The Nosyhood

“The Nosyhood” by Tim Lahan

This book is ingenious and hilarious!  Seriously!  First of all, it is incredibly appealing just when you look at it.  It is tall and skinny and super thick!  The pages are done board book style and there are a fair few of them.  I was so intrigued by the appearance and concept alone to the point where I knew I had to check it out, and I am so glad I did!

There are very few words on each page and the story is simple but brilliant.  A young couple moves into a new tiny apartment and they are soon greeted by a new neighbor.  They are thrilled and invite him in.  They are almost equally thrilled when a lady shows up offering a bowl of fruit.  But then a baker shows up, followed by a weight lifter, followed by a camper with a canoe, followed by a clown with balloons and so it goes!  The tiny apartment becomes incredibly packed and because there is no room for them to fill in lengthwise they start to be pushed up towards the top of the page with each new arrival.  (Hence the tall shape of the book.  I told you it was ingenious!)

This is done in the illustrations with the gutter (crease in the book) being the divider between right outside the door of the apartment and the inside of the apartment.  So clever!  I included some interior pictures below in the order they appear so you can see some of the drama of the apartment getting more and more crowded as the human tower grows.

The couple appears increasingly confused and desperate as things get out of control and it all reaches a climax when a huge nose shows up in the picture and sneezes them all away!  Such a fun and shocking ending!  At that point this book had me laughing.  I absolutely love it!  The last spread shows the couple cleaning up the mess and the man says “I feel like this might not be the best neighborhood for us after all.”  Bwhahaha!  Just for entertainment’s sake Tim included an index of all the characters who show up in the book and crammed into the apartment.  There are 27 in all including the couple.

This book will be released October 11, 2016.  This is Tim’s debut picture book and I hope he creates more.  I can’t wait!  Check it out if you love a good laugh and a creative book!  Actually, I just had a brilliant idea of my own: this book would make an incredible housewarming gift!  (With some cupcakes of course!)

Click here to pre-order “The Nosyhood” *affiliate link