Why am I passionate about this?

I always felt like books were mysterious and elusive works of art. When creating them occurred to me, I started to think, ā€œWhat is a book, really, and what does it mean to publish one?ā€ This over-analysis of books makes me appreciate authors who are able to step back and see books for what they really areā€“pages and ink. Distilling it down to that makes writing and publishing a book feel more accessible to me.


I wrote

The Book That Almost Rhymed

By Omar Abed, Hatem Aly (illustrator),

Book cover of The Book That Almost Rhymed

What is my book about?

What do you do with an interrupting sibling? Especially when sheā€™s stepping all over your story with wild ideas thatā€¦

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Book with No Pictures

Omar Abed Why did I love this book?

This was the first book that made me realize how picture books could play with the traditional picture book format with resounding success.

My son loves listening to me read the silly words out loud. Itā€™s no secret why this clever book was so successful.

By B.J. Novak,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked The Book with No Pictures as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This innovative and wildly funny read-aloud will be the Must Have book of the season. You might think a book with no pictures seems boring and serious. Except...here's how books work. Everything written on the page has to be said by the person reading it aloud. Even if the words say...BLORK. Or BLUURF. Even if the words are a preposterous song about eating ants for breakfast, or just a list of astonishingly goofy sounds like BLAGGITY BLAGGITY and GLIBBITY GLOBBITY.


Book cover of I Don't Want to Read This Book

Omar Abed Why did I love this book?

Iā€™m not usually big on celebrity authors, but this story made me feel like the author really didnā€™t enjoy reading when he was growing up.

Itā€™s simple and silly and, ultimately, a great way to convince non-readers to get into reading. And hey, by the end of the book, youā€™ve realized youā€™ve read a book about not wanting to read a bookā€¦how neat is that?

By Max Greenfield, Mike Lowery (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked I Don't Want to Read This Book as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.


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Book cover of This Animal Body

This Animal Body by Meredith Walters,

Neuroscience PhD student Frankie Conner has finally gotten her life togetherā€”sheā€™s determined to discover the cause of her depression and find a cure for herself and everyone like her. But the first day of her program, she meets a group of talking animals who have an urgent message they refuseā€¦

Book cover of This Book Just Ate My Dog!

Omar Abed Why did I love this book?

This book made such a clever use of the ā€œgutterā€ in the middle of the book.

I have an irrational fear of picture book gutters and margins after formatting my first self-published book and making sure all the important stuff (including the text) stays in the frame.

This book gave me the feeling of ownership over the gutter that I never knew I needed.

By Richard Byrne,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked This Book Just Ate My Dog! as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 3, 4, 5, and 6.

What is this book about?

In this wonderfully inventive book, Bella is taking her dog for a stroll across the page but halfway across, he disappears! Unable to quite believe what's just happened Bella watches, transfixed, with changing emotions of surprise, indignation, moments of renewed hope (as the authorities arrive to take control) followed by shock (as they too succumb to the book's inexplicable behaviour) and finally action when Bella marches toward the dangerous middle of the book . . . only to disappear herself! At this point, the book has consumed its characters and it's down to the reader to step in to help.ā€¦


Book cover of The Wall in the Middle of the Book

Omar Abed Why did I love this book?

Once again, this book tackles the troublesome gutter head-on.

I love the vibrant illustrations and the simplicity of the story. The tension is ramped up through funny illustrations. In fact, the narrator seems completely unaware of the growing danger on his side of the book!

The twist at the end was a satisfying resolution.

By Jon Agee,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Wall in the Middle of the Book as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

Sunday Times Culture Magazine Book of the Week;There's a wall in the middle of the book, and our hero-a young knight-is sure that the wall protects his side of the book from the dangers of the other side-like an angry tiger and giant rhino, and worst of all, an ogre who would gobble him up in a second! But our knight doesn't seem to notice the crocodile and growing sea of water that are emerging on his side. When he's almost over his head and calling for help, who will come to his rescue? An individual who isn't as dangerousā€¦


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Book cover of The Secret Order of the Scepter & Gavel

The Secret Order of the Scepter & Gavel by Nicholas Ponticello,

Vanderough University prepares its graduates for life on Mars. Herbert Hoover Palminteri enrolls at VU with the hope of joining the Martian colony in 2044 as a member of its esteemed engineer corps. But then Herbert is tapped to join a notorious secret society: the Order of the Scepter andā€¦

Book cover of The Monster at the End of This Book (Sesame Street)

Omar Abed Why did I love this book?

This book does such a good job of engaging the reader. I love how Grover communicates with the reader and actively tries to stop them from moving forward.

It doesnā€™t hurt that Grover is my favorite Sesame Street character, and his energetic voice came through in the text.

By Jon Stone, Michael Smollin (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked The Monster at the End of This Book (Sesame Street) as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Monster at the End of This Book is a classic, adored by toddlers and adults alike. This collectible kit includes a mini book version of The Monster at the End of this Book, featuring the full text and illustrations from the original classic story, and a plush Grover backpack clip. Journey with lovable, furry old Grover to the end of the book to discover who the monster really is!

Lovable, furry old Grover is distressed to learn that there's a monster at the end of this book! He begs readers not to turn the pages, but of course kidsā€¦


Explore my book šŸ˜€

The Book That Almost Rhymed

By Omar Abed, Hatem Aly (illustrator),

Book cover of The Book That Almost Rhymed

What is my book about?

What do you do with an interrupting sibling? Especially when sheā€™s stepping all over your story with wild ideas that donā€™t. Even. Rhyme. Knights riding rockets? Dancing pirates? Whoā€™s ever heard of a fire-breathing armadillo?!

When this big brother realizes his sister just might be improving his yarnā€”and doing it with an impressive surprise of her ownā€”itā€™s clear what you do with an interrupting sibling. You share the narrative! Turns out adventure is way more fun when you build it together, rhyme by daring rhyme.

Book cover of The Book with No Pictures
Book cover of I Don't Want to Read This Book
Book cover of This Book Just Ate My Dog!

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