How to Eat a Book - Mr. and Mrs. MacLeod - ★★★

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AUTHORS: Mr. and Mrs. MacLeod
ILLUSTRATOR: Mrs. MacLeod
GENRE: Children's Picture Book
PUBLICATION DATE: October 4, 2022
RATING: 3 stars.


A metaphorical twist on the idea of reading, but I don’t know how many kids will get the point of this story.

Sheila, Gerald, and Geraldine have all been ‘devoured by their books’. Inside their books, Sheila asks a fun question and finds an answer; Gerald explores a new land and discovers a fun monster; Geraldine, who is the wildest of the trio, finds a terrible monster and as she herself is “terrific at being terrible”, she has the time of her life. Soon the books realise that they are the ones being devoured.

The concept is amazing and so imaginative. We bibliophiles always speak in terms of being captivated by a book to such an extent that we forget everything else. This book takes the same idea and gives it a whimsical twist in the sense of the book eating the reader, and later, the reader eating the book. However, as I said earlier, the idea is too surreal for its target age group. Older readers might be able to appreciate the depth of the metaphor a lot more, but even they might require adult guidance to grasp it entirely.

The illustrations are quirky enough to suit the content. The pages outside of the book are black and white while the ones inside are coloured. (Not colourful, but with one dominant colour block.) The artwork appears three-dimensional with the humans and other creatures looking like pop-up cut-outs. It suits the story well.

I am evidently an outlier because almost every other reviewer seems to be praising this to the skies. But this was a bit too surreal for my liking, and I honestly don’t think kids will GET the book. As it’s meant for kids and not adults, I can’t rate it higher.

The book is meant for ages 3 to 8, but I wouldn’t really buy this for anyone under 7. Recommended for those who like highly imaginative and quirky picture books.

My thanks to Union Square Kids and NetGalley for the DRC of “How to Eat a Book”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

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