This American bestseller, which forces the reader to say very silly things, certainly engages children – but it lacks charm as well as images

The Book With No Pictures became a No 1 New York Times bestseller in a matter of weeks. Written by BJ Novak, who is – among other things – an actor and standup comedian, it’s a book with few words and no pictures in a picturebook format, designed to be read by an adult to a child. The conceit is that “Everything the words say, the person reading the book has to say. No matter what.” And the joke is, of course, that the poor old adult is forced to say very silly things, such as: “My head is made of blueberry pizza.”

You’re not laughing? No, neither was I, but you’re not reading it to a young child. (There’s a YouTube video of Novak reading the book to a group of young children who are certainly enjoying it.)

Novak has suggested that The Book With No Pictures “could be a whole new way to introduce the children to the idea of what a book can do”. And he’s certainly had fun playing with the form. Books don’t all have to feature straight, outside-looking-in linear narrative. And many don’t, of course. The picturebook world already contains some of the most creative and innovative books there are for any age.

Having said that, as well as lacking pictures, this book is for me also lacking in any real charm. And there is a slightly alien, once-removed feel to the whole project. Yes, it does develop a dialogue between the book, the reader and the child. But The Book With No Pictures has pretty much one tone throughout. Each spread is a variation on the theme. Compared to the extraordinary ingenuity and engagement of, say, Viviane Schwarz’s There Are Cats in This Book series, it’s a one-trick pony that I, as an adult, am quite happy to put out to grass. Then again, had I been surrounded by children rocking with laughter and squealing with delight as I was forced to say sillier and sillier things, my attitude might well have been different.

You can make lots of kids laugh by shouting, “Willy! Bum! Poo!”, and if your primary aim is to make kids laugh then shouting, “Willy! Bum! Poo!” may be no bad thing. But that doesn’t make it good, either. Surely there are more interesting and stimulating ways to raise a smile?

It’s not that BJ Novak is aiming for the lowest common denominator. The book features made-up words (“BLORK … BLUURF”), humiliation (“I am a monkey who taught myself to read”), manipulation (“the kid I am reading this to is THE BEST KID IN THE HISTORY OF THIS WORLD”) and general silliness. Interesting idea though it is, however, The Book With No Pictures left me feeling a little empty.

• Philip Ardagh’s The Grunts in a Jam is published by Nosy Crow.

• To order The Book With No Pictures for £10.39 go to bookshop.theguardian.com or call 0330 333 6846