The Incredible Book-Eating Boy
By: Oliver Jeffers
Illustrated By: Oliver Jeffers
The concept of this book is just fabulous! It all begins by telling us that Henry loves books. I can relate: I love books too! The problem is that Henry doesn't love them quite the same way most readers do: he likes to eat them instead of reading them. He does start small; first a word, then a sentence, next a page, and finally, the entire book.
A marvelous benefit for Henry is that he gains knowledge through his consumption of the books. We even see what he's been eating/learning on almost every single page. The backdrops for the main illustrations are words or even different types of paper. Generally from a dictionary, these add to the story instead of detracting from it.
Henry is very excited to be gaining knowledge from all of those tasty books he's been enjoying. One day Henry runs into a problem: it becomes more and more difficult for him to chew and swallow his books. Then the unthinkable happens: Henry starts to lose his smartness. He'd been eating the books so fast they didn't have time to digest and they just became a jumbled mess in his stomach. Fortunately for us Henry didn't lose all of his smarts, he decided to open up one of those books and try reading it. He realizes that he can still become the smartest person in the world by reading books but, every once in a while, well, let's just say that old habits die hard!
Recommended To:
- Children who may hesitate to read on their own. This book shows reading in a fun, exciting kind of light.
- Adults - yes you! The concept and the text are just marvelous. Take a gander, I won't tell!
- Everyone!
Notes on the Cover:
The cover is surprisingly simplistic when you compare it to the illustrations on the inside. I'm not saying I don't like it, quite the opposite actually. I like how Henry is off to the left with his mouth open wide and the books falling down - I really like how they're spaced out. The light background really makes the title pop, especially with the use of greens and a reddish/orange for the lettering. Also, check out the back cover. You may notice something a little off when you pick it up, but it gets even better when you read the disclaimer on the back: Please Do Not try to eat this Book at home. Love it, and love the other surprise on the back. You'll just have to come look at it to find out!
Oliver Jeffers Website
His website is beautiful and not what you would expect from a writer and illustrator of picture books. If you want to see his others (which all look fabulous) click on the letter B for his works. He also has other, more artistic works as well since he paints as well!
On our shelves!