Follow The Directions! DON'T Push the Button! by Bill Cotter

Larry is a purple monster with blue horns. This is Larry's book, and he has just one rule. If you open it, DON'T touch the big red button.

SERIOUSLY.

DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT.

But who cares what a purple monster says.

And besides, he's not even sure about the rule himself.

IT DOES LOOK PRETTY NICE, THOUGH.

It does. It is set in a nice wooden frame, and it's bright red and shiny. I mean, what good IS a button if you don't push it. And, anyway, this is just a book. How bad can it be?

And besides, as Larry whispers, Nobody is even watching you!

One push makes Larry turn yellow. He's okay with that, but maybe another push would return him to his purple shape.

Nope. Another push? Double the Larries! Double the fun?

Another push produces a mob of Larries in a rainbow of colors!

Better turn the page. There's that button on the left page. And on the right some smart alek has sarcastically commented on the obvious:

SO... YOU HAVE PUSHED THE BUTTON....

What do we do next? Well, there are more directions (hint: try shaking this book) ahead in Bill Cotter's fun and funny fantasy workout, Don't Push the Button! (Sourcebooks/Jabberwocky, 2013). What kid can resist pushing any button, especially if he or she is exhorted not to EVEN think about touching it? In a variation of the old "beans up the nose" tale, author/illustrator Cotter gives us a tempting takeoff on the instruction manual, narrated by a personable, if somewhat conflicted, little monster. The illustrations are super simple, the wry text is easily accessible to beginning readers, and kids are bound to be drawn into the concept of the faux-interactive book, a new genre in the picture book world.  For a slightly more sophisticated exposition of this same concept, pair this one with Herve Tullet's clever best-seller, Press Here. (See my review here).  Press on!