A charmingly illustrated story tells of a boy whose unruly relationship with words forces him to learn instead the language of nature, which allows him to communicate with flowers and ants but not with the little girl next door."
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Grade 3 Up. This curious tale presented in an oversized picture-book format provides a sensory experience that is as jarring as the world view of the child it describes. Large, graphic-cartoon illustrations in bold primary colors have the flat appearance of tempera paintings whose irregular edges and white borders make them look like block prints. Echoing the disjointed thoughts of the text, they tell the story of a boy whose hunger for language causes him to devour words. His mind is so flooded with ideas and questions that his speech is incoherent; in frustration, he stops using "human" words and learns to communicate with other things, both living and inanimate, by watching for signals, listening carefully, and using body language. After learning that there is nothing physically wrong with him, his worried parents decide to send the boy to a "home" with other children just like him. He finally feels comfortable and even begins to relate to a young girl who "listens" to his special silent language and answers him in kind. Details of the boy's communication with and unusual reaction to animals, flowers, and objects might be describing the thoughts and actions of an autistic child. Youngsters who are old enough to understand that some people are "different" can learn compassion for their special ways of relating to the world from this odd tale.?Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Kirkus Reviews
An idiosyncratic tale that creates a gastronomical playground from mere words. Gabby (as his name reveals) is a boy who speaks too much. Exasperated by his endless questions and run-on sentences (``TheballoonisdeflatedbecausetomorrowisWednesday''), Gabby's parents tell him they won't speak to him if he continues to ``swallow his words.'' The analogy turns on a light for Gabby, and the poetry begins. He sees words as edibles: gargoyle is a meaty main dish, while cabinet is a sweet dessert. A doctor puts Gabby on a diet to cure him of a case of indigestion; Gabby rebels and goes on the equivalent of a hunger strike--silence. Without speech, his senses take over, and he learns to communicate to plants and animals, and to use languages like ``furniture'' to speak to tables and chairs. Eventually, Gabby is jolted by the arrival of Lola, who only speaks human. Preschoolers will find the concept less disconcerting than adults, and the only detraction from this synesthetic delight is the stereotyping of Chinese as a language impossible to understand. The illustrations are perfectly composed scrawls, poster-paint bold, and big. (Picture book. 5-10) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Who Put All the Fish in the Water?,
This review is from: Boy Who Ate Words (Hardcover)
A challenging book. The boy of the tile may be autistic, or he may be a construct, but the author has accomplished something rare in either case: he's made him sympathetic. And hopeful and heartbreaking. And unforgettable. Older readers might have an easier time following this, but the concept is pretty universal. Because which of us - young or old - hasn't at times felt completely overwhelmed by the power of words?
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