PICTURE BOOK REVIEW: The Day the Books Disappeared by Joanna Ho, Caroline Kusin Pritchard & Dan Santat
ABOUT THE BOOK
When Arnold realizes—POOF!—he can make the other books vanish, he goes a little too far. Before he knows it, all the books are gone…including his. Can Arnold figure out how to bring them back before it’s too late?
This book about books celebrates themes of empathy, interconnectedness, and the value of diverse and differing perspectives.
REVIEW
A bunch of clever touches pushes this book from enjoyable to fabulous. Under the book jacket, the book cover looks like the book that Arnold is reading in the story. The pretend 'crayon' markings that make it look like the book has been 'drawn' in by an enthusiastic child. And Arnold, a very relatable child, who doesn't understand how the other students in his class can be interested in anything other than airplanes, like him. (This is true of many children, who often share their disdain with their teachers, librarians, and classmates). What I love about the book is the way that Arnold learns to appreciate others' interests and even expands his own interests in the process. As he wishes for the other books to disappear, he inadvertently causes his own book to disappear which upsets him a great deal. He searches for a way to get his book back and in the process opens his own mind to the perspectives of his classmates. The way the author refers to smiles and frowns as "Us" and "upside-down Us" makes for some fun imagery. As always, Santat's illustrations are delightful with a lot of kid-appeal. Those airplane and submarine drawings are especially eye-popping. A great book for encouraging students to expand their horizons and appreciate the fact that others have interests different than their own. The book also highlights the dangers found in banning books that may be exactly what others may want and need. Highly recommended for both individual and group reading.
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