It’s a Little Book
Quick picks: our top recommendations
| Book | Author | Find It |
|---|---|---|
| It’s a Little Book | Check on Amazon → | |
| Babies Love Books | Check on Amazon → | |
| I Like Books | Check on Amazon → | |
| Look, a Book! | Check on Amazon → | |
| Again! | Check on Amazon → | |
| Otto the Book Bear | Check on Amazon → |
Below are 13 titles in total — we’ve highlighted our 6 favourites above. Each one links straight through to Amazon AU.
Author/Illustrator: Lane Smith
ISBN:978-1596437586
Find It’s a Little Book on Amazon AU →
Format: Board book
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press (Macmillan), 30 August 2011
Publisher’s Description: Now in diapers! For the youngest of readers who still prefer to chew on a book rather than read it, It’s a Little Book asks what a book is for–Is it for chewing? Is it for wearing?–and answers the question warmly and charmingly. As funny and captivating as the bestselling It’s a Book, It’s a Little Book promises to delight a new generation of readers.
Babies Love Books
Author: Laurence Anholt
Illustrator:
ISBN: 9781408312292
Find Babies Love Books on Amazon AU →
Board Book
Publisher: Hachette, June 2010
Publisher’s Description: Babies love books – and they’ll love this one best! This fabulous rhyming celebration of books and the fun ways to share them will send your little one bouncing into a lifetime love of reading.
I Like Books
Author/Illustrator: Anthony Browne
ISBN:978-1406321784
Find I Like Books on Amazon AU →
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Walker Books, March 2009
Mini Review: Anthony Browne’s chimp likes books, all types of books. I Like Books is a simple, colourful way for children to find out about the wonderful world of books in all their shapes and sizes.
Look, a Book!
Author: Libby Gleeson
Illustrator: Freya Blackwood
ISBN:978-1921541803
Find Look, a Book! on Amazon AU →
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Little Hare (Hardie Grant Egmont), October 2011
Publisher’s Description: Look, A Book! You never know where it might take you. When two ragamuffins stumble across a book in the dust their world begins to change. The familiar becomes fantastical, the mundane becomes magical, and a fractured community finds a focus. Set in a dreary, underprivileged, contemporary world, Look, A Book! is an exhilarating whirl through the magic of imagination that leaves the reader in a vertiginous trance.
Again!
Author/Illustrator: Emily Gravett
ISBN:978-0230745360
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Macmillan, November 2011
Publisher’s Description: A stubborn little dragon with a favourite book – and a fiery temper! It’s nearly Cedric the dragon’s bedtime – there’s just enough time for his mum to read him his favourite book. Unfortunately for her, Cedric likes the story so much that he wants to hear it again… and again… and again… with incendiary consequences!
Otto the Book Bear
Author: Katie Cleminson
ISBN:978-1780080031
Find Otto the Book Bear on Amazon AU →
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Jonathan Cape (Random House), July 2011
Publisher’s Description: Otto is a Book Bear and nothing makes him happier than when people read his book. But he also has a very special secret – when no one is looking he can come to life and explore the house. But one day something terrible happens: Otto’s book is left behind when the family moves away, and now there is no one to read Otto! Otto must set off on his biggest adventure yet – to find a new home. But where is the best place for a Book Bear to live?
I Love You Book
Author: Libby Hathorn
Illustrator: Heath MacKenzie
ISBN:978-1921479892
Find I Love You Book on Amazon AU →
Format: Paperback
Publisher: IP Kidz, December 2010
Publisher’s Description: Do you love books? Well, then, you should dive into this one! Come on a romp through the pages of this enchanting picture book. It reminds us of all the books we love, and why we like to see and to feel, to touch and to smell and even to taste the books and the stories that light up our lives.
The Wonderful Book
Author/Illustrator: Leonid Gore
ISBN:978-0545085984
Find The Wonderful Book on Amazon AU →
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Scholastic Press, November 2010
Mini Review: How would we ever know that books are for reading unless someone reads one to us?
Each creature in this book thinks they know what a book is for A rabbit thinks it would make a cosy house; a bear thinks it would make a pretty hat; a mischief of mice thinks it would make a perfect table; a fox thinks it would make a comfortable bed; a worm thinks it would make a delicious lunch. Luckily, a curious boy spots the book before the worm can devour it and asks ‘I wonder what it’s about?’
Soon everyone gathers to listen to the boy read the book (the same book that you are reading) and they all think it’s wonderful. A sweet story accompanied by cute illustrations and a delightful message.
This is my Book
Author: Mick Inkpen
ISBN: 9780340989630
Find This is my Book on Amazon AU →
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Hachette, October 2010
Publisher’s Description: The Snapdragon is up to his tricks again eating the letters from the words in the book. It is very naughty. How will Bookmouse stop Snapdragon and is there anything the Woollywolves can do to help?
We Are in a Book! An Elephant and Piggie Book
Author/Illustrator: Mo Willems
ISBN:978-1423133087
Find We Are in a Book! An Elephant and Piggie Book on Amazon AU →
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Hyperion Books, September 2010
In We Are in a Book! Gerald and Piggie discover the joy of being read. But what will happen when the book ends?!
It’s a Book
Author/Illustrator: Lane Smith
ISBN: 9781921720147
Find It’s a Book on Amazon AU →
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Walker Books, August 2010
Mini Review: This is a book that is entertaining for children and adults alike. It humorously highlights everything a book can’t do. Yet at the same time, we are reminded of how enchanting a book can be in its simple and ‘old-fashioned’ state.
The story is a simple one, made up of three cleverly selected characters. We are observers of a conversation between Monkey and Jackass. Tech-savvy Jackass is trying very hard to understand what exactly a book can do, and Monkey seems to be getting increasingly frustrated with the questions.
Beware of the Storybook Wolves
Author/Illustrator: Lauren Child
ISBN:978-1408307717
Find Beware of the Storybook Wolves on Amazon AU →
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Orchard (Hachette), August 2010
Mini Review: Herb loves reading before bedtime. He even loves books with wolves as characters, but when it comes time for his mum to leave the room and for him to go to sleep he insists that his mum take the book with her. He is afraid that the wolf might escape from the story, and so he does one night. There is a clever interconnectedness between the text and illustrations that helps to tell an exciting story of the wolf’s adventures outside of a storybook. With the wolf finally back where he belongs, Herb weights his books down just in case anyone else is thinking of escaping from their storybook.
Dog Loves Books
Louise Yates
ISBN:978-0224083577
Find Dog Loves Books on Amazon AU →
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Jonathan Cape (Random House), March 2010
Publisher’s Description: Dog loves books! Dog loves books about dinosaurs and Dog loves books about aliens: in fact, Dog loves all books! Dog has his very own bookshop, although he doesn’t have many customers. But that’s all right because when Dog is surrounded by books, he is never short of friends or fun. And when someone does come into the shop, Dog knows just which books to recommend
How to use books-about-books with reluctant readers
Mia uses these in her Year 1 classroom, and Lila uses them at home for the kid who’d rather watch TV. They’re a special category — almost all of them have a low-key persuasive agenda hidden inside a charming story.
- Don’t announce the lesson. The worst thing you can do with these books is read them while saying “See? Books are great!” The point lands quietly or not at all. Just read them like any other book.
- Pair with a library visit afterwards. The fictional libraries in books like The Library and Wild About Books beg to be matched with a real one. Same week, ideally same day.
- Offer them when a child says they’re “bored.” Books about characters discovering books are subtle bored-cure devices. A bored kid reading about a bored kid finding a book often, mysteriously, ends up reading another book themselves.
- Read them on rainy days. The literary equivalent of a wet-day mood. Books about books are quieter, more reflective, slightly weather-of-soul. They reward a couch and a blanket and 20 minutes.
- Use them when a younger sibling is starting to notice books. Older sibling reads a meta book aloud, younger sibling watches the older sibling reading. Two birds, one book. That’s how chains of family readers get built.
Why these books work
Books that are about books are doing something risky. They’re holding up a mirror to the activity the child is currently doing. That can land as gimmicky — or, when done well, as a quiet shared moment between author and reader: “you and I both know what’s happening here.” The titles on this list pull it off because they don’t lecture. They show characters who love books for very specific reasons, and they trust the child to recognise themselves.
For reluctant readers especially, this category is gold. A kid who’s decided they’re “not a reader” will sometimes pick up a meta book without realising it’s an argument for reading. By the time they’ve finished, the argument has done its work.
Frequently asked questions
What age is the right age for books-about-books?
Strongest hit is 5–10. Younger kids enjoy the surface story but miss the meta. Older kids start to enjoy the “wait, this is about reading” reveal.
Best one to start with?
Wild About Books by Judy Sierra is the team consensus — broadly accessible, animal-friendly, funny. It’s a Book by Lane Smith is the close second for slightly older kids.
Will these convince a non-reading kid to read?
Not on their own. But as part of a wider context — library visits, parents reading visibly, no-pressure book choice — they help. We’d say they’re a 10% boost on a 90% existing environment.
Are any of these specifically about libraries?
A handful: The Library, Library Lion, and Bats at the Library. We’ll likely build a libraries-only sub-list as a separate post — tell us via the contact page if you want to be told when.
Shop the full list on Amazon AU
Each link below opens an Amazon AU search for that title’s exact ISBN. We earn a small commission if you decide to buy — thank you, it keeps the lights on at the Bookcase.
- It’s a Little Book
- Babies Love Books
- I Like Books
- Look, a Book!
- Again!
- Otto the Book Bear
- I Love You Book
- The Wonderful Book
- This is my Book
- We Are in a Book! An Elephant and Piggie Book
- It’s a Book
- Beware of the Storybook Wolves
- Dog Loves Books
📚 Looking for more book lists?
We’ve curated 28 picture-book lists across six themes — Family, Christmas & ANZAC, Australian identity, Learning to Read, Gifts & Milestones, and Themes & Activities. Hand-read by the team, age-graded, and ready to use.
