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The Book That Almost Rhymed

Author Omar Abed

Illustrated by Hatem Aly

Hardcover

$18.99 US

Penguin Young Readers | Dial Books

10.38"W x 10.25"H x 0.36"D | 16 oz | 24 per carton

On sale Mar 26, 2024 | 40 Pages | 9780593406380

Age 3-7 years

Reading Level: Lexile AD510L | Fountas & Pinnell M

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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

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 his wife and building blanket forts with his son. Connect with Omar online @OmarAbedWrites. View titles by Omar Abed

Hatem Aly is an Egyptian-born illustrator whose work has been featured in multiple publications worldwide. He currently lives in beautiful New Brunswick, Canada, with his wife, son, and more pets than people. His illustrated work includes the Newbery Honor winner The Inquisitor’s Tale by Adam Gidwitz, The Unicorn Rescue Society series also by Adam Gidwitz with several amazing contributing authors, The Story Pirates book series with Geoff Rodkey and Jacqueline West, early readers series Meet Yasmin with Saadia Faruqi, How to Feed Your Parents by Ryan Miller, and The Book That Almost Rhymed by Omar Abed. Hatem has more upcoming books and projects in the works. You can find him online @metahatem. View titles by Hatem Aly

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★ "[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)

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

★ “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)

“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

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