The Book that Wouldn’t Read

The boy at the centre of Tim Tipene’s striking new story doesn’t like reading, until one day in the school library he picks up The Book That Wouldn’t Read. Suddenly the book takes on a life of its own — with sentences moving up and down, words changing colour and disappearing, and strange fonts and characters that get the reader jumping around, even burping.

His appeals to the teacher and friends get hushed because ‘it’s reading time,’ and before he knows it, he’s finished the book. ‘What should I read next?’

The Book That Wouldn’t Read takes the viewpoint of children who have reading struggles, with design guided by educators for appeal to reluctant or even dyslexic readers.

Written by Tim Tipene and illustrated by Nicoletta Benella