An American actor, director and comedian, whose children’s book shot straight to the top of the New York Times bestseller list within a week of publication, has visited a school in Walthamstow to read to pupils.
B.J. Novak, who starred in The Office and Disney film Saving Mr. Banks, read The Book With No Pictures to pupils at Stoneydown School today.
Novak’s most recent book is completely without images and aims to make any reader into an extraordinary storyteller.
It begins with the suggestion that non-illustrated books may seem boring, then goes on to explain the rule that anything written on the page has to be said aloud by the adult reading the book.
The book demands a shared reading experience, in which an adult is compelled to read the text aloud.
B.J Novak and the book with no pictures
B.J. Novak came up with the idea for the book when a friend’s son placed a picture book into his hands, ordering him to read it.
“There is something special and distinct about the time when a book is something that is read to you,” he said.
“The whole idea of a book is still new and exciting, and the experience is about the bond between the adult and child just as much as it is between the child and the book.
“I thought it would be fun to find a twist on that experience - what if the book and the child teamed up to force the adult to say silly things? It could be a whole new way to introduce children to the idea of what a book can do.”
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