're totally different! Kids will laugh at the irreverent, super silly humor and witty illustrations that provide context clues and help explain the outrageous sentences. While kids are cracking up at you repeating yourself, they also will be learning about homonyms and homophones! There's also a glossary to help explain the sound-alike words.

This hysterical book for kids is sure to delight parents, teachers, and anyone who loves to laugh at the absurdity of the English language.

"Those who love wordplay are the natural constituency for No Reading The Worst Read-Aloud Book Ever, a picture book that's bright with comic scenes… [and] brilliant pairings of picture and word (and word with word)."— The Wall Street Journal

"If you're a logophile (=word nerd), grammar geek, or a bookworm, and especially, if you're a teacher or homeschooler, snag a copy of No Reading Allowed for yourself and a friend. This will be a hot holiday gift for us word nerd folks!"— Imagination Soup

Genres: Picture Books, Humor, Childrens, Language, Fiction, Juvenile, Young Readers

44 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 10, 2020

About the author

Better known by his stage name Lushlife, Raj Haldar is an American rapper, composer, and producer from Philadelphia, PA.

Reviews

[Debbie W. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This picture book focuses on the "hilarious" confusion of homonyms, homophones, and, sometimes, the use of punctuation.

My overall reaction:
1. Although the book states it is written for ages 4 and up, I wouldn't personally read this to anyone younger than 7 years. Some terminology would be way over a youngster's head!
2. Be that as it may, if I were to read it to children 7 years and up:
- I would pick and choose specific pages to share, especially those that my students could relate to without too much explanation (some pages were confusing, even for me, and some felt like a stretch),
- I would use the glossary to help my students understand unfamiliar vocabulary found in this book,
- I would point out the meaning of some of the illustrations.

It's a little reminiscent of Lynne Truss's Eats, Shoots & Leaves: Why, Commas Really Do Make a Difference! and The Girl's Like Spaghetti: Why, You Can't Manage Without Apostrophes!, both of which I preferred reading to my students. Touted on the cover as "The Worst Read-Aloud Book Ever", I would have a difficult time reading-aloud this book.

[Elizabeth of Silver's Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the BEST book to read aloud to older children to learn the difference between words that have different meanings and spellings, but share the same pronunciation....HOMONYMS!!

The illustrations are top notch.

LOVING every page. ♥️

This book was given to me by Sourcebooks Early Reads in exchange for an honest review.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC through NetGalley from Sourcebooks. Every two sentences are presented with the same pronunciation to introduce vocab to young readers with obvious attention paid to famous homonyms and other sound-a-like words. My son is a huge nerd and even he was a little perplexed by some of the some of the sentence constructions. Very nice illustrations that help illustrate the sentences. Overall, it’s cute, but just like “P is for Pterodactyl” I think it can go over some kids heads a bit. Best for ages 6+.

[Mrs. Mazzola · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was super excited about this book because I love P is for Pterodactyl. Unfortunately, this follow-up is not as good. Although there is some neat vocabulary, there's a lot of forced pairings and some that don't work at all (Pharaoh and farro don't actually rhyme). Cute concept, mediocre execution.

*Thank you to Edelweiss+ and the publisher for a digital copy. All opinions are my own.*

[Kaethe · Rating 3 out of 5]

#42 in my 365 Kids Books challenge and multi-year effort to get Goodreads to fix the Top Readers, etc. lists. For a fuller explanation see my review for 101 Amazing Facts about Australia You can see all the books on their own shelf.

This is why it is probably better that I don't always comment on the picture books I read. I expect kids would enjoy it, as they do so many other books having fun with words. I am not only an adult, I'm one who has been reading for a very long time. So I know a lot of words, and am usually very good at their definitions. "Razed" doesn't mean crushed, it means burnt down to the ground. Not only am I not fun, I have never been any fun. Had a copy fallen into my hands through some sort of time warp, I'd probably have grizzled then, too.

Library copy

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun way to teach a young kid about homonym's. This book is filled with witty word plan and fantastic and engaging illustrations.

I love the fact that the back of the book contains a glossary for the various words used.

[Jean-Marie Naylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is hilarious!

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, this was a hilarious find!

If you like homonyms, this book is for you. The sentences sound the same, but when spelled differently, they mean entirely different things! For example, “no reading aloud” sounds the same as “no reading allowed.” And “it’s raining cats and dogs” sounds just like “it’s reigning cats and dogs.” 😂 The pictures help. Basically, it’s a funny book to help children see the craziness of the English language.

[Lauren Millard · Rating 4 out of 5]

So silly! The kids love homophones and thought this was so funny

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learning can be humorous! Adults and children will enjoy this funny book about homonyms! The illustrations help readers make sense of the different meanings for each word. Even if you’re past the target age for this picture book, you’re sure to laugh and you might even learn something! My husband and I were unfamiliar with a tapir until we read this book. I really appreciated the glossary at the end, as well. The authors and illustrator did a great job putting this together!

Thank you Sourcebooks for my gifted copy! All opinions are my own.

[Panda Incognito · Rating 4 out of 5]

This clever nonfiction picture book features sentences with homonyms, showing how the same sounds can have completely different meanings. I really liked the first, alphabet-focused book in this series when it released, and I enjoyed this more complex one as well. I especially liked the opposite contrast with "raise" and "raze," and the kooky illustrations are a lot of fun.

This is a great book for word nerds, whether they are children or adults. However, children may struggle to interpret some of the more unusual words and complex sentences adjustments. There is a glossary in the back that provides explanation at the end, but a younger child would probably most enjoy this as a read-aloud with an adult who can explain the more obscure words and references as they go. Even though this book is in a picture book format, it is not targeted towards picture book audiences, and is better for elementary school children and up.

This book is a lot of fun, and is a wonderful, silly way to teach about homonyms and expand a child's vocabulary. I'm glad that I had the chance to read an advance copy of this, and I hope that there will be future books in this series as well.

I received a temporary digital copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, let me say, get the real book for this one. I attempted to read it on an small-screened electronic device and it didn't work at all, which I think may have taken away from my enjoyment of it.

Second, I think I'm in a tad of a reading slump, so rather than see this as a very cute book, I saw it as merely cute and the word-play slightly forced and not as fun as it was trying to be.

That being said, I can see children enjoying the fun with words that this book is trying to share with the reader. The artwork is fun and silly and so are the sentences that are being compared. It didn't fully work for me, but I'm not quite the target demographic age-wise I think.

3.5, it was ok for me but I expect it to be better received by those younger than me, stars. This will be one I recommend in the store. Since I can see the appeal of it, rounded up to 4 stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Kids/Sourcebooks Explore for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book from netgalley for my honest review.

I freaking love this book! Hilarious! So clever, so silly and fun. It shows just how crazy the english language can be. This book will be getting my staff pick sticker on it the second it arrives in store.

[Liz Todd · Rating 2 out of 5]

First of all, I feel like the title was a missed opportunity.

Wouldn't read this to littles, but would be a fun experience for older/middle grade readers and classrooms. Not sure any student would "get" them all, but it's fun enough.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wasn't this fun?!

Two sound-alike sentences, with wildly different meanings and wildly different illustrations.

"The barn is raised."
"The barn is razed."

See? Sounds alike, but wildly different! And so much fun.

[Kirsti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun with soundalike words. This would be good for slightly older readers who could more easily grasp the difference between "raised" and "razed," for example. There's a glossary at the back that defines all the words used.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a punny book, some are funny, some naff & some stretching a little.

Overall a clever, witty short book.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very Funny.

[Loni · Rating 4 out of 5]

This funny book would be a great introduction to homophones and homonyms for an elementary school classroom.

[Michele Knott · Rating 4 out of 5]

The importance of reading a sentence correctly and understanding the context (homonyms).

[Aaron Lucas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very clever.

[Kate Shaner · Rating 5 out of 5]

so funny!!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it! Better then "P is for Pterodactyl" and I love that book!

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightfully funny wordplay and comic panels that will probably be most appreciated by older elementary students on up. This one is a lot of fun, and very creative.

[Stephani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious! Perfect for children who have a love of learning. Great illustrations. The humor of this book is probably best suited for those in grades 1-5. Would also be a good choice for ESL learners who are looking to deepen their understanding of the variance of English.

[Jeimy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved P is for Pterodactyl: The Worst Alphabet Book Ever and was looking forward to this one. I loved the play on words and the illustrations, but while I found the Pterodactyl to be original, this one was too reminiscent of The Girl's Like Spaghetti: Why, You Can't Manage Without Apostrophes!. I still enjoyed it, though,

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I wasn't particularly thrilled with P is for Pterodactyl, I absolutely loved No Reading Allowed! Libraries, Writing and ELA teachers serving grades 2 and up need this highly entertaining book about homophones, the importance of commas, and the sometimes absurdly complex English language. Illustrator Bryce Gladfelter's illustrations will make any of the more unfamiliar words completely clear to most learners and the accompanying text will hammer home the need for correct spelling and punctuation to make meaning clear. Highly recommended with no reservations about content.

Thank you, Sourcebooks Kids, for the print ARC!

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an electronic ARC from Sourcebook Kids through NetGalley.
Haldar and Carpenter take readers on a journey through the English language. They compare pairs of sentences and show how words can sound the same but have distinctly different meanings. Love the Glossary at the end.
Plenty of humor as readers read the sentences and see the illustrations.
Have to agree - this would definitely fall in a worst read-aloud category but the fun you could have doing so.

[Anam Cara · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is close to the stupidest book I've ever seen. The title tells it all. I am so sorry that I got suckered into reading it.

[Dorothy Minor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Are you looking for an absolutely delightful picture book to read to a child or grandchild? I’ve got a recommendation for you: No Reading Allowed: The Worst Read-Aloud Book Every by Raj Haldar and Chris Carpenter, illustrated by Bryce Gladfelter. It is a hoot!

Haldar and Carpenter have created a book to satisfy those who love word play and plays upon words. The book begins with a disclaimer: “You can’t believe everything you hear! Did you know that a single word can have many different meanings, and sometimes words that sound alike can be spelled completely differently? In this book, Ptolemy predicts you’ll find that two sentences may sound exactly the same, but they can mean hilariously different things!”

Then Haldar and Carpenter go on to prove that opening correct and with very funny results. For example, here are two of my favorite sentences for comparison:
“We were all astonished by the fowl feat.” In this case, a duck attempts the high jump.
“We were all astonished by the foul feet.” The picture shows a bull wearing extremely stinky shoes as identified by the expressions on other animals’ faces and by the apparent stink coming off the shoes.

Just so you know the examples above are not alone. Take a look at the two that follow.
“We see the queen’s burrow thanks to our ant hill.” The picture shows an ant hill inside a glass enclosure.

“We see the Queensboro thanks to our Aunt Hill.” This time, the children ride in a convertible with Aunt Hill who is showing them Queensboro.

The illustrations are bright and colorful. I especially like the fact that children of many ethnicities are depicted. That creates extra appeal.

At the end of the book, readers will find a glossary with definitions of words used throughout the book. I am also impressed with the note at the very end: “We’re just having some fun here, but the truth is that our language is always changing. Did you know that hundreds of new words are added to the dictionary each year? Maybe a word that you made up will be next!”

Raj Haldar is also known as rapper Lushlife. He has found a new outlet for his creativity in writing children’s books. The first book, P is for Pterodactyl: The Worst Alphabet Book Ever, started as a joke, but it has been well received.

Chris Carpenter has had a varied career as a software developer and now children’s book author.
Bryce Gladfelter enjoys people-watching, creating art and music.

Thank you to Sourcebooks for sending me this copy of No Reading Allowed: The Worst Read-Aloud Book Ever. It is delightful and will make parents, grandparents, and children laugh out loud and find humor in each page over and over again.