What We're Reading:

Current Picks from

the Watermark Staff

"The Incredible Book-Eating Boy" by Oliver Jeffers (Philomel, ISBN 0399247491,
$16.99)

Henry, the star of this tasty new picture book for young readers, loves to sink
his teeth into a good book--literally. After first chewing through a few sample
pages, he begins to devour volume after volume and remembers every word he's
eaten. His greatest dream is to become the smartest person on the planet by
eating all the books he can find!

But soon, Henry's gobbled-up smarts become jumbled inside his head: he isn't
digesting them properly. (When he does his sums, 6 + 2 might equal 3, or it
might come out to "elephant." There's no telling.) After swearing off the
delicious printed word forever, Henry comes to learn that he can enjoy books
just as much simply by reading them. (Fancy that!) It might take him a bit
longer to become the smartest person on Earth, but he's okay with that because
he'll have fewer bellyaches along the way.

The story of "The Incredible Book-Eating Boy" is simple and strong, and the
illustrations are fascinating: inside the book's chocolate-brown cover, each
drawn-and-painted picture is created on pages of discarded books that the author found and rescued. Everywhere one looks, there are words and charts bubbling up to the surface like tasty fondue flavors. It's a treat to read and a healthy snack for a growing mind. What better example than this could a child have for the joy and power of reading? Encourage your kids to EAT THIS BOOK! (The slow, old-fashioned way, of course.)

(For ages 4 to 8)

Reviews by Mark David Bradshaw, May 17, 2007

 

Back to Reviews