Self-Referential Picture Books
As a type of postmodern picture book, the following titles break through the traditional dimensions of the book. Both words and pictures may be involved: the author speaks directly to the reader, or the illustrations feature characters who escape the confines of their space, as if they know they are in a book.
Burleigh, Robert. I Love Going Through this Book. Illustrated by Dan Yaccarino. New York: Joanna Cotler/HarperCollins, 2001.
A boy walks through a book from beginning to end with some animal friends that burst through pages, hang from a rip, and even nibble on a torn page.
Child, Lauren. Beware of the Storybook Wolves. New York: Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic, 2000.
Fierce animals from his bedtime story involve young Herb in an adventure with other characters who have escaped their books.
———. Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Book? New York: Hyperion, 2002.
Herb is back again, this time having fallen into a book that he had cut and colored in, to the frustration of its characters.
Czekaj, Jef. Cat Secrets. New York: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins, 2011.
The cats in this book address the reader personally, as they insist that only cats can read the book.
Gerstein, Mordicai. A Book. New York: Roaring Brook, 2009.
A young girl in a family that lives in a book tries to figure out her story as she encounters various genres.
Gravett, Emily. Wolves. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005.
A rabbit checks out a library book about wolves that become very much a part of the story.
Jeffers, Oliver. The Incredible Book Eating Boy. New York: Philomel, 2006.
Henry eats books and becomes extremely smart, but a crisis forces him to find a different way to appreciate them (never mind the bite marks at the end!).
Kanninen, Barbara. A Story with Pictures. Illustrated by Lynn Rowe Reed. New York: Holiday House, 2007.
Readers will learn what makes up a story as they encounter characters, problems, settings, and a plot with lots of action.
Lehman, Barbara. The Red Book. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2004.
In this wordless story, a girl finds a book that, when opened, transports her from a snowy city to a sunny island.
Lendler, Ian. An Undone Fairy Tale. Illustrated by Whitney Martin. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005.
As a fairy tale is told, the author interrupts to introduce the illustrator, comment on reading ability, and ask the reader not to turn the page.
Lewis, Jill. Don’t Read this Book! Illustrated by Deborah Allwright. Wilton, CT: Tiger Tales/ME Media, 2009.
A king and a story writer collaborate to create a story, which the king insists that the reader not read.
Muntean, Michaela. Do Not Open this Book! Illustrated by Pascal Lemaitre. New York: Scholastic, 2006.
While the story is being written, a small pig begs the reader not to open the book or turn the pages.
Perry, John. The Book that Eats People. Illustrated by Mark Fearing. Berkeley: Tricycle, 2009.
Humorous and scary in equal measure, this story tells the tale of the people eaten by this particular book.
Schwarz, Viviane. There Are No Cats in this Book. Somerville, MA: Candlewick, 2010.
Three cats, speaking to the reader, announce their intention to leave the book, which they do, although they return with friends at the end.
Stevenson, James. No Laughing, No Smiling, No Giggling. New York: Frances Foster/Farrar Straus Giroux, 2004.
A pig and a crocodile present the rules for reading, which they then enforce on the reader through the course of several short stories.
Watt, Mélanie. Chester. Toronto: Kids Can, 2007.
A fat cat takes over the telling and illustrating of a story, which turns into a battle with the author.
———. Chester’s Masterpiece. Toronto: Kids Can, 2010.
Chester is back again to frustrate the author as they go back and forth about how the story should look and how it should be told.
———. Have I Got a Book for You! Toronto: Kids Can, 2009.
Salesman Al Foxword talks directly to the reader as he attempts to sell books in this story.
Whatley, Bruce. Wait! No Paint! New York: HarperCollins, 2001.
The tale of the three pigs veers into humorous territory as the illustrator and his tools become part of the story.
Wiesner, David. The Three Pigs. New York: Clarion, 2001.
The pigs and the wolf escape the pages and find their way into another story in this Caldecott Medal winner.