The Book That Almost Rhymed - by Omar Abed (Hardcover)

About the Book

A boy begrudgingly composes a sometimes-rhyming adventure with his precocious little sister.

Book Synopsis

Every great adventure needs a hero--or two! This playful take on storytelling and equity proves that two tellers can make a rhyming tale twice as nice.

What do you do with an interrupting sibling? Especially when she's stepping all over your story with wild ideas that don't. Even. Rhyme. Knights riding rockets? Dancing pirates? Who's ever heard of a fire-breathing armadillo?! But when this big brother realizes his sister just might be improving his yarn--and doing it with an impressive surprise of her own--it's clear what you do with an interrupting sibling. You share the narrative! Turns out adventure is way more fun when you build it together, rhyme by daring rhyme.

"Sure to amuse." --Booklist (starred review)
"Immensely creative . . . Exciting." --BookPage (starred review)
"Riotous." --Kirkus
"Hilarious . . . Such a funny read-aloud." --Book Riot
"Sprightly . . . Energetic." --Publishers Weekly
"Funny throughout." --The Horn Book

Review Quotes

An NPR "Books We Love" Selection
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
An ALSC Notable Book
A Book Riot Funniest Picture Book of the Year

★ "Creativity, imagination, and humor run wild in this story. [It's] clearly Interrupting Chicken meets Harold and the Purple Crayon. . . . Aly's illustrations are vibrant and full of the action and energy relayed in the text. Funny and wildly unpredictable, this will be a read-aloud hit. Recommended." --School Library Journal (starred review)

★ "Immensely creative . . . Exciting [and] intricate." --BookPage (starred review)

★ "[Kids will] enjoy the silliness [and] the chaos that springs from each unexpected plot twist. . . . Vivid, expressive illustrations capture the characters' shifting emotions, while creating lively backdrops . . . Sure to amuse." --Booklist (starred review)

"Riotous . . . Readers will appreciate these rollicking rhymes and laugh at the sister's out-there ideas. The comical digital illustrations will elicit chuckles. . . . Readers will have a fine time [and] won't be averse to the verse." --Kirkus

"Funny throughout . . . but the real payoff comes with a revelation at the end, which will likely prompt readers to go back and look more closely." --The Horn Book

"Omar Abed's rhyming prowess propels this sprightly picture book that follows two siblings jointly composing an adventure, [with] energetic digital renderings [by Hatem Aly]." --Publishers Weekly

"This hilarious picture book . . . has a surprise twist that shows the younger sister is just as adept at wordplay as her older sibling. This is such a funny read-aloud . . . A great addition." --Book Riot

About the Author

Omar Abed is a Palestinian-American author and software engineer who thinks in rhyme. When tasked long ago to "write without rhyming," he couldn't quite figure it out, so he wrote The Book That Almost Rhymed instead, which became his debut picture book with a major publisher. Omar lives with his family in Northern Virginia, where he enjoys watching movies with hiswife and building blanket forts with his son.

Hatem Aly is an Egyptian-born illustrator whose work has been featured on television and in multiple publications worldwide. Among other books, he illustrated the Newbery Honor winning novel The Inquisitor's Tale by Adam Gidwitz and co-created the Yasmin series with Saadia Faruqi. Hatem currently lives in New Brunswick, Canada, with his wife, son, and more pets than people.