The Greatest Book in the World

Matt Porter's new picture book The Greatest Book in the World (Ford Street Publishing) has been released. It's a laugh-out loud read where the narrator speaks directly to readers while attempting to create The Greatest Book in the World. Rudolf Wordsmith requests that readers finish his rhyming couplets and admonishes them when they’re tricked into supplying a ‘rude’ rhyme. This trickery is achieved through clever text and the lively illustrations created by Dave Atze. As the readers’ ‘rude’ rhymes cause the illustrator to draw Rudolf in humiliating predicaments he becomes increasingly frustrated. This culminates in a surprising and hilarious ending that will have children howling with laughter.

Reviewed by Barbara Braxton, Teacher Librarian, M.Ed. (TL), M.App.Sci.(TL), M.I.S. (Children's Services) This will appeal to that particular brand of humour that all boys seem to pass through as they emerge as independent readers, this is a LOL book that will have them gathered around and enjoying that collaborative reading experience that is also essential to their reading development. One to encourage boys to keep reading beyond the home readers...