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How to Live Forever
Book lovers of all ages can take an enchanted journey through a labyrinthine fantasy library filled with every book ever written, where the shelves come alive at night, like teeming miniature cities. One night, a young boy who resides in a cookbook stumbles upon a long-lost file card for a book called How to Live Forever and sets off to find the missing volume. Thus begins a journey through mystifying literary mazes in Colin Thompson's tour de force of wit, wisdom, and boundless imagination.
1 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1995
28 people are currently reading
895 people want to read
About the author
Colin Thompson
120 books122 followersSince he started writing and illustrating children's books in 1990, Colin Thompson has had more than 50 books published. He has received several awards, including an Aurealis Award for the novel HOW TO LIVE FOREVER and the CBC Picture Book of the Year in 2006 for THE SHORT AND INCREDIBLY HAPPY LIFE OF RILEY. He has been shortlisted for many other awards, including the Astrid Lindgren Award - the most prestigious children's literature prize in the world.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Colin lives in Bellingen, Australia. His books with Random House Australia include HOW TO LIVE FOREVER, numerous picture books, THE FLOODS series, THE DRAGONS series, THE BIG LITTLE BOOK OF HAPPY SADNESS picture book, which has been shortlisted for the 2009 Children’s Book Council Award for Best Picture Book, and FREE TO A GOOD HOME.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Colin lives in Bellingen, Australia. His books with Random House Australia include HOW TO LIVE FOREVER, numerous picture books, THE FLOODS series, THE DRAGONS series, THE BIG LITTLE BOOK OF HAPPY SADNESS picture book, which has been shortlisted for the 2009 Children’s Book Council Award for Best Picture Book, and FREE TO A GOOD HOME.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 143 reviews
August 14, 2014
This is a charming and wise story for children, about a boy called Peter, and his search for a mysterious book that will teach him how to live forever.
He lives in a library, which at night turns into a city and becomes alive. He and his family live in the cookery section, in a book called "Quinces".
His adventure looking for this book take us into all sorts of magical pictures - they really are a delight - and the outcome has a moral we do well to learn.
This is not a book for teenies, at my library it was in the "older picture book" section, but the illustrations are a pleasure for all ages, as are the fun titles of the books in the library....for instance "The Lada That Time Forgot" sitting next to "Last Volvo in Paris". It is a picture book though, with only a small amount of text.
Most of all I think one would get pleasure sharing the illustrations with children. Each drawing is rich in unexpected surprises.
He lives in a library, which at night turns into a city and becomes alive. He and his family live in the cookery section, in a book called "Quinces".
His adventure looking for this book take us into all sorts of magical pictures - they really are a delight - and the outcome has a moral we do well to learn.
This is not a book for teenies, at my library it was in the "older picture book" section, but the illustrations are a pleasure for all ages, as are the fun titles of the books in the library....for instance "The Lada That Time Forgot" sitting next to "Last Volvo in Paris". It is a picture book though, with only a small amount of text.
Most of all I think one would get pleasure sharing the illustrations with children. Each drawing is rich in unexpected surprises.
June 7, 2011
Amazingly outstanding illustrations! One of the best libraries ever!
I’d say the story is a kind of for the younger set, but I’m not so sure the story is for the younger set.
It features one of the most creative libraries ever, and I had to read the book twice, once taking very, very, very long to read it. The titles of some of the books are so clever and so amusing and so much fun. It’s impossible to just read the book because it takes so long to read the illustrations, the main text of the book would make no sense; the reader would have to struggle to remember what it said one page to the next. So, at least two readings are required to fully read the book.
Kids will enjoy the simple story and the big picture illustrations. Older, more well read readers, children, teens, and adults, will “get” all the illustrations, which are time consuming to read.
For me, the story was just okay, and not anything all that special, though some readers might find it thought provoking and an interesting springboard for discussion. The illustrations are special, and they are a big part of the story; they were the part of the story I most loved. The book titles, the colors, the changes in art style and colors, the rivers in the library, the stairs made out of books, and so much more, I found utterly enchanting. I have to give this book 5 stars; the pictures are just too creatively done to assign it any fewer stars. 4 ½ stars
I’d say the story is a kind of for the younger set, but I’m not so sure the story is for the younger set.
It features one of the most creative libraries ever, and I had to read the book twice, once taking very, very, very long to read it. The titles of some of the books are so clever and so amusing and so much fun. It’s impossible to just read the book because it takes so long to read the illustrations, the main text of the book would make no sense; the reader would have to struggle to remember what it said one page to the next. So, at least two readings are required to fully read the book.
Kids will enjoy the simple story and the big picture illustrations. Older, more well read readers, children, teens, and adults, will “get” all the illustrations, which are time consuming to read.
For me, the story was just okay, and not anything all that special, though some readers might find it thought provoking and an interesting springboard for discussion. The illustrations are special, and they are a big part of the story; they were the part of the story I most loved. The book titles, the colors, the changes in art style and colors, the rivers in the library, the stairs made out of books, and so much more, I found utterly enchanting. I have to give this book 5 stars; the pictures are just too creatively done to assign it any fewer stars. 4 ½ stars
June 21, 2018
Sou uma fã das imagens dos puzzles do autor, foi esta a principal motivação para esta leitura...
Tenho pena, mas não gostei e foi um suplício terminar esta leitura... :(
Esperava outra estória e não uma leitura recheada de fantasia...
Opinião completa em breve... ;)
Tenho pena, mas não gostei e foi um suplício terminar esta leitura... :(
Esperava outra estória e não uma leitura recheada de fantasia...
Opinião completa em breve... ;)
May 20, 2015
This is a charming and wise story for children, about a boy called Peter, and his search for a mysterious book that will teach him how to live forever.
He lives in a library, which at night turns into a city and becomes alive. He and his family live in the cookery section, in a book called "Quinces".
His adventure looking for this book take us into all sorts of magical pictures - they really are a delight - and the outcome has a moral we do well to learn.
This is not a book for teenies, at my library it was in the "older picture book" section, but the illustrations are a pleasure for all ages, as are the fun titles of the books in the library....for instance "The Lada That Time Forgot" sitting next to "Last Volvo in Paris". It is definitely a picture book though, with only a small amount of text.
Most of all I think one would get pleasure sharing the illustrations with children. Each drawing is rich in unexpected surprises.
He lives in a library, which at night turns into a city and becomes alive. He and his family live in the cookery section, in a book called "Quinces".
His adventure looking for this book take us into all sorts of magical pictures - they really are a delight - and the outcome has a moral we do well to learn.
This is not a book for teenies, at my library it was in the "older picture book" section, but the illustrations are a pleasure for all ages, as are the fun titles of the books in the library....for instance "The Lada That Time Forgot" sitting next to "Last Volvo in Paris". It is definitely a picture book though, with only a small amount of text.
Most of all I think one would get pleasure sharing the illustrations with children. Each drawing is rich in unexpected surprises.
April 23, 2021
Die Handlung des Buches ist eigentlich nichts besonderes, sie besteht aus einer Parabel über das Leben und die Vergänglichkeit des Seins... Aber die Illustrationen des Buches sind der Wahnsinn! Immer wieder kann ich mich darin verlieren, entdecke neue Details und nehme einen anderen Blickwinkel ein. Ein wirklich faszinierendes Bilderbuch, das die Liebe zur Welt der Bücher abbildet, wie kein anderes. Ein Buch zum Träumen und drin zu Verweilen, zum immer wieder Anschauen und Vorlesen geeignet. 🥰
January 12, 2017
One of my favourite picture books to use with my class (KS2). The illustrations are beautiful: we spent hours looking at and describing the images alone. My class had a great debate about whether given the chance to Live Forever- would they take it. They also wrote fantastic setting descriptions of the various quirky shelves in the library and of the Ancient Child character.
An interesting story that engaged my class and I enjoyed reading as a teacher. Would thoroughly recommend to KS2 teachers.
An interesting story that engaged my class and I enjoyed reading as a teacher. Would thoroughly recommend to KS2 teachers.
November 2, 2018
WOW! What a fantastic book and lovely story. The visual imagery in this book is amazing. The whimsical, surrealism illustrations remind me of the artist M.C. Escher.
My boys and I were glued to the amount of detail put in every page and every time you go back to the picture you discover something new. We noticed that Colin Thompson initialled each illustration with the year embedding it among all the wonderful details such as on a tube of paint or on one of the many books on the page.
I recommend this book highly!
My boys and I were glued to the amount of detail put in every page and every time you go back to the picture you discover something new. We noticed that Colin Thompson initialled each illustration with the year embedding it among all the wonderful details such as on a tube of paint or on one of the many books on the page.
I recommend this book highly!
May 4, 2025
acho que pode ser um ótimo livro pra ler com um sexto ano, viu? trata de temas sensíveis, mas de uma maneira muito linda. tem suspense, mistérios, bem legal.
September 9, 2019
Some time ago I found a jigsaw in a charity shop featuring bookshelves loaded with spoof titles and which also seemed to have little people living among them. I fell in love with it, sprayed it with puzzle-fix and when this had well and truly set, hung it on my kitchen wall. Every time I look at it it makes me smile. Then a couple of months ago browsing on a library sale trolley I saw a book that seemed to strike a distant memory. Leafing through it I was amazed to find “my picture” hidden within. The book itself is a glorious treasure trove for any bibliophile but also packs an important message.
While the humour of the spoof book titles will pass over the heads of most children, still I urge you to share this book treasure with your children and grandchildren, nephews and nieces while they are young. It will surely help them to grow to love and value real books and real libraries and when they grow up they will be able to enjoy it again at a whole new level.
While the humour of the spoof book titles will pass over the heads of most children, still I urge you to share this book treasure with your children and grandchildren, nephews and nieces while they are young. It will surely help them to grow to love and value real books and real libraries and when they grow up they will be able to enjoy it again at a whole new level.
October 10, 2017
Certainly was not disappointed by this picture book. This book is about a young boy called Peter who goes in search of a book called 'How to live forever' so he could live forever; this reminded me of Peter Pan because he is a boy that does not want to grow up - children may also make links to Peter Pan. Aidan Chambers (Tell Me, Children, Reading And Talk With The Reading Environment By Aidan Chambers, 2011) notes that children should have opportunities to discuss likes, dislikes, patterns and puzzles in books - linking the book to Peter Pan may be a pattern that many children are familiar with.
Many children also go through a stage where they are apprehensive and worried about growing up and that they want to stay a child. This book will help children to understand that growing up is a natural part of life and what would happen if they stayed a child whilst all their peers grow up.
Overall, this book was a really good read. I would recommend this book to use with children in KS2 as younger children may not fully understand the concepts in this book.
Many children also go through a stage where they are apprehensive and worried about growing up and that they want to stay a child. This book will help children to understand that growing up is a natural part of life and what would happen if they stayed a child whilst all their peers grow up.
Overall, this book was a really good read. I would recommend this book to use with children in KS2 as younger children may not fully understand the concepts in this book.
January 11, 2013
Peter lives within a storybook in a library in the city. At night, the books and all of their characters come alive. Peter is on the hunt for a lost book called “How to Live Forever,” so that he and his cat never have to grow up. What Peter soon learns is that immortality is not all what it seems, and growing old holds new adventures he never thought he would love. The concept of this book seemed too elaborate to be just a simple picture book. I would have loved to read a chapter book about the adventures of Peter through this library teeming with life. Although the illustrations of this story were complex and clever, there were so many hidden messages and details that I quickly became overwhelmed. However, the imagination put into the images was quite awe-inspiring.
November 7, 2009
The plot didn't do much for me except for being book-related, but the beautiful, highly-detailed illustrations are worth a few rereads. I also loved the punned or made-up books titles depicted on the shelves. My favorites were:
Advanced Cucumber Straightening
Lord of the Pies
Magritte Expectations (I'd like to see that one!)
Quiche: 3,000 Boring Recipes
Tempus Serpit ("Time Crawls")
Immortality for Beginners
Advanced Cucumber Straightening
Lord of the Pies
Magritte Expectations (I'd like to see that one!)
Quiche: 3,000 Boring Recipes
Tempus Serpit ("Time Crawls")
Immortality for Beginners
July 15, 2013
Clever and entrancing illustrations with a lot of visual puns, I had a good amount of fun finding variants like "Moby Duck" and "Moby VanDyck" on the shelves of a library with every book ever written, which comes to life at night with the inhabitants of he books, but the gorgeous art and fascinating world was let down by a dull protagonist and a lackluster story. Still, read through the illustrations for the story they tell. You won't regret it.
January 8, 2017
I needed to read a "book about books" so this Xmas present was the ideal book to read on a quiet Sunday afternoon.
Took 15mins to read as I spent a lot of time looking at the illustrations and the cunning titles of the novels on each page!
The theme of the book is endearing and I challenge anyone who doesn't feel a sense of returning to childhood after reading this beautiful book.
All in all a pleasant read - and a welcome break from my usual crime/whodunnits novels.
Took 15mins to read as I spent a lot of time looking at the illustrations and the cunning titles of the novels on each page!
The theme of the book is endearing and I challenge anyone who doesn't feel a sense of returning to childhood after reading this beautiful book.
All in all a pleasant read - and a welcome break from my usual crime/whodunnits novels.
November 28, 2024
December 2024
The best part for them is the reveal of the ancient child and they loved the humorous book labels.
_________________________
December 2023
Meh again.
_________________________
February 2022 update
Y6 found it meh.
_________________________
It's okay - 3*
I don't know how Y6 are going to take it.
The best part for them is the reveal of the ancient child and they loved the humorous book labels.
_________________________
December 2023
Meh again.
_________________________
February 2022 update
Y6 found it meh.
_________________________
It's okay - 3*
I don't know how Y6 are going to take it.
February 16, 2018
This is a very clever story with a well-delivered message and amazing illustrations. This is the kind of picture book that will engage children (and adults) of all ages.
February 4, 2020
Déniché en occasion, cet album est un grand souvenir: ma première lecture empruntée dans le cadre d'un cours sur la littérature pour la jeunesse et il m'avait laissée une forte impression.
A la relecture, la joie de redécouvrir les planches est intacte. On ne lit pas cet album pour l'histoire, somme toute très simple, voire simpliste. Elle ravira les très jeunes lecteurs cependant. Ce qui compte dans ce livre, ce sont les détournements de titres dans cette sublime double page où s'étale une bibliothèque. On prend plaisir en tant que lecteur adulte averti à parcourir les différents titres détournés, le travail de traduction est assez impressionnant.
Les graphismes fins et colorés donnent vraiment envie de de lire et relire rien que pour le plaisir de ce monde où les livres sont habités, un monde aux multiples détails où les dessins éclipsent complètement l'histoire qui devient au final tout à fait secondaire.
Un livre à découvrir à tout âge et qui ne vous apportera pas la même expérience de lecture selon l'âge que vous avez et votre rapport aux livres.
A la relecture, la joie de redécouvrir les planches est intacte. On ne lit pas cet album pour l'histoire, somme toute très simple, voire simpliste. Elle ravira les très jeunes lecteurs cependant. Ce qui compte dans ce livre, ce sont les détournements de titres dans cette sublime double page où s'étale une bibliothèque. On prend plaisir en tant que lecteur adulte averti à parcourir les différents titres détournés, le travail de traduction est assez impressionnant.
Les graphismes fins et colorés donnent vraiment envie de de lire et relire rien que pour le plaisir de ce monde où les livres sont habités, un monde aux multiples détails où les dessins éclipsent complètement l'histoire qui devient au final tout à fait secondaire.
Un livre à découvrir à tout âge et qui ne vous apportera pas la même expérience de lecture selon l'âge que vous avez et votre rapport aux livres.
February 17, 2019
"In einer ruhigen Straße gibt es eine Bibliothek mit vielen tausend Räumen...."
Bücher öffnen Welten erzählt uns mit viel Bild und wenig Text die Geschichte einer Bibliothek in der bei Nacht die Bücher zum Leben erwachen.
Jede Seite ist so aufwendig und liebevoll Illustriert das man jedes Mal etwas neues entdeckt und es erscheint einem als befinden sicher hunderte von Welten in ihnen.
Viel Story gibt es auf den nur 20 Seiten nicht aber die Geschichte regt doch ein wenig zum Nachdenken an.
Für mich ein kleines Jahreshighlight!
Bücher öffnen Welten erzählt uns mit viel Bild und wenig Text die Geschichte einer Bibliothek in der bei Nacht die Bücher zum Leben erwachen.
Jede Seite ist so aufwendig und liebevoll Illustriert das man jedes Mal etwas neues entdeckt und es erscheint einem als befinden sicher hunderte von Welten in ihnen.
Viel Story gibt es auf den nur 20 Seiten nicht aber die Geschichte regt doch ein wenig zum Nachdenken an.
Für mich ein kleines Jahreshighlight!
April 5, 2025
I'm torn about how I feel about this book - it's undeniably fascinating, but there's also something a bit unsettling about it. The illustrations and story itself are definitely not dumped down for children, they are very sophisticated. I've seen some of Colin Thompson's bookshelf illustrations before and there's always lots to discover in his work.
Read
May 1, 2019Could only find online at openlibrary to borrow. Story doesn't work for me, but young me would absolutely have adored the pictures. Current me is too jaded to want to somehow spend more time examining them.
November 12, 2024
Had a good message. The artwork is beautiful. Who doesn’t love a book about books/ libraries?! ♥️
July 20, 2025
Wunderschönes Abtauchen in die Bücherwelt in Schrift- und vor allem Bildform.
June 6, 2025
this is the most beautifully illustrated book!
February 11, 2012
Colin Thompson is a master of his genre. His illustrations, so vividly soaked in every color imaginable, his stories mangled with a uniqueness so potent I hardly have words to describe it. I was fully contempt staring at this book for a good three solid minutes - after reading it. Every page held secrets, every book he drew whispered in its vibrance. For I am a large fan of the weirdly grotesque, and Colin Thompson delivered! Not only did I re-read the book twice more after the first reading because I was so transfixed by its eccentric nature, but I was elated that his book How To Live Forever was hauntingly unfamiliar. I'd never read a children's book with a plot such as his before and I absolutely love when I am surprised by something new.
The books are alive their whisper when the night guard sleeps. The largest library in the world holds every book in the world and they're ready to start talking. When the doors close, sealing the last remaining night guard in for his graveyard shift, when the lights dim, when the silence echos off the exquisite grand moldings of this outlandish library cuts through the air just right you can hear it. The shifts as the books come alive, the music wafting from a Beethoven's concerto pamphlet, stairs connect every shelf, and a very new sort of mystic light comes over the library. The stories of the books play out in windowed bliss behind the books, and its characters come out to play; if only for a little while.
It was on a normal average day when a boy chased his cat who chased a mouse into a crack near a filling cabinet. The boy resided in a cookbook with a strangely always serious sister and his parents, the boy that night found a card. This card would teach him the very value of life and spontaneously make him make a choice that effects his livelihood.
A book was missing. That is what the card lead Brian to find out, when he followed its index number to the spot, on the shelf, in the designated area the book was to be. But the book was gone, a thick layer of dust marking its spot and illustrating just how long the book had been missing for. How To Live Forever would never be read by tourists with polkadot fanny packs, bystanders would not gaze at it in contemplation and then replace it back on the shelf, scholars would not use it for knowledge, the book was gone and nobody had even noticed.
Well that settled it then! Brian went back to his cookbook in the Q section and forgot all about the book, right? Wrong. Who would do that? Especially when the book had such a title. Brian sets out on a grand adventure, asking every one if they'd seen the book, checking every shelf, vigorously and then later dubiously skimming through every one of the thousands of rooms, holding Cowboy novels of Butch Cassidy, memoirs of peoples lives, through the worn spines of the classics and what have you.
Peter then comes across four old men, each four standing on one leg, each as straight and solid as statues, only three awake. These men couldn't possibly know of the book! But they did, and Peter before he knew what he was getting himself into followed one old man through a Chinese garden that took his breathe away and to a pale small child, his body as young as Peter, his wistful child's soul long lost through the bitter taste of the livelihood he's lead. This boy had read the book, this boy had became immortal, he had grown old inside while his loved ones grown old on the outside.
"To live forever is to not live at all." so says the Ancient Child to Peter. Peter walked through the garden taking in the Ancient Child's words, of his sorrow and while sitting on the bank of the river Peter had finally made up his mind. He wouldn't read the book.
I had promised my mother's kindergarten class that I would read them a book because of how they did on there Spanish test with me, this was the chosen book. Read as they laid down for there afternoon nap they were transfixed by the colors of the illustrations and when the story was finished and one student only remained awake he proclaimed 'That was a good book Miss Anna, I really liked that book.'
The books are alive their whisper when the night guard sleeps. The largest library in the world holds every book in the world and they're ready to start talking. When the doors close, sealing the last remaining night guard in for his graveyard shift, when the lights dim, when the silence echos off the exquisite grand moldings of this outlandish library cuts through the air just right you can hear it. The shifts as the books come alive, the music wafting from a Beethoven's concerto pamphlet, stairs connect every shelf, and a very new sort of mystic light comes over the library. The stories of the books play out in windowed bliss behind the books, and its characters come out to play; if only for a little while.
It was on a normal average day when a boy chased his cat who chased a mouse into a crack near a filling cabinet. The boy resided in a cookbook with a strangely always serious sister and his parents, the boy that night found a card. This card would teach him the very value of life and spontaneously make him make a choice that effects his livelihood.
A book was missing. That is what the card lead Brian to find out, when he followed its index number to the spot, on the shelf, in the designated area the book was to be. But the book was gone, a thick layer of dust marking its spot and illustrating just how long the book had been missing for. How To Live Forever would never be read by tourists with polkadot fanny packs, bystanders would not gaze at it in contemplation and then replace it back on the shelf, scholars would not use it for knowledge, the book was gone and nobody had even noticed.
Well that settled it then! Brian went back to his cookbook in the Q section and forgot all about the book, right? Wrong. Who would do that? Especially when the book had such a title. Brian sets out on a grand adventure, asking every one if they'd seen the book, checking every shelf, vigorously and then later dubiously skimming through every one of the thousands of rooms, holding Cowboy novels of Butch Cassidy, memoirs of peoples lives, through the worn spines of the classics and what have you.
Peter then comes across four old men, each four standing on one leg, each as straight and solid as statues, only three awake. These men couldn't possibly know of the book! But they did, and Peter before he knew what he was getting himself into followed one old man through a Chinese garden that took his breathe away and to a pale small child, his body as young as Peter, his wistful child's soul long lost through the bitter taste of the livelihood he's lead. This boy had read the book, this boy had became immortal, he had grown old inside while his loved ones grown old on the outside.
"To live forever is to not live at all." so says the Ancient Child to Peter. Peter walked through the garden taking in the Ancient Child's words, of his sorrow and while sitting on the bank of the river Peter had finally made up his mind. He wouldn't read the book.
I had promised my mother's kindergarten class that I would read them a book because of how they did on there Spanish test with me, this was the chosen book. Read as they laid down for there afternoon nap they were transfixed by the colors of the illustrations and when the story was finished and one student only remained awake he proclaimed 'That was a good book Miss Anna, I really liked that book.'
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 18, 2015
His Most Effective and Affecting Picture Book
Many people come to Colin Thompson by way of his wildly popular work for the Ravensburger jigsaw puzzle company in Germany. Some of Ravensburger's most popular 1,000 piece puzzles have been illustrated by Thompson as part of his "Cupboard" series of drawings. When people search for "Colin Thompson puzzles", sometimes, if they are lucky, they turn up Colin Thompson books.
The Thompson books are built around illustrations drawn in a similar style, although the ones here seem grander and more expansive. They feature full two page spread drawings; at least in hardback that makes each drawing about 11 by 17 inches. They are loaded with the same dense, busy, inventive, bizarre, and amusing bits as are the puzzle illustrations.
That said, sometimes Thompson books are carried entirely by the drawings, with just a minimal storyline to tie them together. Sometimes the point of the story is hard to decipher. Not so here. This book has a strong narrative - our hero is searching for the one book that teaches a person how to live forever, and, when he finds it, our hero has to decide whether to read it. The knowledge it contains has serious and life altering consequences. This is heady stuff, but it is handled gently and in a thought provoking manner.
This struck me as mostly a sit-and-look-at book. You could read it out loud, but without the illustrations the actual narrative lacks punch. However, as a sit together on the sofa and look at the drawings book, well, this is just superb. There are literally hours of looking built into the pages, and you could go through the book over and over again without exhausting its appeal.
So, if you have a little one who likes detailed, clever, funny art, or is at all drawn to visual story-telling or even just amusing pictures, this book, (and pretty much any Thompson illustrated book), could be a very nice choice.
(Please note that I found this book in our local library after browsing the internet, and have bought a few Thompson books since. I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
Many people come to Colin Thompson by way of his wildly popular work for the Ravensburger jigsaw puzzle company in Germany. Some of Ravensburger's most popular 1,000 piece puzzles have been illustrated by Thompson as part of his "Cupboard" series of drawings. When people search for "Colin Thompson puzzles", sometimes, if they are lucky, they turn up Colin Thompson books.
The Thompson books are built around illustrations drawn in a similar style, although the ones here seem grander and more expansive. They feature full two page spread drawings; at least in hardback that makes each drawing about 11 by 17 inches. They are loaded with the same dense, busy, inventive, bizarre, and amusing bits as are the puzzle illustrations.
That said, sometimes Thompson books are carried entirely by the drawings, with just a minimal storyline to tie them together. Sometimes the point of the story is hard to decipher. Not so here. This book has a strong narrative - our hero is searching for the one book that teaches a person how to live forever, and, when he finds it, our hero has to decide whether to read it. The knowledge it contains has serious and life altering consequences. This is heady stuff, but it is handled gently and in a thought provoking manner.
This struck me as mostly a sit-and-look-at book. You could read it out loud, but without the illustrations the actual narrative lacks punch. However, as a sit together on the sofa and look at the drawings book, well, this is just superb. There are literally hours of looking built into the pages, and you could go through the book over and over again without exhausting its appeal.
So, if you have a little one who likes detailed, clever, funny art, or is at all drawn to visual story-telling or even just amusing pictures, this book, (and pretty much any Thompson illustrated book), could be a very nice choice.
(Please note that I found this book in our local library after browsing the internet, and have bought a few Thompson books since. I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
November 4, 2014
Summary:
Inside a library with every book ever, their is one book missing called "How to live forever" At night time, the books come alive. Inside a book called "Quinces" is a boy named Peter. Peter is the only that knows about the missing book. He wants to find the book so he can never grow old. For two years Peter explores all types of books in order to find the book that makes you immortal. On a dark shelf below the shelf, Peter finds 4 old men. The men bow to him and lead him into a room of treasures. They hand over the book "How to live forever". Peter asks why they are old men when they have this book. The old man than lead him through a beautiful chinese garden, to see the ancient child. The ancient child explains to Peter that he should not read the book, for he is the only person that has read the book and not lost their mind. He explains that to live forever is to not live at all. Peter goes back to the beautiful garden to think, and returns to the ancient child saying he will not read the book. The ancient tells him that he is wise, and leads him back to the world.
My thoughts:
The ancient child said, "To live forever is to not live at all." This is the best line in the story. Living forever takes away the value in everything about life. You will not enjoy anything, because you know their is no end. Imagine if you were immortal and all your friends and family were dying off infront of you. You would loss the need to have people in your life. Their is a reason old people pass away after their loved ones pass away, the pain inside them unbarable. Living forever may make you wise, but it will be nearly impossible to maintain a positive functional brain. Death is a scary thing, but it is necessary. Children may not fully understand the deepness of this story, but as an adult I do.
Inside a library with every book ever, their is one book missing called "How to live forever" At night time, the books come alive. Inside a book called "Quinces" is a boy named Peter. Peter is the only that knows about the missing book. He wants to find the book so he can never grow old. For two years Peter explores all types of books in order to find the book that makes you immortal. On a dark shelf below the shelf, Peter finds 4 old men. The men bow to him and lead him into a room of treasures. They hand over the book "How to live forever". Peter asks why they are old men when they have this book. The old man than lead him through a beautiful chinese garden, to see the ancient child. The ancient child explains to Peter that he should not read the book, for he is the only person that has read the book and not lost their mind. He explains that to live forever is to not live at all. Peter goes back to the beautiful garden to think, and returns to the ancient child saying he will not read the book. The ancient tells him that he is wise, and leads him back to the world.
My thoughts:
The ancient child said, "To live forever is to not live at all." This is the best line in the story. Living forever takes away the value in everything about life. You will not enjoy anything, because you know their is no end. Imagine if you were immortal and all your friends and family were dying off infront of you. You would loss the need to have people in your life. Their is a reason old people pass away after their loved ones pass away, the pain inside them unbarable. Living forever may make you wise, but it will be nearly impossible to maintain a positive functional brain. Death is a scary thing, but it is necessary. Children may not fully understand the deepness of this story, but as an adult I do.
May 6, 2019
Even though the illustrations are out of this world, the plot was a bit weak.
January 4, 2008
I had fond memories with this book. Although it is an illustration book and yes it may seem very kiddy and yes it is amazing. It's a book that I secretly love because I grew up admiring the insanely detailed illustrations and the illustrator/writer. How To Live Forever reveals the whole concept of what it means to be alive, how to live to the fullest, and the importance of not taking life for granted. As the story goes, a boy who lives on the shelves of a library that comes to life at night goes to seek the book on How To Live Forever - a book once read, gives immortality to its readers. The little boy travels through the library as if traveling to different parts of the world and witnessing the different cultures and genres that were left unexplored before. At the end, he comes across another little boy who has read the book and is immortal. The main character is warned about the book - saying that immortality is not exactly the best thing to wish for. The boy is a living example of immortality - not able to experience adolescence, adulthood, etc. It's a sad story but at the very end, the main character is determined to live life and wish for nothing more than to live every minute given in life.
Not only is it an amazing storyline with such bold details in the illustrations but it is amazing how the writer speaks to children (the targeted audience) about death and how it's inevitable and beautiful.
-Joann
Not only is it an amazing storyline with such bold details in the illustrations but it is amazing how the writer speaks to children (the targeted audience) about death and how it's inevitable and beautiful.
-Joann
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 28, 2011
How To Live Forever is about a library that contains every book ever written but 200 years ago one of the books went missing. The library come alive in the night, windows and doors appear on the books, lights turn on and you can hear the voices of people. A boy who resides in a cookbook with his family, discovers the record card of that missing book and goes on adventures every night in search of this mysterious book that was titled How To Live Forever. One night, after searching from room to room and in lost cities, he stumbles upon 4 old men. One of the men realized what the boy was there for and he hands him the book and leads him to the Ancient Child who was the only person to have every read the book. The Ancient Child was lonely and regretted reading the book because he was frozen in time, while all of his friends moved on. After visiting the Ancient Child, the young boy decides that it would be best not to read the book.
The book has excellent illustrations. They are extremely detailed. While I was reading it and looking at the pictures, I could almost feel as if I was in the book myself, it was a lovely feeling. I really enjoyed reading this and I think children would too because it is intriguing. It has a magical feel too it, even though it doesn't contain any magic inside the story and I know, because I have a younger sister, that children are really attracted to these kind of books.
Genre: Books about Readers and Reading
The book has excellent illustrations. They are extremely detailed. While I was reading it and looking at the pictures, I could almost feel as if I was in the book myself, it was a lovely feeling. I really enjoyed reading this and I think children would too because it is intriguing. It has a magical feel too it, even though it doesn't contain any magic inside the story and I know, because I have a younger sister, that children are really attracted to these kind of books.
Genre: Books about Readers and Reading
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