Uytdewilligen, Ryan. This is Not My Story. Illustrated by David Huyck. Kids Can Press, 2023. 978-1-525-30343-2. $19.99. 40 p. Grades K-5.

Once upon a time there was a brave space captain, only he was in the wrong story. So our plucky main character interrupts the narrator and asks to be put in a different type of story. The narrator tries various genres, each with a slightly different illustration style, but none of them are quite the right fit. Eventually our protagonist realizes he belongs in all stories and in all genres; in fact, he belongs in a story about different genres. An amusing meta exploration of various genres with delightful and clever illustrations by David Huyck.

THOUGHTS: A great book to highlight the differences between various genres. A handy guide to genres ends the book, with a clever challenge to find the stories we each love best. Younger readers will find the narration interruptions hysterical. Older students will like this creative take on genres with illustrations that occasionally employ graphic novel style elements.

Picture Book