"The Book That Eats People" by John Perry ( Illustrated by Mark Fearing)

"The Book That Eats People" 

by John Perry ( Illustrated by Mark Fearing)

38 pages /  Print / Humorous

Summary: This is simply the book that eats people! This book can smell the food on your hands if you don't wash them. That makes the book hungry. It hides in the library, sometimes disguising itself by putting on a different book's jacket. It will even eat other books in the library! The book kept eating other children until it was locked away in jail. It couldn't be kept in jail for long, so it was sent to the zoo. It would not eat junk food that they sold at the zoo, it only wanted to eat people. Never read this book after eating something delicious, it will smell the food and get hungry. Don't read this book alone! It is the book that eats people!

Evaluation: I really enjoy a book that breaks the fourth wall and speaks directly to its readers. The page design in this book is very creative. There is a lot of collage work, and designs borrowed from comic books ( cells, and columns). Some illustrations are made to look like the book was taped together and ripped apart by the monster book. Some pages look like the inside of a stomach of a book that just ate a collection of science textbooks. Creepy. An unexpected monster, a book, is a perfect character to use in a library during Halloween. Students and librarians are the main characters in this book, so they both can find a connection in this book when reading it.

Appeal Terms: science fiction, humorous, fast, foreboding, edgy, magical, creepy, spooky, character centered, quirky

"Tuesday" by David Weisner

   

"Tuesday" 

by David Weisner

32 pages /  E-Book / Sci-Fi

Summary: In the middle of the night, frogs start levitating on lily pads and fly across the night sky. The swarm of flying frogs wreak havoc on the town, terrorizing the dogs in the neighborhood and making a mess of things. The frogs return home to the lake as the sun rises in the morning sky. The next night, it is the pigs turn to fly in the night sky.


Evaluation: An instant favorite of mine. Weisner's use of perspective is truly amazing as he transports us into his world of creativity and magic. The flying frogs reminded me of Moses and the  plague of frogs that inherited Egypt. Perhaps there is an allegory that Weisner is trying to portray? This book, like "The Lion and the Mouse", has very few words. These books are great for children as they are forced to look at the illustrations and create their own story. It makes the reader focus on every inch of the illustration in case they missed some visual clue that is imperative to the plot. Books like these are great for language learners and can help develop an emerging reader's love for books.

Appeal Terms: animal, sci/fic, fast, humorous, magical, action oriented, quirky