How to Read a Very Serious Book

AVAILABLE IN MARCH 2026!
Preorder this book by clicking here! Or by asking your favourite indie bookseller  🙂

A light-hearted picture book plays on the idea that reading a book is a very serious business

Reading serious books is a very serious matter. Or so thinks a seriously knowledgeable narrator who guides two young readers as they practice various ways of presenting a Very Serious Reader persona to the world.

For instance, wearing a stick-on mustache, glasses on the tip of your nose, and a pencil tucked behind an ear are all good ways to look studious while you read. And of course, every page should be turned with a flourish.

Humorously illustrated in comic-book style panels, this lighthearted picture book pokes fun at the idea of “serious” books and encourages kids to read what they like—because all books are meant to be seriously enjoyed.

How to Read a Very Serious Book
Owlkids Books, March 2026
Text Mireille Messier
Illustrations Kelly Collier
32 pages
Readers 6-8

ISBN9781771476584
Hardcover
$22.95

Themes: humour, reading
Preorder this book by clicking here! Or by asking your favourite indie bookstore  🙂
ADVANCED REVIEWS
“This title will be very useful in classrooms and libraries hoping to engage all readers in whatever form of reading best suits them.” – School Library Journal
“A meta look at the acts of reading, pretend, and finding a way to identity, this book works for children across a span of grade levels.” – SLJ
“A playful dose of metafiction for the picture book set … Serious fun.” – Kirkus