Monday, July 14, 2014

Help! We Need a Title! by Henré Tullet -- OPTIONAL

Tullet, Henré Help! We Need a Title! PICTURE BOOK. Candlewick Press, 2013. $16.99. Content: G.

Uh oh! Readers have shown up to read this book, and the characters are not ready. They don't have a plot. They don't know who the villain is. They don't even have a title. Who should they call? An author, of course. And they know just the one: Henré Tullet.

I felt like I should love this book. It seems creative and offbeat and like something I would enjoy, not to mention Tullet is very well-known for writing Press Here. Unfortunately, while the plot seems like it is supposed to come across as spontaneous and unpredictable, much of it is wandering and slow instead. When I shared it with my four-year-old, she declared it boring and requested a different book before we'd even reached the end. Perhaps others will enjoy the quirky style -- all 64 pages of it -- but, with a few exceptions, we found it much too long and sluggish.

EL (K-3) -- OPTIONAL. Reviewer: Caryn

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