Pre-k to 2nd
Read For Empathy Selections 2017-2021
Junior Library Guild Selections 2012-2021

this little monster is having trouble reading ( )

Natalie and Alphonse really like to hear stories but when Natalie tries to learn to read, it’s hard and she decides she does not like books anymore. Mom and Alphonse help her write down one of her own stories and she finds that she can mostly read that. A clever way for them to help Natalie. Pictures are mostly primary colors and black (characters are monsters). The print is large, clear and looks like somebody’s handwriting. I would love to read it aloud to a first-grade class of kids who are learning to read themselves. ( )

Monster siblings Natalie and Alphonse, whose story began in Alphonse, That Is Not OK To Do!, return in this second picture-book devoted to their adventures. Lovers of stories of all kinds, they eagerly anticipate the day that Natalie learns to read, and will be able to access ALL the stories in the world. When Natalie actually gets her first reading book however, she discovers that the letters look like chicken scratch to her, and that the story itself isn't all that interesting. Will her frustrated declaration that she doesn't like books anymore put an end to their storytelling adventures...?

I Do Not Like Books Anymore! is my first title from British author/illustrator Daisy Hirst, and I picked it up not knowing that it was the second book about these characters. I don't know if Natalie and Alphonse's first story was as appealing as this one, but I greatly enjoyed this first foray (for me) into their world. Hirst displays a sensitive appreciation in her narrative for the frustration that beginning readers often feel, both in terms of the acquisition of reading skills, and in terms of the quality of story available to them. Her "solution" - the children create their own book - is a creative one. The accompanying artwork, created using screen-printing, were colorful and fun, managing to capture the changing emotional register of each scene. I will definitely look for more of Hirst's work, and highly recommend this one to anyone searching for children's stories about the frustrations attendant on learning to read. ( )