Untitled by Timothy Young

Heaps of schools and children talk about this book - The Book with No Pictures. Yes, it is funny but I cannot grasp how children can ask for this to be read over and over again. Surely the joke is a "one hit wonder". Anyway, I guess I am wrong because this book appears on so many lists and seems to be constantly recommended. 

Can I now suggest this book - Untitled - could be your next go to funny book for young and slightly older students.

Who are the characters?

• Carlos - a coatimundi
• Ignatz - a porcupine who transforms into a capybara
• The author - he is also a character albeit a silent one

The title page has a joke which sets up the tone of the story:

"Hey, Ignatz, what time is it?' 'I don't know, Carlos. He didn't draw me with a watch."

And so we turn the page and see the two characters waiting for the story to begin. Their dialogue on the next page is shown with different fonts.

"I wish he'd send us on some kind of adventure to battle dragons or monsters or aliens or something."

And yes, the page now has a huge fierce dragon, a monster and an alien - the omniscient author/illustrator has been listening. Then the friends wonder if the story could be set in the wild west - and yes it can! Or perhaps it could be set under the sea. Then turn the page for a shock - it's a Dr Seuss scene.

"He'll probably throw us into a scene from somebody else's book. .... Yeah, you're right. He's a bit of a show-off that way."

And now we come to my most favourite page. Ignatz and Carlos are in a library surrounded by books from other authors - but no no no - look closely. The titles are so funny. Corduroy is now called Carlos, The travels of Babar is The travels of Capybara, Captain Underpants is Capybara Underpants, and The Day the crayons quit is now The day the Capybara and Coatimundi quit.

Image source: Schiffer Publishing

"You know what, we're almost at the end of the book and I don't think anything interesting is going to happen."

I'm not sure these two realise the author/illustrator is listening. Be careful what you wish for ... something big is about to happen!

Untitled is packed with so much subtle and ingenious humour. Helen Ishmurzin

Now for the bad news. This book was published in 2019 and while it is still available (thanks to my friend from Kinderbookswitheverything for purchasing this book for her library) it is expensive here in Australia but if your budget can stretch I do recommend you try to find this book. 

Companion books:

You're Finally here!

Now go back to the beginning of this post - surely you are curious?

What is a coatimundi?

They look like a combination of a lemur, raccoon, and monkey with possibly a bit of piglet thrown in, coatimundis are officially part of the raccoon family. These furry creatures mainly inhabit parts of South and Central America but can also be found in Arizona and New Mexico. They hang out in trees and have brown-colored fur and a long snout that helps them forage for insects and fruit.

The name coatimundi is believed to come from the Tupian languages indigenous to South America. Their word, kua’ti, is a combination of “cua” meaning “belt” and “tim” meaning “nose,” describing the way the coati sleeps with its nose tucked into its belly. 

Read more:

Treehugger 11 Interesting Coatimundi Facts

San Deigo Zoo

National Geographic kids (photos)