The Incredible Book Eating Boy

Like many children, Henry loves books. But Henry doesn't like to read books, he likes to eat them. Big books, picture books, reference books...if it has pages, Henry chews them up and swallows (but red ones are his favorite). And the more he eats, the smarter he gets — he's on his way to being the smartest boy in the world! But one day he feels sick to his stomach. And the information is so jumbled up inside, he can't digest it! Can Henry find a way to enjoy books without using his teeth?

With a stunning new artistic style and a die-cut surprise, Oliver Jeffer's celebrates the joys of reading in this charming and quirky picture book. It's almost good enough to eat.

"This story, inventively painted in mixed media on discarded bindings, book covers and tattered, yellowed pages of paper, may earn Jeffers (Lost and Found) a reputation as an incredible book-recycling artist. Jeffers introduces a boy named Henry who gobbles books, though red ones were his favorite. The information contained in each devoured tome directly enters Henrys brain, so the more he ate, the smarter he got (not unlike Susan Meddaughs alphabet-soup-eating dog, Martha). Henry finds all content tastyhe wasnt fussy and his knowledge exponentially increases until his excessive appetite starts giving him indigestion. After he gets sick, Henry tries reading books for a change: Henry discovered that he loved to read. And he thought that if he read enough he might still become the smartest person on Earth. It would just take a bit longer. Jeffers has created a book about books from books, in a collage style less abstract than Sara Fanellis. A whimsical die-cut in the shape of a toothy bite, taken from the lower rear corner of the final pages, further asserts the point that some habits die hard. Jeffers adeptly uses hyperbole throughout the tale so that the underlying message never feels preachy or didactic. Additionally, his beautiful handling of found materials ought to wow young artists who take a close lookthough not so close as to leave tooth marks of their own. Ages 4-up." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"'This story, inventively painted in mixed media on discarded bindings, book covers and tattered, yellowed pages of paper, may earn Jeffers (Lost and Found) a reputation as an incredible book-recycling artist. Jeffers introduces a boy named Henry who gobbles books, though 'red ones were his favorite.' The information contained in each devoured tome directly enters Henry's brain, so 'the more he ate, the smarter he got' (not unlike Susan Meddaugh's alphabet-soup-eating dog, Martha). Henry finds all content tasty — 'he wasn't fussy' — and his knowledge exponentially increases until his excessive appetite starts giving him indigestion. After he gets sick, Henry tries reading books for a change: 'Henry discovered that he loved to read. And he thought that if he read enough he might still become the smartest person on Earth. It would just take a bit longer.' Jeffers has created a book about books from books, in a collage style less abstract than Sara Fanelli's. A whimsical die-cut in the shape of a toothy bite, taken from the lower rear corner of the final pages, further asserts the point that some habits die hard. Jeffers adeptly uses hyperbole throughout the tale so that the underlying message never feels preachy or didactic. Additionally, his beautiful handling of found materials ought to wow young artists who take a close look — though not so close as to leave tooth marks of their own. Ages 4-up.' Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"The cover is a pleasing shade of chocolate, and many of the pages look good enough to eat, with print, lines, and texture from the recycled book pages cropping up in unlikely places....Children will enjoy sinking their teeth into these detail-rich, delectable pictures." Booklist

Oliver Jeffers lives in Belfast, Northern Ireland.