FICTION

Don’t Draw in This Book!

by Bill Cotter (text) & illus. by Bill Cotter
Sourcebooks/Jabberwocky. Sept. 2025. 24p. Board $8.99. ISBN 9781464220715. K-Gr 1
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K-Gr 1–Book etiquette is no joke unless you’ve put Cotter in charge. Larry, a purple horned monster introduces himself to viewers/readers and promptly repeats the eponymous rule: “Don’t Draw In This Book!” Bright white blank pages of a spiral-bound notebook tempt a closer look. Of course, the first to cave on the rule is Larry, with just one little circle drawn with a finger. He praises readers for (with a finger) drawing a blue circle, and invites them to trace, swipe up, swipe right, and more. The lines become wavy, then water, and the quick-thinking Larry has readers draw a drain to save him. There’s more. Whether this book works for libraries will depend on whether children take the finger-drawing route literally, or go in search of a Sharpie.
VERDICT This is a fun and funny book, and there may be motor skills children pick up along the way.
Reviewed by Kimberly Olson Fakih , Oct 01, 2025

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