The Incredible Book Eating Boy

 

Title: The Incredible Book Eating Boy

Author: Oliver Jeffers

Illustrator: Oliver Jeffers 

Best for Age: 4-8

ISBN: 9780399247491

Publisher: Philomel (2007)

 List Price: Hardcover, $17.99 

The Incredible Book Eating Boy, by Irish author and illustrator Oliver Jeffers, is one of my absolute favorites. Why? Because it is unique, witty, uses really fun language, and has an actual bite taken out of the back cover. 

Jeffers' tale follows a young boy by the name of Henry. As Jeffers explains, "Henry loved books. But not like you and I love books, no. Not quite..." To the reader's surprise and delight, it turns out that Henry loves to EAT books. Trust me, this super silly scenario will have your little readers squealing!

Jeffers recounts how Henry got into the strange habit of munching on texts, he names which books Henry's taste-buds like best, and most importantly, the author describes how Henry's diet provides him with a special knack for knowledge. Readers soon understand that the more books Henry eats, the more he learns. However, young readers will surely giggle when they learn how something starts to go wrong with Henry's digestion of the knowledge he is swallowing...




What I really love about this book, and what kids love about it too, is that it is extremely visual. From his ingenious illustrations, which combine paint, pen, and collage techniques, to the different fonts he uses for each sentence, Jeffers loads each page with lots of fun elements for eyes to devour.

"Henry loved eating all sorts of books [...] But red ones were his favorite."

So, why is it worth $17.99?

1. Kids will love the detailed illustrations, wacky story line, and silly words.
2. Parents and teachers will appreciate the elevated language, and final moral about the importance of reading books rather than eating them.
3. There is an actual BITE taken out of the back cover!

Go check out The Incredible Book Eating Boy.

I promise it is truly delicious, from the first to the very last... page. :)

More Books by Oliver Jeffers:
Up and Down (2010) $16.99
The Great Paper Caper (2009) $17.99   <-- I really love this one too!
The Way Back Home (2008) $16.99
Lost and Found (2005) $16.99