I recently listened to an interview with B.J. Novak, star of The Office and author of a bestselling children’s book with an interesting concept – no pictures. It’s literally called “The Book With No Pictures,” and it’s become an instant classic.

The interviewer asked why he wrote such a book, and if he could use the voice he intended for certain parts of the hilarious book. The interviewer was very curious how his voice would sound (you can watch a youtube video of BJ reading the book here)! I loved that since there are no pictures, whomever is reading the story must rely on their own creativity and give personalized interpretations as they read along. So the story is different every time it’s read by a different person! It’s amazing how successful a children’s book can be without any pictures at all!

It got me thinking about unique books we can get our kids. Luckily I have a friend that worked many years at Harper Collins and now works at Chronicle Books, who always gives me suggestions! Here are some more creative and unique books I recommend!

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Pride and Prejudice – One of my favorite books is Jane Eyre and I absolutely love how there are a bunch of these classics in board book form created by A Babylit Counting Primer. My sister’s favorite book is Pride and Prejudice so it was the perfect gift to her this Christmas. You can relive your love for the classics by reading with your toddler. They have other classics like Romeo and Juliet, Moby Dick, and even Dracula!

Think, Touch Learn Board Books – I’ve noticed how Baby Pencil likes to shape the outlines of cutouts in books, so I really like seeing how board books can work with opposites as well as cut outs. The bright images are really attractive, but it also is teaching about shapes and opposites. Very simple but very cute and great quality book!

Press Here – I have a love/hate relationship with this book. Why? Because Baby Pencil keeps dragging this out over and over again. He’s only 20 months old but he loves this book that seems to be for much older kids. There are a lot of pages and instructions on each page. It’s adorable how it’s showing cause and effect – “press here and see what happens” kind of thing. The dots are enticing to press and there are many pages to zip through. He loves it!

Polar Bear’s Underwear – This book is hilarious! My friend gifted this to a bunch of our friends and it’s hilarious. What an idea for a polar bear to lose his underwear and to make a story of his hunt for it. You actually pull underwear off his book in order to read it. Just a clever and creative way to teach the value of taking care of your things in an adorable way!

Interrupting Chicken – I’m planning on purchasing this Caldecott Honor book as a gift for older kids because apparently interrupting and manners seem to be an issue for a few parent friends of mine! Again this seems like a book that can be taken differently depending on who is reading it. You can be as cheerful or funny as you want while reading the parts!

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There are so many book choices out there, but the creative side of me loves seeing new twists and methods to read to our kids. Especially when it involves using our own creative voices and ways of delivering the story!

Do you have any unique book suggestions?