Caramel reviews The Little Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak

Both Caramel and Marshmallow loved reading B.J. Novak’s The Book With No Pictures; Caramel even reviewed it way back in 2019. Today Caramel reviews what he calls the little baby brother of that very same book: The Little Book With No Pictures, which just came out yesterday. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Caramel reviews The Little Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak.
Caramel reviews The Little Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, today we have a board book for our readers!

Caramel: Yes! This is the little baby brother of a book we reviewed before: The Book With No Pictures.

S: I remember that one! It was hilarious!

C: Yes, but a tiny correction: having you read it out loud to me was hilarious!

S: That’s true, that book is kind of like a setup for parents: it makes them say really ridiculous things.

C: But rightfully so. Adults are sometimes too serious. That book forces them to not take themselves so seriously.

S: Yes, you are definitely correct. But okay, let us come back to this book.

C: Sure. As I said, this is the little baby brother of the other book. It is meant for younger bunnies, I think. For starters, it is a board book like you said. So a really little bunny can hold it in their paws and maybe even nibble on it.

S: In fact the book tells them to do that, no?

C: Kind of. It says, “EAT the book, yum yum yum. EAT the book?!!, we do not eat books.”

Caramel is reading The Little Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak.
Caramel is reading The Little Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak.

S: I see. It sounds like a funny book, like the other one.

C: It is a funny book! But it is a lot cuter than the other one. I mean, the other one keeps getting the parent who is reading the book into trouble by making them say silly things like robot monkey and boo boo butt and so on. It is really funny. But this one is only saying things like, now tickle or give a kiss or something like that. That is why it is probably more appropriate for babies.

S: Yeah, I can see that.

C: So it does have many signs of being a book for younger bunnies. And I am getting to be a bigger bunny every day. So I do not really read board books or even too many picture books anymore. But it was still fun to read this book.

S: I thought you might appreciate it. I know how much you enjoyed the original book.

C: Yeah I did. And this was fun too. So yes, it was a good choice.

S: And it can be a good choice for parents of young bunnies who are looking for a fun book for their little ones. There are no pictures, like it says in the title, but there are a lot of colors used in the book, and the words are sometimes small and sometimes large, so it is visually still interesting. And reading together and trying to do the things it says to do could be a lot of fun with a little one.

C: Yeah, it tells you to shake your pants for example.

S: Yeah, it does. Okay, Caramel, maybe this is a good time to wrap up this review. What do you think?

C: I think it is a good idea. I have school tomorrow.

S: Okay, then. Let’s wrap up. What do you want to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel loved reading The Little Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak and recommends it to all parents of little bunnies: he promises it will be so much fun to read it with their little ones.
Caramel loved reading The Little Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak and recommends it to all parents of little bunnies: he promises it will be so much fun to read it with their little ones.

Marshmallow reviews Mr. Distinctive by Olga Tokarczuk

Today Marshmallow is reviewing a neat book which looks like a standard picture book for young readers but should likely be classified as something different: maybe a picture book for not-so-young readers. Mr. Distinctive was originally written in Polish by Olga Tokarczuk, illustrated by Joanna Concejo, and published in 2023. The English translation by Antonia Lloyd-Jones was published in 2025.

Marshmallow reviews Mr. Distinctive, written in Polish by Olga Tokarczuk, illustrated by Joanna Concejo, and translated into English by Antonia Lloyd-Jones.
Marshmallow reviews Mr. Distinctive, written in Polish by Olga Tokarczuk, illustrated by Joanna Concejo, and translated into English by Antonia Lloyd-Jones.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like books with beautiful artwork or books that make you reevaluate the way all of society is set up, then this is the book for you!

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): Mr. Distinctive is a rather beautiful individual. His facial features are all unique and striking such that his smile instantly wins over any individual who sees it. He is gregarious, sociable, and one of the most popular people in his neighborhood.

Unfortunately, he is a little bit narcissistic. This mainly manifests itself through his tendency of taking an excessive number of selfies. Once he gets his first phone as an adult (it is to be presumed that he grew up in a time without them), he snaps photos everywhere—of course, with himself in the center of the screen.

Eventually, he notices that his features begin to blur more and more every time he takes and posts another photo. Eventually, things get to the point where his entire face is nothing more than a smudge of what used to be his perfect, distinctive face. Seeking to restore his beauty and uniqueness, he purchases a new face from a shady dealer for an extraordinary price he can barely afford. With his new face, he is once again perfect, yet the ending is still heartbreaking.

Marshmallow is reading Mr. Distinctive, written in Polish by Olga Tokarczuk, illustrated by Joanna Concejo, and translated into English by Antonia Lloyd-Jones.
Marshmallow is reading Mr. Distinctive, written in Polish by Olga Tokarczuk, illustrated by Joanna Concejo, and translated into English by Antonia Lloyd-Jones.

Marshmallow’s Review: The book begins with a series of pages filled with highly-detailed drawings of photos (presumably from Mr. Distinctive’s childhood). The book then begins, with some sparse text sprinkled throughout. Each page has beautiful illustrations that show a window into Mr. Distinctive’s world. In almost every aspect, it is the same as ours. Except that you can literally purchase a new face. I suppose plastic surgery achieves the same effect though.

To me, this book conveyed a very poignant, relevant message about the death of individuality in the modern world. Photo after photo, post after post, Mr. Distinctive showcases himself to the world online but loses himself in the process, forgetting to be distinctive in the real world.

SPOILER ALERT: At the end, he finds out that the new face he purchased in desperation is the same as everyone else around him. I believe this represents the idea that—as a result of social media—everyone begins to lose their own distinctiveness in favor of the creation of a duplication of everyone else. I found this to be deeply saddening, but I think the message is unfortunately true.

The photos (mostly Polaroids and physical photographs) from before the start of the text show what his life was when it was untouched by digital influences like social media. They show his youth in bright colors, each frame filled with bright smiles. Afterwards, the photos are much darker and more mature in a muted way which shows the transition from his previous, unedited life to a more manipulated, artificial world.

I think this message is relevant to many given the expansive effects of social media on almost every person in the world. Reading this book makes you reconsider the value of social media and losing your authentic self and your authentic life versus the superficial validation to be gained from posting picture after picture to get “likes”.

Marshmallow’s Rating: 100%.

Marshmallow rates Mr. Distinctive, written in Polish by Olga Tokarczuk, illustrated by Joanna Concejo, and translated into English by Antonia Lloyd-Jones 100%.
Marshmallow rates Mr. Distinctive, written in Polish by Olga Tokarczuk, illustrated by Joanna Concejo, and translated into English by Antonia Lloyd-Jones 100%.

Caramel reviews Spy School Goes East by Stuart Gibbs

Both little book bunnies are Stuart Gibbs fans. Caramel in particular has read and reviewed every single book in his Spy School series. So as you can expect, he was thrilled to learn that the fourteenth book in the series just came out last week! Below is his review of Spy School Goes East. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Caramel reviews Spy School Goes East by Stuart Gibbs.
Caramel reviews Spy School Goes East by Stuart Gibbs.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, today we get to talk about a brand new Spy School book!

Caramel: Yep, and I am happy to say I really liked it. So in this book they go east. And they have already gone north and south. So maybe they’ll go west next time!

S: Yeah, I wonder where “west” could be. Remind us where “north” and “south” were? And where is “east”? 

C: So the events happened in Mexico in the south book, and the north book is about Alaska and Russia. And in this book, the story is taking place in China, specifically in a fictional place in China, it’s called Space City, but it also contains a few places that are real: Shanghai, the Great Wall, and the Gobi Desert. It also contains several non-existent companies, such as Sky-tech.

S: Cool! I also saw a map of sorts in the inside of the book. 

C: Yes, there are in fact interesting things like that in this book. In the back there is also, I think, a journal or rather a travel log.

S: Is it supposed to be Ben Ripley’s travel log? 

C: No, it is the author himself, who is explaining how he got the ideas for the places and the plot. He actually went to China to see what he was writing about. And that’s cool.

S: Agreed!

Caramel is reading Spy School Goes East by Stuart Gibbs.
Caramel is reading Spy School Goes East by Stuart Gibbs.

S: Okay, so tell us about the main story. Why is Spy School going to China?

C: So, in the previous book Spy School Blackout, the team were trying to figure out the worldwide blackouts. Then it turned out that their ‘friend’ Orion was in fact the guy behind it all, and they solved that mystery and saved the planet. But then they also learned that Erica Hale’s parents and grandparents had gone missing in China, where Orion had sent them, so now in this book, they go there to get them back.

S: Oh I see. And they meet a lot of new people, some friendly and some evil, I am assuming?

C: Yep, and we also meet a recurring character (I love those), Jessica Shang who first showed up in Spy Ski School, the daughter of the guy who tried to nuke Colorado. You might recall that she is also daughter of the lady who tried to destroy the Panama Canal (in Spy School at Sea), and the niece of the guy who tried to sell Ben into slavery (in Spy School Goes Wild).

S: Oh my! Her whole family is full of Ben’s enemies. But I seem to recall you had told us before that Jessica herself is actually quite nice. And she kind of likes Ben?

C: Yeah they are friends, and apparently Erica is Ben’s girlfriend now.

S: Oh, I see. But nothing mushy going on, right? 

C: No, no mushiness. Erica and Ben are just partners solving mysteries and world problems together. 

S: Cool. Okay, so did you enjoy this book?

C: Yes, I did. Very much. It was funny, and had some cool plot lines and hooks, as well as references to the other books in the series. Gotta love consistency among an author’s works! Tui Sutherland in Wings of Fire does this really well, too. Hint hint.

S: You will definitely get another one of those books in the coming months! But there may yet be another Spy School book as well. As you suggested, I am expecting a “going west” story some time. 

C: Me too. And I’m assuming it will also be good.

S: And when it does come out, I am sure you will review it. 

C: Yes I will! 

S: Okay, Caramel, this is probably a good time to wrap up this review. 

C: Yep, this is a school night after all…

S: Okay, what do you want to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel loved reading Spy School Goes East by Stuart Gibbs and was thrilled to share his thoughts on it with the readers of the book bunnies blog.
Caramel loved reading Spy School Goes East by Stuart Gibbs and was thrilled to share his thoughts on it with the readers of the book bunnies blog.

Marshmallow reviews Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

Marshmallow began her reviews for the book bunnies blog with Harry Potter and The Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling. Since then she has reviewed many books about the Harry Potter story universe. She has also reviewed all five volumes of the series illustrated by Jim Kay: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The project was put on hold when Kay dropped out in 2022, but the illustrated edition of the sixth volume is finally out this month. So here is Marshmallow’s review of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, written by J.K. Rowling and illustrated by Levi Pinfold.

Marshmallow reviews Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, written by J.K. Rowling and illustrated by Levi Pinfold.
Marshmallow reviews Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, written by J.K. Rowling and illustrated by Levi Pinfold.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you liked the original Harry Potter series, or if you are fascinate by magic, or if you just enjoy beautifully illustrated books, then this is the book for you!

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): Harry Potter may be the main character here, but the book starts in the office of the British Prime Minister. He’s sitting rather uncomfortably after dealing with a rather disastrous week when the painting on his wall announces that the Minister of Magic will be promptly paying him a visit. This is a rather unpleasant surprise for him as all of their previous meetings have been regarding bad news — something he does not need more of at the moment.

Indeed, the Minister of Magic (Cornelius Fudge) does bear bad news. Deatheaters, the loyal followers of You-Know-Who, have been wreaking havoc across the country and their destruction has become so visible that even Muggles (non-magical people) have noticed it. All of the Prime Minister’s problems rest squarely on the shoulders of Deatheaters.

It is with this conversation that J.K. Rowling re-captures the reader into the Wizarding World and the underlying tension of the times remains potent throughout the remainder of the book. When Harry first makes his appearance, we learn that Dumbledore will be visiting him to deliver him early to the Weasley Burrow (the odd but comfortable home of his best friend Ron). It is already peculiar for the headmaster of Hogwarts to spend so much time with a student, but the particular circumstances make it clear that it is not just for a nice tea chat. Dumbledore has plans for Harry; unfortunately, he is not 100% transparent about them.

Likewise, we learn early on that He Who Must Not Be Named (a.k.a. The Dark Lord or Lord Voldemort) has plans for Draco Malfoy, the son of the now-scorned Deatheater Lucius Malfoy. Again, the reader is left to guess at what these plans are. But one thing seems certain: Severus Snape (a professor at Hogwarts whom Dumbledore blindly trusts) is still secretly working for Voldemort.

As the term at Hogwarts begins, suspicion and danger are tangibly in the air at all times. With the Ministry of Magic on high alert and people uncertain of who to trust, Harry must navigate yet another year at Hogwarts that will be undoubtedly unsafe.

Marshmallow is reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, written by J.K. Rowling and illustrated by Levi Pinfold.
Marshmallow is reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, written by J.K. Rowling and illustrated by Levi Pinfold.

Marshmallow’s Review: I loved reading this version of the Half-Blood Prince! I had really missed this series, and diving back into the books with this illustrated edition made coming back to them even more enjoyable. From the very first page, the very first time you open the book, you immediately sense that this is going to be a magical story.

Of course, I’m clearly a very biased Harry Potter fan. But having the added ability to see the story as it progresses on each page makes the experience even better. J.K. Rowling’s writing is one thing that I do not think is very controversial; it is very crisp and entertaining, sharp yet smooth.

I felt very nostalgic throughout the first couple chapters but the imagery made it also feel like a new version. The drawings are beautiful!! They tend to be darker due to the overall environment and energy of the book. But they draw you in. Each page has some sort of color, whether it’s just a simple background or a sketch that makes you wonder how on earth Pinfold managed to draw it. I would say I’m a pretty open-minded Harry Potter fan, but these illustrations are pretty loyal to the text. Yet, they do add another dimension to everything by expanding on the detail, filling in the blanks. J.K. Rowling’s writing is rather descriptive but even she sometimes leaves somethings to the imagination. Likewise, the drawings do the same. They have a somewhat blurry feeling about them. They are very detailed — make no mistake — but they are drawn in a watercolor-like style that is very light and heavy at the same time. I am not sure how to fully describe it, but the color palette is also very attractive and appropriate for the text.

I particularly liked the image on the cover with the bright orangey-yellow flames and the contrasting teal (it is later featured on page 367 too!) On page 414-415, there is also a beautiful spread of the Hogwarts castle with Hagrid in front attending a memorial (I will not spoil who it is for). The drawing is intricately done with all the stone faces and carvings drawn out in detail. The hoops of the Quidditch field are even included on the left!!

As you can tell, I am a huge Harry Potter fan. But you don’t need to be in order to appreciate what a work of art this book is. Combining J.K. Rowling’s uncontested writing skills with Levi Pinfold’s artistic prowess was a fantastic idea and I am so grateful that this book was made. I feel very nostalgic now, but this book reminds me that new things like it can be beautiful as well.

Marshmallow’s Rating: 110%!

Marshmallow rates Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, written by J.K. Rowling and illustrated by Levi Pinfold, 110%.
Marshmallow rates Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, written by J.K. Rowling and illustrated by Levi Pinfold, 110%.