Do Not Open This Book Again, Andy Lee (author), Heath McKenzie (illustrator), Lake Press, 2017
Do Not Open This Book Again is the sequel to the very popular Do Not Open This Book by comedian Andy Lee.
Throughout the first book, the main character, Whizz – an appealing mix of gross and cute – begs the reader not to turn the page.
Using a hilarious combination of bribing, making threats and pleading, Whiz tries everything but of course, kids become more and more determined to make it to the end of the book.
By the end of the book, Whizz has turned into a frog.
In the sequel, Whizz is back to his non-froggy self, but again, is hoping no pages will be turned.
This time, he uses reverse psychology to convince the reader that this book is a little more boring than the last.
But as the pages turn, Whizz becomes a little more desperate, because this time, with each page that turns, Whizz loses an item of clothing.
The more the pages turn, the more desperate the antics and Whizz tries all sorts of tricks to stop the kids in their tracks.
Of course all these attempts only make turning the pages more appealing, and by the end, poor Whizz is left bare-bottomed and looking for sunscreen.
Lee’s combination of simple language and clever jokes make this book appealing for a wide range of readers. Of course throwing in the threat of nudity is enough to keep any youngster hooked and despite knowing the ending, my kids have been keen to read both of these books more than once.
These books make fun choices for parents to read out loud to kids as they encourage interaction and a lot of laughs.
Review by Nicole Madigan
