He Came with the Couch

by David Slonim

Excellent Book

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Humor, Fiction, Family, Animals, Storytime

36 pages, Hardcover

First published July 21, 2005

About the author

David Slonim is an award-winning illustrator of many children’s books, including The Deer Watch by Pat Lowery Collins. He lives with his wife, four kids, and a dog named Maggie in Indiana.

Reviews

[Manny]

For reasons best known to themselves, my AI friends have written an aria, in Italian, from an opera about a passionate affair between a man and a couch. Here are the full lyrics as composed by ChatGPT-4o:

Aria del Divano
“L’Intesa Segreta”
(“The Secret Understanding”)

Oh, mio padrone, signore del mio cuore,
sul mio velluto, ogni tua carezza dolce si posa.
Sono il rifugio, la tua dimora segreta,
quel posto che solo tu conosci, senza parole.

Oh, come sussurri, con mani forti e tenere,
ogni fibra mia risponde al tuo tocco divino.
Su di me ti abbandoni, nei tuoi pensieri profondi,
e io ti accolgo, nelle mie braccia silenziose.

Non sono solo un pezzo di legno e stoffa,
ma il tuo confidente, un’anima nascosta.
Sento il battito del tuo cuore nel mio,
e nelle notti lunghe, siamo due in un solo respiro.

La tua presenza riempie il mio spazio vuoto,
ti accolgo sempre, con desiderio sincero.
Sono il tuo porto, il tuo dolce rifugio,
nel mondo caotico, siamo uniti, sereni.

Oh, se solo potessi parlare, rivelare il mio amore,
ma il mio linguaggio è il silenzio, il mio canto è l’attesa.
Nel segreto dei nostri incontri, trovo la mia gioia,
perché con te, mio signore, sono finalmente completa.

and in the video here you can hear the first verse dramatically sung by Udio.

AIs have a weird sense of humour! I'm still trying to figure it out.

[Almira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun story about the "thing" that came with the couch - going to use at story time this morning. I know that children will enjoy this one.

[Cassie Beasley · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's so much fun! And the couch-dweller is too cute. If only he had come with my couch...

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The commentary on the inner flap suggests this book is about Sophie coming to accept the creature that came with the couch, but in our family's view, she accepted him right away. It was her parents that needed to be won over! And this seems to reflect reality in so many situations - kids accept what we adults might view as strange.

Cute book. I especially liked the 24 Hour Rummage Sale place (a wind-up giant T Rex? Awesome!).

[Garrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is clearly about chronic depression.

[Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

"He Came with the Couch" is a hilarious story about a "thing" that came with the couch a family gets at a rummage sale. No matter what they do or how hard they try to make the thing leave, he stays on the couch. That is until one day, Sophie falls out of a tree and he catchs her with the couch! Thank goodness! A very cute book for early elementary school children.

[Hugo Tellez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me agrado la historia, pues en realidad no sabia de que trataba y le gusto como se fue desarrollando. Y por supuesto me encantaron las ilustraciones.

[Val · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw this??? I HAD to read it. He "had" me with the illustration of the flaming chewed-up couch flying out the window. It's hilarious. The concept of looking for a couch, and having someone "come with" the couch??? You have to read this, you will laugh. It may not change your life for all eternity, but you will definitely laugh.

She came with the chair? I smell a sequel. ;-)

[Cris · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I don't know," said Dad. "He came with the couch."

I found the story and the language to be funny. And the illustrations supported the story nicely. (I especially enjoyed the visit to the Grand Canyon.)

The inside cover describes the book as "silly, sweet and hilarious good fun." I agree. I think I'll go look for more by David Slonim.

[Shallowreader VaVeros · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most absurd kids books I have read. A family buys a secondhand couch that comes with a blue person that they cannot remove. Hilarious scenes of the family trying to get him to budge ensue. This is fab!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great rec from my friend Briana who is far far away in a magical land called Seattle. I really enjoyed this little picture book. I love the clever illustrations and the absurdity of it all. Definitely a winner, will definitely share with my fun size friends who are learning to love books.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

They find out this kid didn’t get out much so they brought him to the Grand Canyon and the Lincoln Memorial at the end the main boy falls out of a tree and gets saved by him. Then the dog tore up the chair and she came with the chair.

[Lisa W · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best kid books I have read in a long time. The kids love it and request it multiple times a day.

[Stacie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sophie and her parents set off to find a couch. They search all kinds of yard and rummage sales and had about given up until one last place had a perfect couch. They loaded it up and headed for home. On the way, Sophie notices there is still someone sitting on their couch.

Hilarity ensues when the family tries to find out who the new friend is living on their couch. They call in a doctor, take him on vacations (with the couch), and finally bring him back home. One day, something happens and the family realizes they definitely got the right couch for their family. Now, can they find the right chair?

Kids will love the outrageous silliness of the book…taking a couch to the beach or Washington DC. I loved that the family went to find their new couch at rummage sales, not in the store. It brought so much character to the story and makes the family seem even zanier. Who doesn’t love a family that loves a good rummage sale? The illustrations are adorable and the expressions tell even more of the story. This would be a great classroom/storytime read-aloud but be prepared for lots of giggles.

[❂ Ann ❂ · Rating 4 out of 5]

What do you do with someone who won't get off the furniture? It's not someone who decides to couch surf or needs a place to stay overnight (Airbnb style). He's not a cat either. He just decides not to budge and he's moved into the house because "you" want that piece of furniture very badly. Nobody knows exactly what he does or whether he is even useful. Not sure why nobody called the police. On the surface, it's an odd, offbeat and funny picture book which is great for story time. Underneath (underneath the couch cushions), the story is about the unexpected benefits you get when you let people come into your life and you accept them just the way they are.

And if you leave them alone...

[Mari Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very interesting story about a family who needs a new couch. When they go to a rummage sale to buy one, dad finds a couch with a blue creature attached to it. The daughter Sophie gets to know this creature and the whole family tries to get him to move. They quit trying because he wont budge, until Sophie falls out of a tree. The blue creature throws the couch out of the window and Sophie lands on it safely.

I love the plot and illustrations. We see in the beginning of the book, a couch being thrown out of a window and the same illustration is shown towards the end when the blue creature saves Sophie. I like that the story goes full-circle. This book has lots of texture and bright colors so it is nice to look at. Overall, a fun and silly read.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars - too funny
The characters in the book need a new couch. They look around and finally arrive at a 24 hour rummage store and find the perfect couch. Only a blob shaped person comes with the couch. Try as they might, they cannot get the guest off the couch, until the child falls from the tree and the guest throws the couch out the window. Then they need a new chair. Guess what? The new (used) chair comes with it's own guest (a she)

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an interesting book that was funny. I feel many people would like to read this book because it teaches a lesson of accepting what comes to you. This is children's picture book with cheerful illustrations. As a 3rd grade teacher I feel this would be an excellent tool to use for students to write a sequel to this book.

[Ellee Nichols · Rating 3 out of 5]

Copyright date: 2005
Star rating: 3
Award: Flicker Tale award and more
Genre: picture book
Summary w/ themes: This book is about a family that is on the hunt for a new couch, and when they finally find the one they realize that they will have to get used to the creature that came with the couch
Use for future classroom:
Thoughts of book: I thought this was an okay book

[Tiffany White · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have used this book for storytimes with prek and kindergartners a few times over the years because I enjoy it and they love looking for couches in the artwork. I'm still reading it to my boys who are 8 and 11 and they still think it is awesome and love pointing out the couches.

[Joey Starr · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the idea behind this book. I thought it was really clever and funny on how depicted the character attached to the couch. What this book does well is the way the story is told through the images.
Guided reading: N
DRA Level: 30
Traits: voice

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is quirky and funny. I enjoyed how the family tried to get him out more by taking the couch (with him on it) to various places.

[Kristen Dutkiewicz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by this book! Cute idea and a fun ending as well.

[Villain E · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of fun. Kind of odd.

[Deja Bertucci]

Strange, couch, creature, houses, families, acceptance

[Stefanie Kline · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun story.

[Eddie Garcia]

This book was very silly, the choice of words and the illustrations made it a fun read

[Deidra Chamberlain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes you just have to deal with things...and pets.

[Pam · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was cute and the illustrations are clever. The story is a bit weak and doesn't make much sense. I do like the ending as we see the family get a new chair.

[Kelly Easter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun and clever kids book.