Sometimes I come across a book that is so well written that I can hardly bear to set it down. I just want to spend a quiet time, curled up in a corner, reading on and on. Of course, all too often, life does not allow me to have that quiet time. A dog wants to go out, a cat wants some attention, dinner needs to be cooked, a manuscript needs to be edited, a book needs to be reviewed and so on. It is so frustrating!
Today's picture book is about Roger, who really, really, wants some peace and quiet so that he can read his book. Unfortunately Emily has other ideas.
Roger is reading a book
Today's picture book is about Roger, who really, really, wants some peace and quiet so that he can read his book. Unfortunately Emily has other ideas.
Roger is reading a book
Koen Van Biesen
Translated by Laura Watkinson
Picture Book
For ages 5 and up
Eerdmans, 2015, 978-0-8028-5442-1
Roger is reading a book and he needs some peace and
quiet. He sits on a stool, the glow from a reading lamp lighting up the pages
of his book, and reads. His dog lies at his feet snoozing. Then, on the other
side of the wall, Emily starts playing with a basketball. She bounces it and
makes a lot of noise, which means that Roger has to get up to knock on the
wall. He needs peace and quiet so that he can continue reading his book.
For a short
while all is well until Emily starts singing. Roger knocks on the wall. Emily starts
playing the drums, Roger pounds on the wall. Emily juggles, she dances, and she
hits a boxing bag. Emily makes so much noise that Roger is in despair. Something
has to be done about this situation.
This
wonderfully clever book will delight young readers and will certainly resonate
with their grownups who are probably very familiar with Roger’s predicament.
The author finds a perfect way to solve Roger’s problem, and then presents us
with another one that brings the story to a perfect close.
With a minimal
text and lots of sound words, this is the kind of book young children will enjoy
looking through on their own. They will love seeing what the dog does as the
story unfolds, for the dog, in the end, steals the whole show.
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