Living Book Books Books in Order

Justine Avery's Living Book Books start with a simple, clever question: what if the book in a child's hands were alive, aware, and ready to talk back? That idea gives the series its whole personality. These are picture books built around direct address, where the book is not just telling a story but acting as the main character.

The series begins with This Book Is Alive!, which treats the book like a new friend arriving at storytime. It wants to be welcomed into the home, opened, read, considered, and loved. That may sound like a small shift, but it changes the whole reading experience. Instead of standing outside the story, the child is invited into a conversation with the very object in their lap.

The reader is part of the cast.

That is one of the nicest things about this series. There is no big cast of recurring side characters and no sprawling fantasy world to learn. The central relationship is between the book and the child holding it. Avery leans into that with warmth and a little mischief, turning page-turning itself into part of the action. The result feels interactive without needing gimmicks. The books create the sense that reading is not homework or a lesson but a shared game.

In This Book Wants to Make You Laugh, the idea becomes even more playful. This time the book tells jokes, hints at a secret plan, and tries to win the reader over one smile at a time. The stakes stay gentle, but the momentum is real. Children keep going because they want to know the secret, and because the book has already started speaking to them like a co-conspirator. The fun comes from anticipation, surprise, and the pleasure of being let in on something.

There is not much in the way of traditional setting here, and that is part of the charm. The real setting is the space between page and imagination, the little pocket that opens up when an adult and child sit down to read together. Avery uses that space to celebrate books as lively companions. She makes reading feel personal. A book can be funny, eager, affectionate, and full of its own hopes. That is a lovely idea for young readers to meet early.

The tone across the series is bright, friendly, and a bit cheeky. These are not plot-heavy stories driven by danger or big external conflict. The tension comes from participation. Will the reader keep going? Will the book get what it wants? Can storytime turn into a genuine exchange? In Living Book, the answer is yes.

Read in order, This Book Is Alive! and This Book Wants to Make You Laugh show how flexible the concept can be. One leans into wonder and the bond between reader and book. The other leans into humor, secrets, and shared delight. Together they make a small but memorable series that celebrates reading by making the book itself feel like a character worth spending time with.