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I Don't Want to Read

I Don't Want to Read This Book Aloud

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Another hilarious picture book from actor Max Greenfield, author of I Don't Want To Read This Book and This Book Is Not a Present , dedicated to introverts of all ages, about the horrors of reading aloud.

Nobody in the world actually enjoys reading aloud, do they? Impossible! After all, any number of terrible things could you might come across a word you don't know how to pronounce. Or get distracted by a volcano eruption and lose your place. Even worse, you might accidentally hear the sound of your own voice! Actor Max Greenfield ( New Girl , The Neighborhood ) and New York Times bestselling illustrator Mike Lowery, the duo behind I Don't Want To Read This Book and This Book Is Not a Present , are back with another side-splitting picture book that's sure to have kids shouting for repeat read-alouds.

40 pages, Hardcover

Published September 19, 2023

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Max Greenfield

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5 stars
82 (26%)
4 stars
81 (26%)
3 stars
106 (34%)
2 stars
35 (11%)
1 star
4 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
Profile Image for Sarah BT.
854 reviews48 followers
October 8, 2023
Max Greenfield's books are celeb authored books that continue to be fun. This one charges in with the fear we may feel when being asked to read aloud. (Anyone else count paragraphs the kids in front of you will read to know which one you'd be reading?)

I love Mike Lowery's art and the font changes styles, which is a great way to help young readers understand how to be expressive in their reading.

While it's never really resolved if the reader has to read aloud or not, there are some fun points made about listening. I would have liked to have some encouragement and reassurance about reading aloud, but overall it's a cute and fun book.

Profile Image for Aimee Ardonne.
38 reviews2 followers
October 11, 2023
I am a huge fan of Max Greenfield's children's books, and I typically read them as soon as they are published (librarian perks!!) So, when I saw this book by chance at Target, I was both super excited and very upset that I didn't know that this book even existed. Naturally, I read the whole thing right there in the aisle. I LOVED this book (maybe even more than the first one!) and I can't wait to use it in Storytime :)
Profile Image for Shannon .
2,345 reviews158 followers
February 4, 2025
I Don’t Want to Read this Book Aloud

I Picked Up This Book Because: A fan of authors other books.

Media Type: eBook
Source: H C Public Library
Dates Read: 2/3/25 - 2/4/25
Rating: 4 Stars


The Story:

Super cute and would be wonderful read aloud with elementary kids (about third grade). I didn't find it as impactful as the other book but still really good
Profile Image for Kiera Beddes.
1,081 reviews18 followers
December 21, 2023
Um, did you know this was written by the guy who plays Schmidt on New Girl? You bet your butt I picked this up as fast I could.

It's actually really cute. It's similar in tone to B.J. Novak's picture books, and the word play is something that I think would be a great introduction to class reads like The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster or The 13 Clocks by James Thurber.
Profile Image for Kimmy ♡.
38 reviews42 followers
January 28, 2024
I had the pleasure of hearing Max Greenfield read this book aloud last year in a quaint bookstore tucked between the vegan bakeries and cozy cafes that line the streets of Larchmont. So LA. It was brimming with as much kitschy charm as the story itself–and full of Max's friends' dogs, a green flag if you ask me.

This book is the perfect gateway to get your little cousin and/or actual child to read. Honestly, I was in stitches, and the little kids were probably as excited as I was. I would get both the audiobook and the physical copy. Max acting out the pages makes the story more vibrant. He was so engaging with the audience; that he went and changed the name of the dog in his book to the name of the kid's dog in front of him. He won the little new reader over right then and there. I doubt the kid knew he was in front of a comedy legend.

I've met Max twice. Once at a writers' event and then again at his own reading. He is one of the kindest people you'll meet, has the best sense of humor, and charms for days. His smile is brighter than the sun—well, almost; I wish I had worn sunglasses that day as we exited the bookstore. Maybe they would have hidden a little bit of the stars in my eyes.

This book adorns my library now, and like Max's other books, it is also signed. I'll keep collecting all installments he adds. Max, you're funnier than you give yourself credit for. Keep writing; I would have loved growing up with a book like yours by my side.
Profile Image for Andi Butler.
344 reviews
November 23, 2023
This book sounds like a child, and I love it! I think it validates how kids feel about reading aloud, it’s silly and lighthearted. It’s not for adults, it rambles and jumps, and there are lots of opportunities to try different voices, to get loud or quiet with the scale of the words on the pages, I think it’s right in line with how a child might explain something. It is a bit too wordy. Mike Lowery’s varied and stylized hand lettering and expressive line illustrations are hilarious and very relatable (for the kindergarten set, these could look like their own drawings). The color story is bright and spontaneous (and heavy on the primaries) so there’s a lot to pull out and discover, I could easily turn this into an hour-long activity, for myself! It’s definitely an opportunity to build confidence in kids’ drawing skills too, which does play a part in literacy. This is definitely meant to be read out loud, and not every picture book has to have an obvious purpose or moral, but it’s kind of what we do with it that can add to its value.
Profile Image for Pam.
9,589 reviews51 followers
August 28, 2023
I received an electronic ARC from G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers through Edelweiss+.
Greenfield continues to encourage reader in his own style. Readers meet a child who is afraid to read aloud and engages with an elephant to explain why and protest having to do this. The text is written in fonts that become part of the illustrations; the words change style to emphasize points and engage readers. There are amusing moments throughout that readers will connect with. A confidence booster for those who share this feeling.
Profile Image for Alyssa Gassel.
76 reviews3 followers
January 18, 2024
I think this book is very special and unique. It brings children in that may not either like reading, like reading out loud, like public speaking, or may struggle with reading.

This book normalizes struggles that go along with reading, as well as reading out loud.

It details the feelings one may get when being told to read out loud or needing to read a word out loud that they may not know.

I think this is a great book! Especially for kids that may not enjoy reading as it is. It will at least be relatable and entertaining!
Profile Image for Jared White.
1,362 reviews35 followers
October 24, 2023
I don't want to read this book aloud because it is too freaking wordy and who says elephants have the smallest brains? I know it's a joke... but their brains are huge even compared to humans, so not very funny. I guess this just does not match my sense of humor... and I do indeed not want to read this aloud. And, honestly, it was so wordy that I ended up just scanning it rather than reading the whole thing.
Profile Image for Terresa Wellborn.
2,520 reviews42 followers
December 11, 2023
A funny book about reading aloud, bravery, and one elephant. A little try hard and somewhat annoying as I feel similar styled books that were once novel are now overdone. But school kids will love it, especially those struggling with learning to read.

Themes: reading, humor
Ages: grades 1-4/elementary school kids
Pub year: 2023
Profile Image for Gabrielle Stoller.
2,249 reviews43 followers
April 19, 2024
I get it. Max Greenfield is trying to be just like BJ Novak. It's New Girl vs. The Office

And it doesn't work

This book is so much more long winded and tries to be funny and yet too serious. Pick one and stay in that lane. That's all I ask. Problem also is is this humor definitely scales towards the early elementary age. My customary audiences would need everything explained to them!
Profile Image for Becky B.
9,190 reviews181 followers
May 10, 2024
A narrator does not want to read aloud and a poor elephant is caught listening to why.

This starts off humorous (and ironic) and ends more as a treatise as to why shy readers shouldn't have to read aloud. I can see this as being a better pick for Secondary English teachers covering irony who need an example piece of writing. I don't know if little kids will get it at all.
Profile Image for Liz Todd.
2,156 reviews
October 14, 2023
Bleh… I just never enjoy books about not liking to read. I know…. Mirrors and windows and such. But really… maybe we just help kids find the books we love and build confidence in other ways than encouraging their fears of reading.
Profile Image for Cris.
2,304 reviews26 followers
November 11, 2023
I was expecting this book to be funny and encouraging for children, I didn’t feel it was. I didn’t like the different font, I felt it could help children understand using different emotions when reading. I just really wish it was more encouraging in the end.
Profile Image for Nadina.
3,156 reviews5 followers
December 29, 2023
Okay I liked this one even more than "I don't want to read this book". It was fun and a lot of fun to read out loud (to no one in particular, though my guinea pigs seemed to be listening along). Definitely a book worth considering for a story time for young elementary school kids.
Profile Image for Susie.
1,889 reviews22 followers
January 24, 2024
This was cute, but didn't feel very original. How many books try to encourage kids to say, "Don't do it?"I loved the use of "the elephant in the room," although I don't know if kids would understand the reference.
Profile Image for Meg.
467 reviews30 followers
February 17, 2025
This is ALMOST a good grade school read aloud, but the use of "FOMO" dates it, and it's just a bit too long to enjoy the whole way through. For the same vibes but shorter I prefer Jory John's "You're Going to Love this Book"
Profile Image for Isabella.
63 reviews
May 3, 2025
Super fun, super quirky, filled with goofiest puns and onamonapias (words that imitates sounds). As an adult, I'll read this again just to get a laugh. I came for Max Greenfield, and he did not disappoint. The humor here is on par with New Girl but age appropriate for kids.
Profile Image for Clarissa.
1,417 reviews51 followers
October 20, 2023
This book is for anyone who ever felt shy about reading aloud to an audience, also it is funny. If you are such a person this book will help you overcome your fears, or at least laugh about them.
Profile Image for Caroline.
1,778 reviews21 followers
October 30, 2023
Very fun and interactive, just like the other iterations of this book from this duo. Unfortunately, this book begs to read by Schmidt and I do not have that skill. Still great, just lacking.
Profile Image for Lori.
2,497 reviews53 followers
November 7, 2023
It is quite possible that I will like this book better when I read it aloud to a kid audience instead of silently to my in-my-sixties self.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews

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