Junket Is Nice

An old man sits in a chair eating a mysterious food called junket while people gather to guess what he's thinking about. The crowd grows larger as more spectators arrive to make their guesses about the old man's thoughts. A small child observes the scene and comes up with their own theory about what occupies the old man's mind. The guessing game continues as the crowd offers increasingly elaborate suggestions. The book explores themes of childhood wisdom versus adult assumptions, playing with the idea that sometimes the simplest answer is the correct one. It presents a gentle commentary on human nature and our tendency to overcomplicate matters.

Readers describe this as a quirky, absurdist picture book that encourages imagination and participation. The rhythmic repetition and surreal illustrations resonate with both children and adults. Likes: - Interactive questioning engages young readers - Strange, memorable artwork - Fun to read aloud - "Like nothing else in children's literature" - multiple Goodreads reviews - Builds critical thinking skills Dislikes: - Plot feels random and unresolved - "Too weird" for some readers - Limited availability/high price of used copies - Some find illustrations unsettling Ratings: Goodreads: 4.1/5 (130 ratings) Amazon: 4.7/5 (15 reviews) LibraryThing: 4.0/5 (25 ratings) Several readers note passing this book down through generations, calling it a childhood favorite. Multiple reviews mention the book's uniqueness as both a strength and weakness - appealing to those who appreciate unconventional storytelling but potentially confusing for readers expecting traditional narrative structure.

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Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson. A child creates his own world through drawings that come to life, mirroring the imaginative guessing game in Junket.

Is Your Mama a Llama? by Deborah Guarino. Animals engage in a pattern of questions and answers to discover each other's identities through clues and deduction.

Press Here by Hervé Tullet. Readers participate in a cause-and-effect sequence that transforms simple dots through playful interaction with each page.

Have You Seen My Dragon? by Steve Light. A counting book unfolds as a search through city streets with hidden elements for readers to discover and identify.

🥄 Dorothy Kunhardt wrote the beloved children's classic "Pat the Bunny" (1940), which pioneered the interactive touch-and-feel book genre, several years after publishing "Junket Is Nice" (1933). 🎨 The book features distinctively bold, simple illustrations in red, black, and white - a striking color palette that was unusual for children's books of that era. 🍮 Junket, the dessert featured in the book, is a milk-based pudding made with rennet enzyme, popular in the early 20th century but relatively uncommon today. 📚 This book was out of print for over 75 years before being rediscovered and republished by The New York Review Children's Collection in 2009. 🌟 The narrative structure - where everyone guesses wrong except one small boy - influenced later children's books that celebrate the wisdom and imagination of children over adults' assumptions.