x

The Book That Almost Rhymed

The Book That Almost Rhymed Cover
Amazon
Bookshop
Barnes & Noble
Goodreads

Every great adventure needs a hero—or two! This playful take on storytelling and equity proves that two tellers can make a rhyming tale twice as nice.

What do you do with an interrupting sibling? Especially when she’s stepping all over your story with wild ideas that don’t. Even. Rhyme. Knights riding rockets? Dancing pirates? Who’s ever heard of a fire-breathing armadillo?! But when this big brother realizes his sister just might be improving his yarn—and doing it with an impressive surprise of her own—it’s clear what you do with an interrupting sibling. You share the narrative! Turns out adventure is way more fun when you build it together, rhyme by daring rhyme.

Reviews

  • ★ [Kids will] enjoy the silliness [and] the chaos that springs from each unexpected plot twist. . . . Vivid, expressive illustrations capture the characters’ shifting emotions, while creating lively backdrops . . . Sure to amuse.
    Booklist (Starred Review)
  • ★ Immensely creative . . . Exciting [and] intricate.
    BookPage (Starred Review)
  • ★ Creativity, imagination, and humor run wild in this story . . . This is clearly Interrupting Chicken meets Harold and the Purple Crayon. . . . Aly’s illustrations are vibrant and full of the action and energy relayed in the text. Funny and wildly unpredictable, this will be a read-aloud hit. Recommended.
    School Library Journal (Starred Review)
  • Riotous . . . Readers will appreciate these rollicking rhymes and laugh at the sister’s out-there ideas. The comical digital illustrations will elicit chuckles. . . . Readers will have a fine time [and] won’t be averse to the verse.
    Kirkus
  • Omar Abed’s rhyming prowess propels this sprightly picture book that follows two siblings jointly composing an adventure, [with] energetic digital renderings [by Hatem Aly].
    Publishers Weekly
  • Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Medal
    Junior Library Guild Gold Standard
  • This is such a funny read-aloud and would make a great addition to classroom libraries and any discussions of rhyming words.
    Book Riot
  • Between the sibling dynamics and the element of surprise that eventually becomes a recognizable pattern, the story is funny throughout.
    Horn Book
  • I have now read it close to a dozen times, and preordered a hard copy because it is AWESOME. The book is smart, and funny, and so relatable, and the frustration palpable and the realization sneaky, and the love so sweet that as soon as you finish you start over again.
    Islamic School Librarian