Well no - eating books is not recommended generally by those in the know (although my younger brother did go through a weird paper eating stage when he was younger - don't ask).
But no book blog on picture books would be complete without something by Oliver Jeffers, one of my favourite writers of children's fiction.
The Incredible Book Eating Boy is one i often pick off the library shelves to read to our younger readers when they come to visit the library. It sparks some very interesting conversations on the different ways we absorb knowledge, and whether eating a book rather than reading it would make us smarter!
What I've always found particularly interesting though, is how after reading this book, each child I've read this to - without exception, has gone to the non-fiction section of the library to choose a book on a subject they're interested in, to check out and absorb.
So if only for this reason I would highly recommend this story for young readers, to encourage a love of learning through books. And if it's books that they themselves are choosing, then it's something that they WANT to learn about, rather than being told they should learn about, which ensures that they are fully engaged and enthused about the topic!
But even apart from this, the fact is it's a really good story, as are all books by Oliver Jeffers (I mean seriously, the man seems incapable of writing anything short of brilliant), and if you have the time to discuss the idea of eating books to absorb knowledge with your child you will find yourself in some very interesting (and at times frankly - surreal) conversations :)
Oh and don't miss the Author blurb at the back of the book - my two found it hilarious!
The Incredible Book Eating Boy, Written and Illustrated by Oliver Jeffers, Published by Harper Collins Children's Books.
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