A Different Book by Jessica DeLisa

A Picture-Less, Interactive Children’s Book About Imagination, Confidence, and Being Different

I have to admit, when I first saw a children’s book with no pictures, I was curious. How exactly was this supposed to work? 😂

Well, A Different Book by Jessica DeLisa turned out to be such a fun read-aloud with my daughter. Instead of looking at pictures, children are asked to do things, react, imagine, and play along. Before you know it, you’re not just reading the story anymore. You’re part of it.

We laughed, followed the silly instructions, and had those little moments where you look at your child and think, Yep. This is exactly why I love reading together.

The clever part is that the lack of illustrations isn’t really a limitation. It’s the whole point. The book leaves space for children to use their own imagination, and the interactive directions keep them involved from beginning to end. It would be especially fun with a group of children, because I can already imagine the chaos once everyone starts following the instructions at the same time. 😄

And underneath all the silliness is a message I really liked: it’s fun to be different. Jessica originally wanted to write a children’s book but didn’t know how to draw, so instead of giving up, she came up with a completely different way to make the book work. Honestly, that’s a pretty perfect example of the message she wanted to share with children.

She actually wrote the book twelve years ago, but life took her in other directions. After changing careers and adopting a teenager, she’s now bringing the book back into the world. I love that little part of its story because it feels like another reminder that sometimes a dream just needs a different route to get where it’s going.

Why you need this book

• Turns children from listeners into active participants
• Encourages imagination without relying on illustrations
• Makes individuality feel fun rather than intimidating
• Opens conversations about confidence and belonging
• Great for family read-alouds and classroom groups
• Particularly fun for children who love silly instructions and surprises
• Shows that there isn’t always just one way to reach a goal

Try this at home

After reading, make your own Different Way Challenge. Give your child a simple task, like drawing a house, building a tower, or getting from one side of the room to the other. Then ask, “Can you think of a completely different way to do it?” There are no wrong answers. The sillier, the better. It’s a simple way to turn the book’s message into something children can actually experiment with and maybe discover that doing things differently can be much more fun.

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A Different Book is a playful choice for children who like to participate, laugh, and have a little control over what happens next. And honestly, sometimes the best way to make a different book is to stop trying to make it like all the others.

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