Play This Book

by Jessica Young, Daniel Wiseman (Illustrations)

For fans of Press Here, this new interactive picture book line invites readers to touch and move and "play" with the book.

To start our show we need a band--maybe you can lend a hand!

There are lots of ways little hands can make music. Each page of this interactive book invites readers to strum the guitar, slide the trombone, crash the cymbals, and more--no instruments required! With a delightful rhyming text and engaging illustrations, this book is full of instruments waiting to share their sounds. The only thing this band needs is YOU! Just use your imagination, turn the pages, and Play This Book!

Pair with Pet This Book, another title in this young picture book line that comes printed on heavy-duty card stock pages to stand up to all kinds of play!

Genres: Picture Books, Music, Storytime, Childrens, M M Romance, Plays, Musicals

32 pages, Hardcover

Published May 22, 2018

About the author

Jessica Young grew up in Ontario, Canada, and now she lives in Tennessee. When she's not making up stories, she loves sharing the creative process with kids. Her books include I'll Meet You in Your Dreams, the Fairylight Friends early reader series, the Haggis and Tank Unleashed early chapter book series, Play This Book, Pet This Book, A Wish is a Seed, My Blue is Happy, the Finley Flowers chapter book series, Spy Guy the Not-So-Secret Agent, and her forthcoming board book, Baby's Here! (2022).

Reviews

[Camille · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its no secret that I love music themed picture books and this one hit the spot! On almost every page the author invites the reader to play with the band with the featured instrument. You can strum a guitar, doo-bee-doo with a saxophone and crash cymbals. I think this would be a fun interactive book where you have the kids stand up and imitate playing the instruments. It pairs with soooo many of my favorite picture books, but if a class visit showed up right now, I'd pull out This Jazz Man, or if parents are included, I'll pull out the Kenny Loggins picture book, Footloose.
I can't think of a less interactive music-themed book right at this moment, but that's a good idea, too.
You can also transform this book into a pop-out situation. If you have your own set of music instruments, or you can create cardboard or household item representations of the instruments and "play" along with the book. Many fun possibilities!

[Brenda Lower · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this would be a fantastic story time book! Super interactive, lots of imagination in it. Lots of fun!

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of interactive fun! I especially like the part where you open and close the book to smash the cymbals. :) While the illustrations are set up in such a way that readers are meant to interact with them directly, it would be easy enough to adapt this to storytime by having audiences mime playing the instruments on their own. Love this book!

[Hailey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was definitely not the best I have read, but it did go well with the postmodern genre of picture books. I think that it was a good book for younger children because it could help them to make different sounds and learn what instruments make certain sounds. It is very interactive and I think that the point of the book was to have the reader make each sound before moving on to the next page. I like that at the end of the book it says "You played this book just like a pro" because it makes the reader feel like they accomplished reading the book.

[The Library Lady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Press Here has started a trend that I like. Books that are interactive. Not pop-up books, that get torn by the first kid who handles them, but books that allow kids to interact in a way that lets them use their imagination.

So this book has no battery operate push button sound effects, and there's no sign of a link to an interactive game with your mobile device. What it simply does allow kids to hear the sounds in their head, to create a drum beat, or plunk on a piano, or blow a saxophone. And I especially like the page that suggests you open and close the book to make the sound of the cymbols.

Yes, you can get out your IPad or tablet or phone and play music clips to go with this. But you don't need them to "Play This Book."

P.S. Thank you to the publishes for printing this with a hard cover and sturdy paper. Because I fully expect it to get used a LOT!

[Dena McMurdie · Rating 4 out of 5]

My toddler loves interactive books and this one is so much fun! She loves "playing" the instruments in the book and pretending to make music.

If you like books like Touch the Magic Star or Press Here, you'll enjoy reading this one to your child. It's perfect for kids ages 2-4.

Source: The publisher sent me an unbound galley of this book.

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Age: Infant-Preschool
Music: Playing instruments

Thick, sturdy pages, fun sound effect words, and a direct invitation to play the over-sized instruments will capture the interest of the most reluctant storytime listener. Paired with the large instruments is a smaller, corner image of a child playing it, offering visual cues to the listener of how it is actually played. Simple and effective.

[Laura Weir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book! It's a great concept, teaching kids about different instruments while also having them interact with the pages--hitting the drum, strumming the guitar, etc. The pictures are great, and it's fun to read.

[Lauren- The Smile Lines · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to #kidlitexchange for sharing a review copy of this book!
Pet This Book and Play This Book by Jessica Young and d_wiseman are interactive books that encourage use of imagination!
Pet This Book~ has the reader PET, BRUSH, FEED and LOVE animals with their hands.
Play This Book~ invites the reader to STRUM, CRASH, TAP and PLAY instruments they are seeing on the pages.
Both books have adorable bright illustrations. The rhyming text and inviting phrases make these books a hit! These are 100% staying in our library!

[Asho · Rating 4 out of 5]

I checked this book out from the library for F but L ended up enjoying it, too. Each page invites you to "play" an instrument by pressing somewhere on the page or holding the book in a certain way. I will say, this probably wasn't the smartest thing to get as a library book because both girls wanted to blow on it as they "played" the horns. (I'm very glad we checked this out pre-Covid and that the library now quarantines books when they are returned, haha!)

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Music storytime - this is a fun interactive book about forming a band and the sounds the instruments make. We did a flannel all about the sounds of different instruments - I can't decide if it was a good complement to this or if it felt like too much repetition! And as usual, by book 3 the younger kiddos were starting to get restless. I can't decide if it makes more sense to soldier on and try to teach them how to sit still for longer or just give up and do 2 books instead!

[Nicola · Rating 3 out of 5]

Children are encourage to interact with the book and make their own noises for each instrument as they build a 'band'.

Miss 4 and I like to explore different books and authors at the library, sometimes around particular topics or themes. We try to get different ones out every week or so; it's fun for both of us to have the variety and to look at a mix of new & favourite authors.

[Kris Dersch · Rating 2 out of 5]

This feels unsatisfying to me. It's billed as an interactive picture book along the lines of "Press Here," but unlike Press Here there's nothing you can really...do. Sure, you can pretend to strum a guitar, but the book isn't going to give you anything back. It feels like a flawed concept to me, but the kid liked it so maybe I'm overthinking it.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let's play some instruments! This interactive book invites the reader to actually play instruments depicted in its pages (for example, the saxophone is printed long ways across two pages in a way that you could hold the book and pretend to play it.) Rhyming text is joyful and fun, and the various ways to interact with the instruments keeps interest.

[Lynnette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a fantastic way to introduce instruments to young children. My 22-year-old now says dooby dooby dooby doo whenever a saxophone is mentioned. I think it's so cute that they made the instruments big enough that kids can pretend to play them. The rhyming is fine. The pictures are super simple and cute. Just a really clever, well thought out, and captivating book.

[Tommie Branscum · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would be a very cute book for a music teacher to use in primary grades. The kids would get to make different "instrument sounds", hear the names of some different instruments, and also get to see what they look like.

[Darshana Khiani · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the idea behind this book which invites the reader to interact with the book and play an instrument. I just wish this were a novelty book, so when I did the requested actions there was a reward of hearing the instrument.

[Margie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beginning book of instruments introducing young children to the sorts of sounds made by each one. What is so inventive is there are no moving parts involved with this book; the participation is provided solely by the participants, reader and listener. Highly interactive and great fun for all.

[Mary Uhles · Rating 5 out of 5]

When is a book more than a book? When it's a trombone, saxophone and drum set too! Little ones on your lap are sure to love playing along with the whole band inside this book. Bright, fun illustration accompany perfect, snappy rhyme to make this one show my kids will want to read again and again

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was brilliant! I read it to my 4-year old daughter and she absolutely loved it. The book introduces children to various instruments and their sounds by asking children to interact with the illustrations and "play" the instruments. It was so fun!!

[Lisa Day · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another interactive children's book - and this one is different again. Bright colours and a chance to play along. Interview with Canadian-born author Jessica Young on Book Time - https://booktime584.wordpress.com/201...

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Children are encouraged to "play" the instruments on each page. The instruments are large and prominent on each page and easily "playable" by readers.

Great for one on one sharing. I'm not really sure about a storytime setting unless the reader practiced each instrument with the kids first.

[The Book Consultant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, interactive book! Teaches about various instruments and the sounds they make, encouraging kids to “play along.” The book itself doesn’t make sounds, but encourages kids to pretend to play the instruments and make their own music.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely interactive book for kids…except for the glaring error of the piano page.

The sounds “tink, tink” are over the piano keys on the left page and “tunk, tunk” over those on the right page (insert face palm).

[Kim Redington · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interactive book with young readers learning how to "play" musical instruments! They can strum the guitar and crash the cymbals using their fingers on the pages of the book. LOVE the playfulness and the teaching of the music!

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interactive book that asks readers to become involved in making music. Readers get to play a variety of instruments and join the fun of being in the band. I love the ending as they get to choose which they want to play again.

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorable, interactive

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful. This book encourages children to pick up instruments and begin playing.

[Joan Arbogast · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just in time for our Summer Reading Program: Libraries Rock!
Great introduction to various instruments. Colorful illustrations.

[Tracie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Encourages the reader to "play" along on different instruments. A storytime winner!