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The Incredible Book Eating Boy (by Oliver Jeffers)

common sense media says

Kids will gobble up this smart and silly tale.

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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that nothing objectionable is presented in this story of a boy who devours books ... literally! The premise is silly and the tone playful.

Positive messages: Not applicable.
Violence & scariness: Not applicable.
Language: Not applicable.
Our ratings and reviews are informed by child development guidelines. Learn more.

More on The Incredible Book Eating Boy

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
Families can talk about the literal and metaphorical meanings of the phrase "devouring books." Henry did both. Which worked best for him? Why did he start eating books? Would actually eating books really make him smarter? Why do you think he suddenly got sick one day? Do you think he will learn more if he reads the books rather than eating them? Who do you think took the bite out of the cover?

What's the story?

What's the story?
Henry loves eating books -- really eating them. What begins with the eating of one single word becomes an obsession. The more books he devours, the smarter he gets ... until one day, things change and he has to learn a new way gobble up knowledge.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

The story of THE INCREDIBLE BOOK EATING BOY is as simple as the cartoons that illustrate it: Boy eats books and gets smarter, boy gets sick and loses everything he knows, boy learns to read books and gets smarter again.

With brown-toned collages of words, cartoons, and carefully selected book pages, award-winning author/illustrator Oliver Jeffers has created a very intriguing format for this silly, playful story. He tells the tale with a variety of typewriter prints, highlighted with simple paint and pencil artwork and arranged on pages from old books that he found discarded from libraries, bookshops, and personal collections. He has created a unique format for a unique story. A large bite taken out of the back cover is the icing on the cake!

Book themes & details

Book Details
Author: Oliver Jeffers
Illustrator: Oliver Jeffers
Publisher: Collins
Publication date: May 1, 2007
Number of pages: 32
Hardcover price: $16.99
Read Aloud: 4
Read Alone: 6
This review was written by Patricia Tauzer
 
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child, some content may not be right for some kids
OFF: Not age appropriate for kids this age
Our child development rating guidelines