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Oliver Jeffers
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The Incredible Book Eating Boy Hardcover – Picture Book, April 19, 2007

by Oliver Jeffers (Author, Illustrator)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 1,015 ratings
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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 Jeffers celebrates the joys of reading in this charming and quirky picture book. It’s almost good enough to eat.

Previous page
  1. Reading age
    3 - 7 years, from customers
  2. Print length
    32 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    Preschool - 3
  5. Lexile measure
    AD550L
  6. Dimensions
    9 x 0.39 x 11.31 inches
  7. Publisher
    Philomel Books
  8. Publication date
    April 19, 2007
  9. ISBN-10
    0399247491
  10. ISBN-13
    978-0399247491
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. PreSchool-Grade 3—Henry loves books. In fact, he literally devours them. And the more he eats, the smarter he gets. When he starts eating too many too fast, he can no longer digest them, and their contents get all mixed up. The simple cartoon illustrations twinkle with humor and feeling. Done in paint and pencil on smart backdrops—pages from old books—the pictures set the stage for the quirky story. When forced to give up eating his favorite volumes, Henry eventually learns to enjoy reading them. However, an actual bite taken out of the back cover suggests he still succumbs to the occasional indulgence. This well-done package will charm its audience. The snappy text works well for reading aloud, but older children will enjoy exploring the subtle details hidden in the illustrations and backgrounds.—Julie Roach, Cambridge Public Library, MA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Henry loves books--eating them, that is. The more books he eats, the smarter he becomes, prompting him to devour them at an alarming rate. Henry imagines that if he keeps eating at his current pace, he could eventually become the smartest person on earth. Unfortunately, he starts to get sick from eating so many books, and everything he has learned becomes all jumbled up. Eventually Henry gives up eating books and finds that it can also be satisfying to read them. The text is straightforward and minimal, but Jeffers' illustrations ("created with paint, pencil and Letraset on pages from old books that librarians were getting rid of, the artist found, or people were throwing out") cleverly convey why Henry might find books so enticing. 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 (see the front cover of this issue). Children will enjoy sinking their teeth into these detail-rich, delectable pictures. Randall Enos
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Philomel Books; Illustrated edition (April 19, 2007)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 32 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0399247491
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0399247491
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 3 - 7 years, from customers
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ AD550L
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ Preschool - 3
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9 x 0.39 x 11.31 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 1,015 ratings

About the author

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Oliver Jeffers

Oliver Jeffers

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Oliver Jeffers is an artist, illustrator and writer from Northern Ireland.

From figurative painting, collage and installation to illustration and award winning picture-books, Oliver Jeffers practice takes many forms.

His distinctive paintings have been exhibited in multiple cities, including the National Portrait Gallery in London and the Brooklyn Museum New York.

HarperCollins UK and Penguin USA publish his picture books, now translated into over 36 languages, including The Incredible Book Eating Boy, and the New York Times Bestseller This Moose Belongs to Me and #1 New York Times Bestseller The Day The Crayons Quit.

Oliver won an Emmy in 2010 for his collaborative  work with artist and filmmaker Mac Premo. He has made art for Newsweek, The New York Times, United Airlines, TED, Nintendo, and has illustrated a a number of novels.

In 2007, Jeffers was the official illustrator for World Book Day.

Lost and Found became Oliver's first book to made into animation by London based Studio AKA, screening on Christmas Eve 2008 on Channel 4 in the UK and on Nickelodeon in the US and Australia.

In 2013, Jeffers illustrated the vinyl cover (a drawing of Nelson Mandela) for the U2 song "Ordinary Love". Jeffers also co-directed (with Mac Premo) the video for the U2 song "Ordinary Love".

Oliver grew up in Belfast Northern Ireland and now lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

See more at www.oliverjeffers.com, or visit his instagram, facebook, and twitter @oliverjeffers

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
1,015 global ratings
Feast through the pages
5 Stars
Feast through the pages
Jeffers' takes us on a journey with Henry, a boy who discovers a unique way to consume books – quite literally! 🧑‍🦱🍽️ 📖 As Henry devours book after book, he begins to absorb their contents and experiences a transformation that leads him on a remarkable adventure of self-discovery. ✨This is a delightful journey that not only entertains but also imparts a gentle message about the value of reading, the magic of books, and the joy of savoring knowledge in a mindful way. 📚❤️
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Top reviews from the United States

Gizem Aktan
5.0 out of 5 stars Feast through the pages
Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2024
Verified Purchase
Jeffers' takes us on a journey with Henry, a boy who discovers a unique way to consume books – quite literally! 🧑‍🦱🍽️ 📖 As Henry devours book after book, he begins to absorb their contents and experiences a transformation that leads him on a remarkable adventure of self-discovery. ✨
This is a delightful journey that not only entertains but also imparts a gentle message about the value of reading, the magic of books, and the joy of savoring knowledge in a mindful way. 📚❤️
Customer image
Gizem Aktan
5.0 out of 5 stars Feast through the pages
Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2024
Jeffers' takes us on a journey with Henry, a boy who discovers a unique way to consume books – quite literally! 🧑‍🦱🍽️ 📖 As Henry devours book after book, he begins to absorb their contents and experiences a transformation that leads him on a remarkable adventure of self-discovery. ✨
This is a delightful journey that not only entertains but also imparts a gentle message about the value of reading, the magic of books, and the joy of savoring knowledge in a mindful way. 📚❤️
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One person found this helpful
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BPL
5.0 out of 5 stars What a delightful story about the joy of books!
Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2016
Verified Purchase
I purchased this book to read aloud to my daughter's first grade class. I'd never read it before but saw it on a recommended "read aloud" list. It is perfection, particularly the illustrations and fonts. The kids loved it, and I enjoyed reading it. What a delightful story about the joy of books!
6 people found this helpful
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William Gould
5.0 out of 5 stars Instant classic!
Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2023
Verified Purchase
This was a fantastic book for our kids and has been gifted many times.
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars What an amazing book to end or begin a school year
Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2014
Verified Purchase
What an amazing book to end or begin a school year. Great book to couple with Patricia Polacco's The Honey Tree. This book is terrific for think aloud comprehension strategies. The students love the irreverence the book (cat puking) and making predictions and inferences as we go along. Students are delighted by the bite taken out of the book at the end! The art keeps students wondering and looking. What a creative and well written book.
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Jonathan Scott
4.0 out of 5 stars Great. But, I hope no kids get the wrong idea and hurt themselves.
Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2024
Verified Purchase
I picked up a bunch of children's books recently. I use them when I teach English. The ones I bought were:

A Sick Day for Amos McGee
The Incredible Book Eating Boy
Zen Shorts
1 Million Dots

I bought these after I searched on the net for "children's books with a soul." In that search I found the following page: "Design Mom’s Top 50 Picture Books." These were all books that had been published since 2000. I wanted to see some newer, but good quality, books.

A Sick Day for Amos McGee
Very charming and very surprising. I would recommend it to anyone. 5 Stars

The Incredible Book Eating Boy
Also, very funny. I'd be a little worried though that the book might teach kids to start chewing on books. A good book though. 4 stars.

Zen Shorts
Good. The art is wonderful. The outer story seems a little too thin though. It appears to be merely a vehicle for the author to tell the three inner stories from the book...which the author himself did not invent. I would have preferred to see the author put more effort into his own part of the story. In general though, Zen Shorts reminds me of the Disney movies "Song of the South" and "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh." In both of these works, there is also an outer story that serves as a vehicle for smaller stories to be told. Unlike Song of the South and Winnie the Pooh though, there is no time for us to meet and fall in love with any of the characters within the story. Falling in love with the characters is a necessity that was neglected in this book, but was allowed to happen in both "A Sick Day for Amos McGee" and "The Incredible Book Eating Boy."

It's a good book. But it needed to be larger and the author himself needed to contribute more. 3 stars.

1 Million Dots has not yet arrived, so, I can't speak much about it.
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Georgie
5.0 out of 5 stars I want to EAT this book!
Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2020
Verified Purchase
So creative, so gorgeously illustrated! I am an adult artist who collects Oliver Jeffers books because he is brilliant. Let your curiosity get the best of you, find out for yourself!
5 people found this helpful
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Kirk
5.0 out of 5 stars Liked it so much, I even ordered the Spanish version
Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2015
Verified Purchase
My son loves this book. The story line focus is on books, with a good story line, and great funny pictures! Story not too long, but not too short either. I liked it so much for my son that I even ordered the Spanish version. I also love how they have the bottom corner of the book chewed up for imagination purpose of the child.
5 people found this helpful
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EBM
5.0 out of 5 stars Our grandson loves it!
Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2022
Verified Purchase
He’s 4. Loves it so much it was his 1st choice for taking to “Show and Tell” at his Montessori school.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Joana Costa
5.0 out of 5 stars Chegou muito rápido!
Reviewed in Brazil on January 20, 2022
Verified Purchase
Adorei a velocidade pela qual o livro chegou em minha casa. Minha filha já pegou e começou a ler. Ficamos assustados com um risco na última página, pois parecia um livro usado, mas examinando melhor percebemos que fazia parte da ilustração.
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Joana Costa
5.0 out of 5 stars Chegou muito rápido!
Reviewed in Brazil on January 20, 2022
Adorei a velocidade pela qual o livro chegou em minha casa. Minha filha já pegou e começou a ler. Ficamos assustados com um risco na última página, pois parecia um livro usado, mas examinando melhor percebemos que fazia parte da ilustração.
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Cliente de Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars Muy lindo!
Reviewed in Mexico on December 20, 2019
Verified Purchase
Este libro está muy padre. A mi hijo le encanta y ahora que está aprendiendo inglés le ayudará mucho.
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Maggie
5.0 out of 5 stars This is such a fabulous book, encapsulating authenticity at it's finest!!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 21, 2020
Verified Purchase
I was looking to purchase some books for my 5 year old niece and a friend of mine who is an avid book reader suggested I look at the works of Oliver Jeffers. I was highly impressed with his work and illustrations that I decided to purchase this book for myself. This is such a fabulous, special edition of "The Incredible Book Eating Boy". The cover has an almost canvas like texture to it, inscribed with gold text- it is incredible quality and you see that there was no corners cut, just a bite mark to be exact!!

Jeffers is a very talented artist and his creativity does not end with his illustrations alone, the story itself is cleverly constructed and he invites the reader to enter into his mind and understand how the idea for the book developed and evolved and how he wanted it to be different from his previous successes.

Although he uses a different technique from his previous style, you still are aware of Jeffers creative flair throughout the book. There is an incredible amount of detail that goes into all of his stories and he ensures that level of detail both inside and outside the covers! I would highly recommend this book for both children and adults alike. If you appreciate stunning artwork, you will not be disappointed.
Customer image
Maggie
5.0 out of 5 stars This is such a fabulous book, encapsulating authenticity at it's finest!!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 21, 2020
I was looking to purchase some books for my 5 year old niece and a friend of mine who is an avid book reader suggested I look at the works of Oliver Jeffers. I was highly impressed with his work and illustrations that I decided to purchase this book for myself. This is such a fabulous, special edition of "The Incredible Book Eating Boy". The cover has an almost canvas like texture to it, inscribed with gold text- it is incredible quality and you see that there was no corners cut, just a bite mark to be exact!!

Jeffers is a very talented artist and his creativity does not end with his illustrations alone, the story itself is cleverly constructed and he invites the reader to enter into his mind and understand how the idea for the book developed and evolved and how he wanted it to be different from his previous successes.

Although he uses a different technique from his previous style, you still are aware of Jeffers creative flair throughout the book. There is an incredible amount of detail that goes into all of his stories and he ensures that level of detail both inside and outside the covers! I would highly recommend this book for both children and adults alike. If you appreciate stunning artwork, you will not be disappointed.
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3 people found this helpful
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La Ahjumma
5.0 out of 5 stars Encantador
Reviewed in Spain on April 17, 2019
Verified Purchase
Acabo de descubrir hace poco al ilustrador Oliver Jeffers y ya ha pasado a convertirse en uno de mis top ten de autores de libros ilustrados. Un autor capaz de llegar a los adultos y a los niños, con imaginación, grandes ilustraciones, e historias con mensajes.
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Evelyn W.N.
5.0 out of 5 stars Wunderbare Geschichte mit eigenwilligen superschönen Illustrationen
Reviewed in Germany on April 26, 2017
Verified Purchase
Ich liebe die Bücher von Oliver Jeffers und seinen Stil sehr.
Aber dieses Buch ist mir von allen das liebste. Vor allem die Abbildung, wie der Junge das Buch aufisst und es dann in seinen Bauch und sein Hirn kommt.
2 people found this helpful
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