What do you think?
Rate this book
A Book
A BOOK by Mordicai Gerstein, author and a illustrator of numerous children's books including the winner of the Caldecott Award (2004) with The Man Who Walked Between the Towers. In Korean. Distributed by Tsai Fong Books, Inc.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published April 14, 2009
2 people are currently reading
358 people want to read
About the author
Mordicai Gerstein
101 books72 followersMordicai Gerstein was an American artist, writer, and film director, best known for illustrating and writing children's books. He illustrated the comic mystery fiction series Something Queer is Going On.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 169 reviews
December 27, 2014
A book about people living in a book. Where one of the characters, (a little girl) tries to figure out what sort of story she's living in.
For my part, I have to say that I found it delightfully meta. But that's the sort of person I am.
As a kids book though, I have to say, this is full of stuff that most kids aren't going to be able to understand and/or appreciate.
But my oldest boy (age 5) likes it well enough. And asks for it to be read and re-read to him. So there's plenty there for kids, too.
For my part, I have to say that I found it delightfully meta. But that's the sort of person I am.
As a kids book though, I have to say, this is full of stuff that most kids aren't going to be able to understand and/or appreciate.
But my oldest boy (age 5) likes it well enough. And asks for it to be read and re-read to him. So there's plenty there for kids, too.
August 12, 2009
(This is my review number 750 for Goodreads.)
This book really tickled my funny bone, and it’s yet another creative picture book; I’ve read so many clever picture books lately.
In this one, a young girl knows she’s in a book but doesn’t know what the book’s/her story is. She goes searching for her story, through many different genres of children’s (some for adults too) books, and the end result is very satisfying.
I loved all the illustrations. Particularly funny (and accurate) were the pictures with the family at the dining table with the cat and dog bowls both full and ignored, while the dog’s & cat’s attention was solely on the food for the humans. The way the illustrations are done, it does seem as though the characters are looking up at the reader from their book, which is an interesting perspective.
This book will be of interest to aspiring writers, and might be encouraging to reluctant readers and writers.
The concept is an excellent idea and it was done very well. It’s a lot of fun and will appeal to kids ages 4 or 5 all the way to 11, a wide range, and to this adult too.
This book really tickled my funny bone, and it’s yet another creative picture book; I’ve read so many clever picture books lately.
In this one, a young girl knows she’s in a book but doesn’t know what the book’s/her story is. She goes searching for her story, through many different genres of children’s (some for adults too) books, and the end result is very satisfying.
I loved all the illustrations. Particularly funny (and accurate) were the pictures with the family at the dining table with the cat and dog bowls both full and ignored, while the dog’s & cat’s attention was solely on the food for the humans. The way the illustrations are done, it does seem as though the characters are looking up at the reader from their book, which is an interesting perspective.
This book will be of interest to aspiring writers, and might be encouraging to reluctant readers and writers.
The concept is an excellent idea and it was done very well. It’s a lot of fun and will appeal to kids ages 4 or 5 all the way to 11, a wide range, and to this adult too.
September 7, 2019
"Once, in A Book by Mordicai Gerstein, published by Roaring Brook Press, New York, there lived a family of characters." And so begins this creative picture-book tribute to the art of the book, which follows its nameless heroine as she sets out to find her story. Is it a fairy tale, perhaps? A mystery? A pirate adventure, or historical epic? In the end, she must decide for herself...
A humorous exploration of genre and voice, readership and narration, A Book both enlightens and entertains. In one amusing scene, the young heroine stares up from the page, startled to discover the existence of her audience. This role-reversal, in which the reader becomes the object of attention, affords children the opportunity to reflect on their own part in the reading process. The innovative narrative format, together with Gerstein's whimsical illustrations, makes for a most satisfying (and unusual) book experience. Highly recommended - I thank my friend Lisa for bringing it to my attention!
A humorous exploration of genre and voice, readership and narration, A Book both enlightens and entertains. In one amusing scene, the young heroine stares up from the page, startled to discover the existence of her audience. This role-reversal, in which the reader becomes the object of attention, affords children the opportunity to reflect on their own part in the reading process. The innovative narrative format, together with Gerstein's whimsical illustrations, makes for a most satisfying (and unusual) book experience. Highly recommended - I thank my friend Lisa for bringing it to my attention!
June 25, 2010
I wasn't sure at first whether I would like this book, but by the end I really loved it! It is so funny and fantastical and unusual--I love the beginning, "There was a father and a mother, a girl and a boy, and some pets. When the book was closed it was night in the book and the family slept. When the book was open, it was morning and the family woke up." Then, they begin their day--all the characters have something to do, except the little girl. So she sets out to find HER story. Along the way, she bumps into some members of her family who are enjoying THEIR story--but, in the end, she comes up with a different solution for herself. There is also some awesome "reader/character" interaction when the character talks to you--so funny! It's also a nice introduction to different genres of books. The illustrations are so detailed and humorous. Great fun!
October 26, 2010
I think Mordicai Gerstein’s idea of writing a book, about a book is clever, but somehow I struggled to understand what his intentions were. Was he hoping that the readers would be inspired to write a story of their own, or perhaps maybe he thought the reader would appreciate the little girl’s journey as she searched for her own story? I wasn’t inspired, and I finished the story not liking the little girl.
This interactive tale starts with a black page that explains, “when the book was closed it was night in the book and the family slept.” The pages that follow are drawn showing a bird’s eye view of a family. The little girl asks her family at the breakfast table “I know we live in a book, but what’s our story?” As each member of her family shares their story and leaves the page, the little girl is left alone to search for her own story. She first meets a goose that informs her that she better have a good story or the readers will close the book. At this point, the reader discovers they are a part of the story, when the little girl looks up, shrieks, and says, “what’s that huge… blobby thing that looks like a face?” The goose decided to help, and as they rush off to the next page they travel along a path with characters from various fairy tales on both sides. As the story continues, the girl meets multiple characters that try to help her find her story. She travels to the sea, back in time, to space, and ends up back at the family table for dinner where she declares, “My story is that of a young girl that doesn’t know her story and so….. she writes her own story; and I shall become an author!” All the members of her family are pleased. She signals the end of the story by asking the reader to close the book so she can go to sleep.
While the story is funny, I didn’t love it. The drawn illustrations are detailed and interesting because they look like the reader is really looking down on the pages, and creative speech bubbles guide the reader along. I felt let down because, after reading The Man Who Walked Between The Towers, one of Gerstein’s other books, I expected this to be a sure favorite. While the illustrations had no problem keeping me engaged, the story was a bit forced and didn’t keep me entertained.
If used in a classroom, the book would be appropriate for teaching writers about an audience, and voice. The best part of the story, and the most classroom friendly component, are the genres (historical fiction, science fiction, mysteries and fairy tales) the little girl visits. As he has the little girl search for her story, the author attempts to educate young readers as he identifies the genres by name. While I was turned off by the story, I’m not completely opposed to using it in the classroom, and chances are a K-5th grader may actually like it (a 2nd-5th grader would understand it best)!
This interactive tale starts with a black page that explains, “when the book was closed it was night in the book and the family slept.” The pages that follow are drawn showing a bird’s eye view of a family. The little girl asks her family at the breakfast table “I know we live in a book, but what’s our story?” As each member of her family shares their story and leaves the page, the little girl is left alone to search for her own story. She first meets a goose that informs her that she better have a good story or the readers will close the book. At this point, the reader discovers they are a part of the story, when the little girl looks up, shrieks, and says, “what’s that huge… blobby thing that looks like a face?” The goose decided to help, and as they rush off to the next page they travel along a path with characters from various fairy tales on both sides. As the story continues, the girl meets multiple characters that try to help her find her story. She travels to the sea, back in time, to space, and ends up back at the family table for dinner where she declares, “My story is that of a young girl that doesn’t know her story and so….. she writes her own story; and I shall become an author!” All the members of her family are pleased. She signals the end of the story by asking the reader to close the book so she can go to sleep.
While the story is funny, I didn’t love it. The drawn illustrations are detailed and interesting because they look like the reader is really looking down on the pages, and creative speech bubbles guide the reader along. I felt let down because, after reading The Man Who Walked Between The Towers, one of Gerstein’s other books, I expected this to be a sure favorite. While the illustrations had no problem keeping me engaged, the story was a bit forced and didn’t keep me entertained.
If used in a classroom, the book would be appropriate for teaching writers about an audience, and voice. The best part of the story, and the most classroom friendly component, are the genres (historical fiction, science fiction, mysteries and fairy tales) the little girl visits. As he has the little girl search for her story, the author attempts to educate young readers as he identifies the genres by name. While I was turned off by the story, I’m not completely opposed to using it in the classroom, and chances are a K-5th grader may actually like it (a 2nd-5th grader would understand it best)!
April 4, 2013
Breaking the boundary between author/illustrator and reader, this cleverly-written picture book can be summed up as a story about a character in search of a story. Starting with her father, each of the characters heads off to star in their own stories. She wanders into various types of stories, including fair tales with familiar characters such as the three bears from "Goldilocks and the Three Bears," the wolf from "Little Red Riding-Hood," and from there she heads into mysteries with their familiar elements. Ever aware of the reader peeking down at her, she scrambles away from a rabbit hole, through pirate stories, into historical fiction where everyone seems to want to put her to work, into science fiction where she finds her brother, and finally, back home where she decides to write her own story. Not only did I enjoy the story itself with its illustrated depictions of characters and scenes from easily recognized tales, but I liked how the story began on the title page and how the next two black pages show outlines of the family asleep in bed. The last two pages return to this design with the outline of the girl asleep again with a tiny outline of the family cat, noticeable because of its glowing eyes and a faint shadow around its form. This wonderfully imaginative book is a must-read. While the pages contain lots of characters spouting off dialogue, it's fun to share because it stretches the imagination.
January 29, 2015
This is a super cute story about a family who live in a book and each member of the family (even the pets) has their own story. All except for the little girl who tries her best to find her own story as she wanders through the stories of the other members of her family. It's probably something that would appeal more to older kids as you'd need to understand the references to fairy tales, mysteries and other types of books but I thought it was very sweet.
December 3, 2013
I absolutely loved this book. I thought it was a great idea to write a book about the characters in a book. I would use this book to talk about writers' block, the girl in the story had to go through many stories that didn't fit her, to find her story. Students can relate to this when they say, I don't have anything to write about!
July 24, 2009
A nice book to read one-on-one with someone over 5. I don't think the under-5 crowd would get it.
September 9, 2019
Lots of giggles! This was a cute one.
June 4, 2012
Want to read a book that titled “A Book?” I mean, who wouldn’t? Here is a picture book that breaks the fourth wall. It is clever, artistic, and fun.
Gerstein gets creative with this delightful book. It is the story of a girl who wishes to know her place in the current story. Everyone else in her family knows what people are reading about them, but where does she fit in?
This is an intelligent picture book in which readers are actually looking down on the pages as if they are watching a play with actors from a high balcony. It is fun for children, while adults can appreciate the art and logic as well. It may be a bit confusing at times since the story becomes itself in the end. The girls story becomes the one the readers are reading. For children, this circular reading may not be followed too closely, but there are still pleasing adventures on each page that are spread with color and detail.
As for the art and writing of the novel, adults can even appreciate this book for certain qualities that may not exist in a 500 page, picture-less novel. This book uses color, space, and dialogue to emphasize the search for meaning and sense in one’s life. It accomplishes this by journeying through a seemingly blank story until its character has an important epiphany.
The color of this novel is very unique. First, the end pages are blue which suggest a sense of curiosity to the reader. Also, it is a vibrant blue that promises excitement.
Second, the first page is black, a mysterious beginning that will actually become an important theme throughout the novel. My favorite color technique used by Gerstein however is the not-quite-white background used on many pages. This blankness represents possibilities, it exists for the things that are unsaid and unseen, but are still important to the story. Also, it invokes the reader’s imagination. The color scheme is clearly well thought out to help create the story.
Gerstein also makes a wonderful use of space on his novel’s pages. Everything is oddly spaced and a bit chaotic. Especially when the girl is in someone else’s story, the spaces tighten and constrict. I believe this is the author’s portrayal of the girl trying to fit in a place she does not belong – someone else’s story.
A Book also has the most unique dialogue in any book I’ve ever read. First, nearly every sentence is an exclamatory or an interrogative sentence. This helped show that stories are exciting, but also that questions need to be asked in order to progress throughout the story. It is by questioning things around her that the girl comes to her important epiphany. Second, the dialogue addresses the reader directly. Throughout the story it emphasized the outward perspective of the reader. The language reiterates the fact, that we readers are just strangers in this story. We don’t even get to know the girls name.
I think Gerstein is saying to his readers, “your story is exciting; you just have to discover it.”
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a modern read. It may be a picture book, and you may feel silly reading a book designed for children, but this book has some clever designs that are worth discovering. There is so much beneath this story that you should really read it more than once.
Gerstein gets creative with this delightful book. It is the story of a girl who wishes to know her place in the current story. Everyone else in her family knows what people are reading about them, but where does she fit in?
This is an intelligent picture book in which readers are actually looking down on the pages as if they are watching a play with actors from a high balcony. It is fun for children, while adults can appreciate the art and logic as well. It may be a bit confusing at times since the story becomes itself in the end. The girls story becomes the one the readers are reading. For children, this circular reading may not be followed too closely, but there are still pleasing adventures on each page that are spread with color and detail.
As for the art and writing of the novel, adults can even appreciate this book for certain qualities that may not exist in a 500 page, picture-less novel. This book uses color, space, and dialogue to emphasize the search for meaning and sense in one’s life. It accomplishes this by journeying through a seemingly blank story until its character has an important epiphany.
The color of this novel is very unique. First, the end pages are blue which suggest a sense of curiosity to the reader. Also, it is a vibrant blue that promises excitement.
Second, the first page is black, a mysterious beginning that will actually become an important theme throughout the novel. My favorite color technique used by Gerstein however is the not-quite-white background used on many pages. This blankness represents possibilities, it exists for the things that are unsaid and unseen, but are still important to the story. Also, it invokes the reader’s imagination. The color scheme is clearly well thought out to help create the story.
Gerstein also makes a wonderful use of space on his novel’s pages. Everything is oddly spaced and a bit chaotic. Especially when the girl is in someone else’s story, the spaces tighten and constrict. I believe this is the author’s portrayal of the girl trying to fit in a place she does not belong – someone else’s story.
A Book also has the most unique dialogue in any book I’ve ever read. First, nearly every sentence is an exclamatory or an interrogative sentence. This helped show that stories are exciting, but also that questions need to be asked in order to progress throughout the story. It is by questioning things around her that the girl comes to her important epiphany. Second, the dialogue addresses the reader directly. Throughout the story it emphasized the outward perspective of the reader. The language reiterates the fact, that we readers are just strangers in this story. We don’t even get to know the girls name.
I think Gerstein is saying to his readers, “your story is exciting; you just have to discover it.”
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a modern read. It may be a picture book, and you may feel silly reading a book designed for children, but this book has some clever designs that are worth discovering. There is so much beneath this story that you should really read it more than once.
May 28, 2013
Do you ever get the idea that children's book authors are just trying to out-clever each other? That some authors aren't necessarily looking for the next great story but instead for the next great concept? That some authors are looking for readers to be impressed rather than engaged? That is how I felt when I began Mordicai Gerstein's "A Book." Gerstein has a lot of fun playing around with the concept of books, and in doing so he introduces readers to various genres. In "A Book," the character named "the girl" is trying to figure out what her story is. Her father, mother, and brother all have their own stories, but she is concerned with figuring out what kind of story her story will be. She travels through the pages of the book getting advice from various characters about what kind of story she should pursue. Ms. Goose suggests a fairy tale, the detective suggests a mystery, a cat suggests a historical novel, and so on. The illustrations in this book are not like traditional picture book illustrations. They are formatted in such a way that readers feel like they are looking down upon the characters who literally live inside the covers of the book. The characters even at one point look up and see the book's reader. It is all very meta. It is all very clever. As I said, when I began the book I almost rolled my eyes at the over-the-top cuteness of the concept. However, once I got into the girl's journey, once I thought about the difficult decision she had to make when there are so many story options to choose from, once I got into the spirit of this fascinating journey through the various genres of stories, I was won over by Gerstein's storytelling. He honors literature with this book and reveals to readers the power that exists in stories of all kinds ... and the stories that exist inside each of us.
May 6, 2012
Type: Picture story book (fantasy)
Audience: grades 2-4
Metafiction is very popular lately. This could be because of the success of David Macaulay's postmodern picture books. Or perhaps it's because all our interactions are becoming meta-interactions and therefore we can easily relate. Think: reality television shows where people know their "lives" are being watched. (Of course the lives are changed because they are being watched and therefore it can't truly be a person's life but is instead a dramatic performance for an audience.) The same is true for the personal journals that people write...and then post online for a viewing audience. In A Book, by the great Mordicai Gerstein, a group of characters are living their lives in the book. At one point, the girl looks up at the reader and shows surprise at being viewed. What I liked most about A Book was that it showed how everyone has the potential to have their lives captured in a book. There is no type of person or career that can be excluded. In this sense, the future is open and the possibilities for success are endless.
Illustrations:
The point of view is very important here and the perspective is often arial. There are lots of fun characters leading, following, and meandering their way to where they need to be.
Lessons:
--What types of people are typically covered in books we read. Why?
--How are people falsely portrayed in books, for instance female scientists?
Book Pairing (for the adventurous):
--Black and White, David Macaulay (four stories in one)
--We Are in a Book!, Mo Willems
--The Three Pigs, David Weisner (they climb off the page and into other stories, and back again)
Other:
http://www.teachingbooks.net/author_c...
Audience: grades 2-4
Metafiction is very popular lately. This could be because of the success of David Macaulay's postmodern picture books. Or perhaps it's because all our interactions are becoming meta-interactions and therefore we can easily relate. Think: reality television shows where people know their "lives" are being watched. (Of course the lives are changed because they are being watched and therefore it can't truly be a person's life but is instead a dramatic performance for an audience.) The same is true for the personal journals that people write...and then post online for a viewing audience. In A Book, by the great Mordicai Gerstein, a group of characters are living their lives in the book. At one point, the girl looks up at the reader and shows surprise at being viewed. What I liked most about A Book was that it showed how everyone has the potential to have their lives captured in a book. There is no type of person or career that can be excluded. In this sense, the future is open and the possibilities for success are endless.
Illustrations:
The point of view is very important here and the perspective is often arial. There are lots of fun characters leading, following, and meandering their way to where they need to be.
Lessons:
--What types of people are typically covered in books we read. Why?
--How are people falsely portrayed in books, for instance female scientists?
Book Pairing (for the adventurous):
--Black and White, David Macaulay (four stories in one)
--We Are in a Book!, Mo Willems
--The Three Pigs, David Weisner (they climb off the page and into other stories, and back again)
Other:
http://www.teachingbooks.net/author_c...
Read
December 6, 2012Gerstein, Mordicai. (2009). A Book. New Milford, Connecticut: Roaring Brook. 48 pp. ISBN 978-1-59643-251-2 (Hardcover); $16.95.
In a hilarious spoof on literary genres, a young girl attempts to visualize her place in the world. Just how does one communicate the essential details of life to others? Gerstein’s book serves as an excellent introduction to various types of literature. As well as being laugh out loud funny, Gerstein manages to provide students with much to ponder germane to potential careers and how we see ourselves a few years down the road. Students will consider whether our career choices truly reflect how we wish the world to understand our actions and our lives. The perspective of the book matches the text expertly. The text directly addresses readers. At one point, when the girl looks up and notices my face staring at her for the first time—we can well imagine her terror! Humor that has us recognizing our self and learning a bit more about our world and ourselves is a characteristic of the very finest in literature. This book is humor at its very best and that rare fantasy that provides immediate gratification to younger students, with enough depth to satisfy older readers as well—even readers celebrating their 18 anniversary of their 17th birthday.
In a hilarious spoof on literary genres, a young girl attempts to visualize her place in the world. Just how does one communicate the essential details of life to others? Gerstein’s book serves as an excellent introduction to various types of literature. As well as being laugh out loud funny, Gerstein manages to provide students with much to ponder germane to potential careers and how we see ourselves a few years down the road. Students will consider whether our career choices truly reflect how we wish the world to understand our actions and our lives. The perspective of the book matches the text expertly. The text directly addresses readers. At one point, when the girl looks up and notices my face staring at her for the first time—we can well imagine her terror! Humor that has us recognizing our self and learning a bit more about our world and ourselves is a characteristic of the very finest in literature. This book is humor at its very best and that rare fantasy that provides immediate gratification to younger students, with enough depth to satisfy older readers as well—even readers celebrating their 18 anniversary of their 17th birthday.
August 1, 2010
I like the unique perspective in this book quite a lot. Literally. The illustrations are done from an angled overhead view that helps the characters pop off the page with a shadow behind them. The idea behind the plot is also very creative, exploring different types of stories as well as presenting a metaphor for career choices. I really enjoyed this but had some problems falling in love with the book. While I like the illustrations, I'm not sure that the quality of the page design is quite as good. Additionally, the sharp corners of the dialog seem to stand out both too much, by not blending with the curvy lines of the pictures and too little by being easy to miss. It might have helped to have the background be a darker colour or to use a more standard speech bubble with rounded or oval-shaped edges. Of course, that would have been harder to draw with the odd overhead perspective. My other issue is with the stereotypical gender roles. While the fire-fighting mother is great, I dislike that the cat has to be a girl and the dog a boy. More importantly, the main character, a girl, seems weak and is unnecessarily dressed in a dress.
March 7, 2017
I don't care for this one. It is natural to compare it to Willems's We Are in a Book, another story where the characters are aware they are in a book and try to interact with the reader, as well as to, to a lesser extent, Donaldsen's Charlie Cook's Favorite Book, Klausmeier's Open This Little Book, and Mitchell's Cloud Atlas. A Book is my least favorite of all of these.
The story and the pictures are not that engaging, and I'm incapable of quieting that little part of me that wants to know the rules of this universe (wait, so there are parallel stories going on for the other family members, even though each page is a specific locale? Does this mean the other family members left this book and went to another? But they all explicitly live in the same book, and time is determined by whether this book is opened or closed. But then again, time passes at a different pace for her brother?)
My three-year-old seems to like it; he doesn't really talk about it much, but he'll reach for it when he can't find a train book.
my favorite quote: "Taste my roof! Taste my door! You can even eat my floor!"
The story and the pictures are not that engaging, and I'm incapable of quieting that little part of me that wants to know the rules of this universe (wait, so there are parallel stories going on for the other family members, even though each page is a specific locale? Does this mean the other family members left this book and went to another? But they all explicitly live in the same book, and time is determined by whether this book is opened or closed. But then again, time passes at a different pace for her brother?)
My three-year-old seems to like it; he doesn't really talk about it much, but he'll reach for it when he can't find a train book.
my favorite quote: "Taste my roof! Taste my door! You can even eat my floor!"
July 3, 2012
Once upon a time there was a family that lived in a book. Everyone in the family, including the cat and the dog and the fish, knew exactly what their story was and in the morning they each went their way. The mother went off to fight fires and the father rode off on his unicycle to be a clown, but their daughter didn’t know what her story was, so she went to the next page to find it. On her search she encountered all sorts of characters and genres, from fairytale characters to pirates, from historical novels to mystery stories, but none of them were her story. Will the girl find her story and what will it be?
This clever book, fun for an upper elementary school audience, is full of sight and word gags. The illustrations are detailed and drawn from a unique perspective, as though the reader is looking down at the characters on the page. The text is mostly speech bubbles, which makes all the dialogue from so many characters easy to read and distinguish.
Full Review at Picture-Book-a-Day: http://picturebookaday.blogspot.com/2...
This clever book, fun for an upper elementary school audience, is full of sight and word gags. The illustrations are detailed and drawn from a unique perspective, as though the reader is looking down at the characters on the page. The text is mostly speech bubbles, which makes all the dialogue from so many characters easy to read and distinguish.
Full Review at Picture-Book-a-Day: http://picturebookaday.blogspot.com/2...
Read
December 17, 2015This is a great science fiction fantasy book. A little girl is trying to figure out who she is and what she wants to do. The family all lives in a book. The little girl is the only one who didn’t have a job or place she went to every day. The little girl sets out on an adventure trying to figure out who she is. This book fits into the science fiction category because it is all about fantasy, and things that could never happen. It does have real things in it, but much of what happens isn’t possible. Kids would love a story such as this because they are able to use their imagination.
The text trait present in this book would be presentation. On every page there is a good amount of picture, but it isn’t overwhelming. There are many areas with just neutral colors. None of the pages are overwhelming. Every event leads into the next until the little girl finds her glitch. This book could be used during a lesson where students are going to write about a fantasy of theirs. This is a level 2.3 book.
The text trait present in this book would be presentation. On every page there is a good amount of picture, but it isn’t overwhelming. There are many areas with just neutral colors. None of the pages are overwhelming. Every event leads into the next until the little girl finds her glitch. This book could be used during a lesson where students are going to write about a fantasy of theirs. This is a level 2.3 book.
December 2, 2017
A Book is about a girl who is able to break the fourth wall and is looking for a place to belong. The rest of her family are already apart of stories but her. She is able to jump through other stories passing all sorts of genres like mystery, adventure, and fantasy.
Although fourth wall breaking isn't the first of its kind nor the last, A Book provides more than enough and engages the reader multiple times as the characters interact along with the reader. I really enjoyed watching the girl go from story to story looking for a place to belong and suggest this story for young readers who are looking to find themselves. Highly recommended!
Although fourth wall breaking isn't the first of its kind nor the last, A Book provides more than enough and engages the reader multiple times as the characters interact along with the reader. I really enjoyed watching the girl go from story to story looking for a place to belong and suggest this story for young readers who are looking to find themselves. Highly recommended!
November 28, 2017
I've read a lot of 'meta' children's books lately, and homages to books, stories, libraries and readers are always worth checking out, imo. But this combines the two, and also explores particular genres, and explores a bit about the craft of story-making... and does it all with verve and humor. I recommend it not only for those who already love to read, but to those children you're trying to encourage to read more.
August 20, 2009
I knew from Becky's review to expect the goose to look up at the reader, and yet it still surprised me! What a neat trick.
Not surprisingly, my favorite page is the last one, with a tiny black cat in the corner, sitting in the dark.
This would be fun to use in the classroom to inspire students to write their own story.
Not surprisingly, my favorite page is the last one, with a tiny black cat in the corner, sitting in the dark.
This would be fun to use in the classroom to inspire students to write their own story.
April 5, 2010
This playful book is about a family that lives inside a book. Of all the characters in the book, only the little girl is missing a story. Fairy tale characters, pirates and detectives show up as she searches for her story.
Your Turn to Write: Write what you think happens to your favorite characters after the book is closed. Do they go to sleep? Do they have a secret adventure?
Your Turn to Write: Write what you think happens to your favorite characters after the book is closed. Do they go to sleep? Do they have a secret adventure?
April 16, 2011
This is a fun book that shows how one little girl found inspiration to write her story. The premise of the book is very unique, with the family living between the pages of the book. There is a bit of interaction between the reader and the characters in the story and it makes for a fun tale to read aloud, despite the overwhelming amount of dialogue.
August 17, 2011
"Once in a book by Mordecai Gerstein ... there lived a family of characters." This is the tale of one little girl's search for her own story.
The reader looks into the book as if looking into this family's life. This makes it hard to read in story time but it would be a great book to read to just one child.
The reader looks into the book as if looking into this family's life. This makes it hard to read in story time but it would be a great book to read to just one child.
February 29, 2012
This story is about a little girl who is the only character in the book who does not know what her story is. She goes on a search to find the story unique to her. She meets many characters who naturally show her different book genres.
This book is fantastic! I laughed out loud at the words and I thoroughly enjoyed the illustrations. I love every little detail in this book.
This book is fantastic! I laughed out loud at the words and I thoroughly enjoyed the illustrations. I love every little detail in this book.
July 14, 2012
3 1/2 stars. Very detailed and colorful illustrations (loved the shadowing). I loved how dialogue was illustrated. Kids would enjoy the imagination that goes into this book. I appreciated the ending of the story, but I'm not sure I'd use this in the middle school classroom. Overall, well worth the read, but I wasn't overly impressed.
Read
March 16, 2013This book is presented in a very unique perspective. The characters in the book interact with the reader. It definitely draws the reader in and immerses them in the book. The family in the story is introduced as living in a book. This text looks into many different genres of books, all with a very unique perspective.
December 9, 2013
This book is presented in a very unique perspective. The characters in the book interact with the reader. It definitely draws the reader in. The family in the story is introduced as living in a book. This text looks into many different genres of books, all with a very unique perspective. Students can easily relate to the characters and really engages them into the book.
October 9, 2013
A family lives in this book, and when you open the pages, you bring that family's stories to life. Each character, from the father to the goldfish has a story they are making. Everyone, that is, except the young girl who does not know what her story is. So, she goes in pursuit of it traveling page by page in hopes of finding the perfect story for her.
April 27, 2014
This was a very cute story. It took a different form than anything I had read before. It is about a little girl that goes through the whole book trying to find "her story" and come upon many things that are just not her. The whole time the reader is looking down on the girl and everything that is happening to her from up above. Very interesting and nicely done.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 169 reviews