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Mohrbooks Literary Agency
Sebastian Ritscher
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English
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I DON'T WANT TO READ THIS BOOK

Max Greenfield Mike Lowery

A hilarious picture book for every child who thinks they don't like books (and all the kids--and grownups--who do).
Words, sentences, and even worse, paragraphs fill up books. Sigh. So what's a reluctant reader to do? Actor Max Greenfield (New Girl) and New York Times bestselling illustrator Mike Lowery bring the humor and laugh-out-loud fun out for every child (and parent) who really does not want to read a book. Joining the ranks of favorites like The Book With No Pictures and The Serious Goose, this witty and playful read-aloud breaks the fourth wall and will have all readers coming back for another laugh again and again!

Max Greenfield is a New Yorkborn actor who is best known for being interrupted by his two beautiful children, Lilly and Ozzie, as he writes this bio. Max tries to tell them that this is important and to please leave him alone, but neither child believes this, as they are certain that Mommy is the one with the career and Daddy just acts silly on TV sometimes.

Mike Lowery is an author and New York Times bestselling illustrator who has worked on dozens of books for kids. Some of his favorites are The Gingerbread Man is Lost series by Laura Murray and the Everything Awesome series which he also wrote. He likes to collect weird facts and other bits of knowledge and he draws them every morning in his sketchbook. He lives in Atlanta with his wife and two kids.
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Book

Published 2021-11-09 by Putnam Books for Young Readers

Comments

US Weekly included the book in an article "More Celebs Who Have Written Children's Books." Read more...

USA Today included I DON'T WANT TO READ THIS BOOK in their round up of must-read books: "A narrator who doesn't want to read their own book? That's the charming premise of this picture book for kids who think they don't like to read and their pandemic-weary parents tired of homeschooling them from actor Greenfield (aka Schmidt from TV's "New Girl")." Read more...

Interview with Max Greenfield and Tessa Sanchez Read more...

Max Greenfield chatted with Entertainment Weekly's Seija Rankin about I DON'T WANT TO READ THIS BOOK, his creative process, and teaching from home during the pandemic. Read more...

Max Greenfield discussed the inspiration for I DON'T WANT TO READ THIS BOOK on the The Kelly Clarkson Show this week! Read more...

The Toy Insider included the book in their article "Bundle Up with November's Newest Kids' Books," calling it, "[H]ilarious... For reluctant readers who are repulsed by the mere sight of words, Greenfield and illustrator Mike Lowery are making reading fun (or, at least, bearable) with laugh-out-loud humor and adorable images." Read more...

Silly, funny, and visually appealing, this work will appeal to reluctant and avid readers... A great classroom read-aloud bound to make listeners join in the fun.

Romper spoke with Max Greenfield about I DON'T WANT TO READ THIS BOOK, saying, "Greenfield's picture book invites reluctant readers on a wry, irreverent adventure, with exuberant drawings and graphics, and lots of winks to kids who will wink back... it's full of dry humor, and actually fun to read out loud." Read more...

ANZ: Scholastic Australia ; Greek: Papadopoulos

This humorous picture book by actor Greenfield follows a familiar premise: the narrator, a reluctant reader, does not want to read the book in their hands. What follows is a meta text filled with curious asides and snarky ruminations on words, sentences, paragraphs, and more, both on an individual level and structurally. Read more...

Perfect for reluctant and avid readers alike, I Don't Want to Read This Book will have kids cracking up on every page. Read more...

interview in The Kelly Clarkson Show Read more...

[H]umorous... with curious asides and snarky ruminations on words, sentences, paragraphs, and more... against colorfully eye-catching pages and graph paperevoking grids in this visually compelling narrative.

Author Max Greenfield shared a hysterical I Don't Want to Read This Book Read Aloud Video starring his family! To celebrate the two-week countdown to the launch of I Don't Want to Read This Book, Max shared the video with his 1.8M followers on Instagram and fans went wild! The video quickly gained over 200,000 views in less than 24 hours and fans shared their excitement in the comments. Read more...

Max Greenfield ("The Neighborhood," "New Girl") joins Daniel and Stephanie Ford on the show to chat about his new children's book I Don't Want to Read This Book. Read more...

Variety included I DON'T WANT TO READ THIS BOOK in their list of "Must-Read Children's Books Written by Celebrities" saying, "It doesn't get much more meta than this... This satirical picture book... hilariously lists all the things he'd rather be doing than actually reading this book." Read more...

[H]ilarious and thoughtful. Read more...

I DON'T WANT TO READ THIS BOOK is an Amazon "Best Book of November, Ages 6-8" Read more...

Can we just take a moment to celebrate our guest? New Girl's Max Greenfield joins Biz to talk about his new anti-reading (?) book, I Don't Want To Read This Book! Plus, Biz is thankful. Read more...

I DON'T WANT TO READ THIS BOOK was mentioned on a recent episode of The Laydown Podcast book recommendations - Ryan, Hillary, and Jo chat about some books coming out in the next several months that they're excited about... Read more...

BookTube Jr. debuted its episode for Max Greenfield's I DON'T WANT TO READ THIS BOOK! Read more...

Laugh and giggle your way through this picture book about a reluctant reader from the hilarious actor Max Greenfield. You and your child will be in stitches as you read this witty story that celebrates the joy of reading. It's the perfect read-aloud for storytime, bedtime, or anytime! Read more...

[I]n the same family as books like The Book With No Pictures and The Serious Goose. A funny read-aloud, it breaks the fourth wall and engages young readers who are normally reluctant to pick up a book. Read more...

People.com spoke with Max Greenfield about the personal inspiration behind his picture book debut, I DON'T WANT TO READ THIS BOOK, illustrated by Mike Lowery.: "Our kids don't like to read books, so I wrote one about not wanting to read one in the hopes that they read it," the New Girl star, 40, tells PEOPLE in an exclusive email interview. "Fingers crossed." He continues: "What was most interesting to me though was WHY so many children don't want to read. In my experience, it was because I found reading to be very difficult - a hard thing for a child to articulate and to admit. For a lot of kids, I Don't Want to Read This Book will be the book they choose when they are feeling playfully rebellious." Greenfield writes that for other young readers, "I hope this book will provide some relief. I hope it will give them a voice. One that's acknowledged with empathy and, in a perfect world, with a sense of humor." Read more...

Greenfield's irreverent text demolishes the fourth wall, and Lowery's peppy pencil and digital-media renderings of his words have a vibe reminiscent of a child's journal, with doodle-style drawings accenting his dynamic renditions of Greenfield's words. For avid and reluctant readers alike, this tongue-in-cheek, metafictive send-up of reading as a chore is delightfully unlikely to live up to its title.

Beloved "New Girl" actor and hilarious social media dad Max Greenfield is coming out with his first children's book this November! "I Don't Want to Read This Book" is a comedic picture book dedicated to all the kids who think they don't like to read books. We think it's gonna be a great one. Read more...

Men's Health included the book in their article "Actor Max Greenfield Says Cool Dads Aren't Really a Thing." Read more...

Inspired by some reluctant readers in his life, Greenfield penned the book to help children articulate difficulties they might encounter while reading. I recently spoke with Max Greenfield about the book and this new role. Here's our conversation... Read more...

With lighthearted, whimsical word-art drawings, hand-lettering, a clipped pace, and a palette dominated by a warm peach tone... The hyperbolic vexation is genuinely funny...A feisty manifesto and appealing visual experience for those who find books thrust upon them. Read more...