Herb: Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Book

by Lauren Child

Hardcover, 2002

Status

Available

Call number

823.92

Publication

Hodder Children's Books (2002), 32 pages

Description

A boy who loves books but has not always treated them well falls asleep and finds himself in his book of fairy tales, where his interaction with everyone from Goldilocks to Cinderella wreaks havoc.

User reviews

LibraryThing member tripleblessings

This is a superb picture book for children aged 4 to 8, who know some classic fairy tales and can appreciate the humour as they get mixed up. Lauren Child's delightfully engaging collage-cartoon pictures draw us in to the adventures of Herb, who accidentally falls into a book of fairy tales one

night, and finds the characters are annoyed with him. Goldilocks doesn't appreciate Herb in the middle of her big scene with the three bears. On another page, the queen is annoyed that Herb once drew a mustache on her with ballpoint pen, and cut out her throne to make a model spaceship, and added telephones to all the rooms in the castle. And why is Prince Charming missing from the ball?
Wonderful humour and surprises on every page, a delight for children who have perhaps never encountered a book about books before. Highly recommended.

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LibraryThing member dylantanner

A gentle funny riff on classic fairy tales. Cool and hip, and maybe a little meta journey through a child's reaction to classic stories.

Children's picture book

I love this book. It's a little post modern, but plays perfectly into the reaction of media overloaded culture on classic fairy tales.

Kids

can definitely relate to this book. The stories are classic, pre Disney, fairy tales and the protagonist is brilliant at navigating the skewed world of classic fantasy. Childs' illustrations are like your cool older sister, unique, sophisticated, cute and fun.

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LibraryThing member PuffyBear

I probably read this at least 10 times. This is a really really good book. I really like how the illustrations and flaps are. Really interesting. I recommend this book to all child readers. This like the best book I've ever read. Highly recommended. Really good. I think that Lauren child should

write more books like this. Really really enjoyable.

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LibraryThing member lnpowers

This book did a great job of exemplifying postmodern children's literature. I enjoyed that the physical book represented what had happened in the story, such as pages that appeared to be taped in upside down, holes and the colorings of a child.

This book could be used in a program about books and

how to care for them. It shows what happens when a child draws in their books and that if affects the characters. A program about book care could include this as what not to do.

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LibraryThing member TheoClarke

Top quality metafiction about fairy tales that makes innovative use of typography.

LibraryThing member mrcmyoung

Herb has been quite destructive with his book of fairy tales, dropping food in it, drawing mustaches on queens, taping pages in upside down and cutting characters out all together. He's about to reap what he has sewn when he falls into his book one night and has to find his way out before the angry

characters take their revenge. A fun book, maybe for use with teaching children about care of library books.

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LibraryThing member paulaanweiler

This book is about a girl who discovers that books can give your imagination something to work with as she goes from one fairy tale to the next. In this lovely and wonderfully illustrated book.

LibraryThing member klsulliv

How many people have ever wanted to literally be inside of the stroy they have read before? This happens to the main character in, "Who's Afraid Of The Big Bad Book?" because he "falls" into the story as he falls asleep. Throughout his adventure he learns how certain things he should have never

done because he altered the characters' story in the book. They all (or some of them) were out to get him because of all of the "bad" things he had done to the book. At the end, he learned how he should have treated the book. This is a good story to read to children because it teaches the, how to take care of a book. Follow the main character on his journey through the book that will change his life and the way he thinks forever!

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LibraryThing member wroesch

I really like this book myself but some of the kids have a hard time with it because they don't know the fairy tales behind the story. Once they know the fairy tales (after fair tale month) they love this book. I love the story line and how he moves through the different stories. Another great book

by Lauren Child.

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LibraryThing member nicole.ansara

interactive book, original story of boy falling into a fairytale, extremely fun to read, message is to take care of your things

LibraryThing member ecosborne

Lauren Child really expresses a part of childhood in this story. She creates a story where the main character Herb falls into one of his story books and he realizes the havoc he created by defacing his book. Herb realizes the error of his ways and when he escapes the book he fixes the book. This is

a good story because it teaches children that drawing and cutting books up is not a good thing to do.

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LibraryThing member TaylorRankins

This story is a good way to explain to kids how books can come alive or become real. In the story the main character goes to sleep with a fairy tale book on his face, and while he is sleeping he starts to "fall" into the different stories within that book. I loved this book, and the way the author

had the character move throughout different stories. Very colorful book, and it had a lot of funky wording.

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LibraryThing member 2wonderY

Gives excellent reasons not to disfigure one's books. Ha-ha!

LibraryThing member NMiller22

A boy who loves books but has not always treated them well falls asleep and finds himself in his book of fairy tales, where his interaction with everyone from Goldilocks to Cinderella wreaks havoc.

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Subjects

Books and reading Fiction

Characters in literature Fiction

Humorous stories

Awards

Monarch Award (Nominee — 2007)

Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration (Nominee — 2003)

IBBY Honour Book (Illustration — 2004)

The White Ravens (2003)

Read Aloud Indiana Book Award (Primary — 2004)

Language

English

Original language

English

ISBN

0340805544 / 9780340805541

Local notes

When Herb falls asleep with his head on top of a dusty book of fairy tales, he finds himself stuck inside the volume with no quick way out. Chased by a raging Goldilocks, who is upset that he landed in her story, the boy journeys through a parade of fairy tales and finally gets caught in the middle of Cinderella.

Includes 4-page gatefolds.

Adorable fun.