Review by Booklist Review
The humor of this book within a book is evident: a round-eyed brown-skinned boy with oversize glasses asks plaintively if you have seen his missing book. He explains that you'll recognize it because it has a rosy dragon on the cover, and the insides include a ripping good story about a missing princess named Verbena. You'll know it because it has some words like putrid (stinky) and hideous (gross) to describe the big, ugly, green troll who snatches the princess with the help of his pointy-teethed goblins. Things get more terrifying when a one-eyed hairy wizard appears, wanting to marry the princess. He's got a really, really, really, really long beard and is missing a tooth, and he locks her up. Fortunately, a hamster named SUPERNIBBLES and a handsome knight arrive to unlock her cage. Turns out that by showing us page after page, we have, of course, actually found the book! Perceptive readers will love the insider status they gain as they enjoy the bold cartoon illustrations.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A brown-skinned, bespectacled child with short, fluffy dark hair searches for their missing picture book, The Book of Yore, which they have thoroughly customized with stickers, crossed-out words, taped-in pictures and photos, and more. Emphasizing the refrain "Have you seen this book?" the unnamed child explains both what the fantastical story is about ("This book has everything--a princess, unicorns, a knight, a wizard"), and how they have changed it in DiTerlizzi's simple, child-friendly prose: "There's no hedgehog stickers on this page,/ because it's not as creepy as the goblin page./ And also because I ran out of hedgehog stickers." Booth's graphite and digital art gives the child animation-like expressions and movements, positioning them against mostly white backgrounds while the full-color Book of Yore spreads open before the reader on each page, clearly showcasing both the text of the book and the child's executive changes. A humorous, endearing fourth-wall-breaking picture book. Ages 4--8. (Aug.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3--A bespectacled African American boy searches for his beloved book, The Book of Yore. As he continuously asks the reader about the book's whereabouts, they will spy it within every spread. There are three components to this book: the boy's search, the plot of his book, and things added to the book (drawings, new pages to compensate for missing ones) or the boy (stickers). Booth's illustrations and the book-in-a-book format requires readers to suspend disbelief and it also begs some questions, such as "Why is the book floating there?" and "Why doesn't the boy notice it?" The digital illustrations convey the action well; The Book of Yore is in color while the surroundings are in white and blue. The fervor of search, along with the alternate story, creates enough excitement for reluctant readers. VERDICT A solid purchase, and perhaps a chance to acquaint readers with meta-storytelling.--Jessica Ko, Los Angeles P.L.
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
What would you do if your favorite book, the one you loved so much you made it your own, went missing? A brown-skinned kid with glasses and puffy blue-black hair asks, "Have you seen this book?" So begins a humorous tale within a tale narrated in second-person in which the missing book is described cover to cover by its owner, even as it appears up close, page by page, on every spread. The book in question features pictures of unicorns, a dragon, a troll, and more, not to mention creative embellishments added by the child, like colorful stickers, folded-over corners, a picture of a ring, a survey, a page from a completely different book (to replace one yanked out by a little sister), even a baby picture. This lively tale offers stories on two levels, since the kid's book can be read, too, along with the overarching story. Dynamic and energetic illustrations use a bright palette, a variety of perspectives, and dramatic close-ups of the protagonist's expressions to draw readers in. However, the ending is more than a bit puzzling--ultimately not delivering on the tongue-in-cheek joke that sustains the story, as the kid's book, it seems, may not be missing at all: While the protagonist claims to be looking for the book throughout the story, it appears in their outstretched hands at the end. Young readers may have some trouble following this confusing narrative. (This book was reviewed digitally.) An unsatisfying story about an unusual book. (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
