Elspeth Lorraine

“Sheila sat down to eat her first book, and the strangest thing happened … The book ate her!” Heck yes! I love a seriously cool opening. Meet Sheila, Gerald, and Geraldine Grunion, cousins (and children) destined to be eaten by books. Sheila spirals into space, Gerald follows the letters until he meets a Bug-a-Boo, and Geraldine (my favorite) tore her way into scaring a T-Rex with her terrifically terrible self. These kids get positively swallowed up until … the children began eating the books! “One word at a time”. We hear the somewhat philosophical questions each child is left to ponder and then we get the best advice I’ve ever gotten in a children’s book. “The way to eat a book is to LET THE BOOK EAT YOU!”

Bits and Pieces: The names of the kids, the cat, the word “chomp”, and the lil salamander guy. These are all some of the reasons this book will be a classic. I searched all around and all I can definitively see is the art was created with “dipped pen and ink with cut paper and light”. Am I the only book nerd who is BEGGING the illustrators to tell us more? Tell me everything! Why this medium? How does it work? Can we see a video of you doing it? I’m sorry Mrs. and Mr. Macleod have to bear the brunt of my obnoxious begging, but this message is for all artists. And if it helps, it’s only because I care so much. 

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Not Sure About: This may be the lamest “Not Sure About” I’ve ever done. The color palette wasn’t my favorite. But honestly, the art was so fun and engaging and unique I hesitate to even express the opinion. 

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Favorite Part: Anytime Geraldine was growling and prowling and being terrifically terrible. “And Geraldine would never be tamed” was the best line.