Text and IllustrationⓒBeck & Matt Stanton
I missed this book when it first came out in the U.S. in 2017. Before we open to the first page, let’s take a look at the back cover. Here is everything you need to know.
Text and IllustrationⓒBeck & Matt Stanton
The first page reads like a baseline sanity check:
Text and IllustrationⓒBeck & Matt Stanton
Followed by the response on the next page:
Text and IllustrationⓒBeck & Matt Stanton
We’re all on the same, ah, page, until we turn the page, that is, and see the statement and object depicted on the cover of the book. We then fall down the rabbit hole of “wrong” interpretations of the simple objects depicted: a cube, an elephant, a car….that are all incorrectly named. Hilarity ensues.
A terrific read aloud for groups, it does make you think about how the names of things are really quite arbitrary, but having everyone agree on what those things are called is key to successful communication.
Resources/Activities:
Pair this book with PRESS HERE by Hervé Tullet or BJ Novak’s THE BOOK WITH NO PICTURES.
Draw you own objects labeled with the “wrong” names and make them into a book.
Talk about visual dictionaries, and why having a standard, agreed upon name for a person, place, or thing is important. Pair this book with a children’s visual dictionary or encyclopedia, like The Animal Book published by the Smithsonian (DK).
TITLE: THIS IS A BALL
AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: BECK & MATT STANTON
PUBLISHER: LITTLE BROWN, 2017
AGES: PRE-K through kindergarten
THEMES: HUMOR, FUN READ ALOUD, INTERACTIVE BOOK
For more perfect picture book recommendations, please visit Susanna Hill’s blog.
Jilanne Hoffmann 
I’ve never heard of this one either. Looks like fun. 🙃🙃
The authors do a good job of extending or adding a twist to the joke a little each time so it’s not the same joke over and over again. So many books get published, I’m sure we only see a small fraction each year. It’s one of the many reaspns why I’m grateful to the children’s librarians at the SFPL for pulling books to feature them on top of bookshelves throughout the children’s dept.
This one is new to me. Great find! It’s sure to be a hit with kids & adults.
And it comes in such an unassuming package. I don’t think I would have picked it out if it had just been spine out on a shelf. I think it will get just as enthusiastic of a response from kids as The Book With No Pictures.
What a cute concept! Love it.
Try it as a read aloud. I think you’ll find that kids love how interactive the text is.
I need to find this one. It sound hilarious. Thanks for featuring it.
Best read with a handful of kids. Enjoy!
I love this, what a fun idea, lots of comical confusions and I would expect some dramatic facial expressions thrown in.
Exactly! I imagine you would be a terrific picture book performer.
I feign shock when the last biscuit disappears so you may be right!