Hello, friends! Our book today is the delightfully silly Parfait, Not Parfait!, written by Scott Rothman and illustrated by Avery Monsen, a rhyming book with an irreverent twist.

With each page using a one- to four-word phrase that ends in an “ay” sound, young readers are walked through a simple identification exercise. For instance, this tasty fruit-and-yogurt dessert? Parfait. This duck standing beside a lake? Not parfait. This wrinkly dog named André? Shar-Pei. This ecstatic-looking permanent felt-tip marker? Not Shar-Pei (Sharpie!). This goofy conceit draws the reader through more “ay”-ending words, ending with a satisfying twist on the formula, and a delicious treat.

Wonderfully whimsical. This is one of those picture books that really leans into absurdity in a way that kids love; it’s not here to teach a lesson or even really tell a story, but just to make little readers laugh. In this, it succeeds wonderfully – the combination of dry visual humor, repetition and introduction of unfamiliar vocabulary, and yes, even a poop joke, makes a great read-through experience that will definitely garner some laughs among younger audiences (shoot, even I chucked at a few of the absurdist gags). JJ thought this was one of the funniest books we’ve read all year, and couldn’t wait to read it again, and the short length and simple language made it easy for her to do so on her own. The Easter eggs of various “ay”-ending words in the artwork, as well as a small list of them on the credit page, is another nice touch. Overall, this was a sweet and silly treat that adults and little ones can enjoy together, and we recommend it. Baby Bookworm approved!

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)