Not scary, Jonathan! by Peter Carnavas. Illus. by Amanda Francey

First published in 2014 as Jonathan!, this highly entertaining story of Jonathan and his attempts to scare his family will appeal to all readers.

Johnathan hides behind the curtains and jumps out as his father sweeps the floor. ‘Not funny, Jonathan’ is the response he gets. 

Not too deflated he dons his dinosaur costume and leans over his sleeping sister. ‘Not funny Jonathan’, is again the response.

He tries again as mum is hanging out the washing, hiding in the laundry basket. ‘Not funny Jonathan’ is her expected response.  Readers will love predicting the one line repeated through the story. And laugh at loud at its use (with a twist) at the end of the tale.

Meanwhile, Jonathan walks away kicking a stone along the footpath. But he suddenly finds he is walking up a bumpy hill, until almost at the top of this green rise, he realises he is on a dinosaur. He takes the beast back to his house, where his family is really scared, running out of the back door to escape the beast. Jonathan thanks the animal for scaring his family, and when it reveals who it is, the final very funny line is said, turning the story on its head.

Kids will love this book with its repeated lines and situations. And talk about their efforts at scaring people or playing hide and seek.

Wonderful illustrations parallel the story, showing us a Jonathan eager to scare his family. Warm colours are used to present a loving family, doing things readers are familiar with, encouraging readers to put to themselves in Jonathan’s shoes. Children will recall times they have hidden behind a door, or jumped out at an unsuspecting sibling or parent. I love the movement portrayed in the images: the curtains, the washing, the sister’s leap from the couch, the falling vase and the family fleeing the dinosaur. And the lovely green stripes make a connection through the story, as well as the endpapers with the images of an unhappy Jonathan. I love the dinosaur, a great green animal, its shadows on the front door, being very quiet as it sneaks on tippy toes along the driveway and then shaking Jonathan’s hand after he has scored the family for him. Not quite like a dinosaur, but very funny.

More can be found about this illustrator here. And information about Peter Carnavas can be found here where readers can find the books he has written. 

Themes: Family, Dinosaurs, Games, Imagination, Humour.

Fran Knight