Charlie Cook's Favorite Book [Paperback]

Julia Donaldson (Author), Axel Scheffler (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: July 31, 2008 | Age Range: 3 - 5 years

A clever and funny ode to reading and books from the creators of The Gruffalo.

Charlie Cook has a favorite book. It?s about a pirate, who also has a favorite book . . . about Goldilocks, who also has a favorite book . . . about a knight, who also has a favorite book. . . . This hilarious pattern continues throughout the story, right to the surprising conclusion. Told in rollicking rhyme, this tale is sure to please the read-aloud crowd.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2–A boy curls up in a cozy chair to enjoy his favorite book, whereupon readers are whisked away on a trip through different types of literature. The story assumes a book within a book format, as a turn of the page takes youngsters inside Charlie's pirate adventure. Here the layout resembles an open novel, with the title Shiver Me Timbers emblazoned across the top. A pirate digs up a treasure chest that contains–you guessed it–a book. Another page turn reveals that it is a collection of fairy tales, as Baby Bear finds Goldilocks in his bed reading his favorite story about a knight and a dragon. This pattern continues until the action returns to Charlie, still in his armchair, now surrounded by all of the characters. The spreads cleverly reflect the featured tales, and the endpapers show all of the volumes lined up on a shelf. Unfortunately, the loosely rhyming text is awkward to read aloud and the transitions often seem forced. Youngsters are ultimately left looking for more substance to accompany Scheffler's humorous, brightly colored cartoons. For a story that celebrates reading, try Michael Garland's Miss Smith's Incredible Storybook (Dutton, 2003), which deftly delivers hilarious, quirky tales.–Jill Heritage Maza, Conn Elementary, Raleigh, NC
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 2. The unusual endpapers for this appealing book show a shelf with 10 books: Shiver Me Timbers, Fairy Tales from a Forgotten Island, and so on. A boy named Charlie Cook reads those books, beginning with a tale about a pirate, who digs for treasure and finds . . . a book about Goldilocks, who creates havoc in the bears' house before retiring to Baby Bear's bed to read . . . a book about a knight, who defends himself from a dragon by reading aloud from a joke book, and so on. The pattern progresses through volume after volume, finally coming full circle in a clever conclusion. Children will enjoy wrapping their minds around both the art and the story as the tale sequences through book after book. Amusing pencil, ink, watercolor, colored pencil, and crayon illustrations make the most of each new setting and cast of characters, while varying page design and type make the volume-to-volume differences more apparent. Great fun. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 3 - 5 years
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Puffin; Reprint edition (July 31, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0142411388
• ISBN-13: 978-0142411384
• Product Dimensions: 0.2 x 8.2 x 10 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #16,166 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Julia Donaldson is the author of many successful books for children, including the classic THE GRUFFALO, which has won the Smarties Prize and the Blue Peter Award for the Best Book to Read Aloud. THE GRUFFALO'S CHILD was one of the biggest best-sellers of 2004 and won WHS Children's Book of the Year at the British Book Awards. Julia has also written many children's plays and songs, and runs regular storytelling and drama workshops. She lives in Glasgow with her family.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A whole library in a single book January 19, 2006

By Chevy Chase Dad

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I don't think there's a better writer of children's books out there today than Julia Donaldson. Her books are perfect for reading aloud to a toddler: just the right length to keep the attention of reader and listener, great rhymes, and clever stories. This new book is no exception, and is worthy of a spot on your child's bookshelf alongside "The Gruffalo" and "The Snail & The Whale." This book is the literary equivalent of holding up a mirror while you're looking in a mirror: there are layers of stories within stories. Little Charlie Cook likes a particular book, the characters in his book like another book, the characters in that book like another book, etc., so that every page (whimsically numbered in a non-consecutive fashion) basically takes you into another book. The overall effect is like browsing through a whole children's library in a single book: you get a pirate story, an animal story, a knight/dragon story, an alien story, etc. I won't give away the ending, but suffice it to say it's clever like all of Julia Donaldson's endings. Bottom line: this book should appeal mightily to all the little budding bookworms out there, and to their big bookworm parents.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for Ages 4-6 October 1, 2007

By Meredith Manning

Format:Hardcover

I'm a huge fan of this author/illustrator team, and this book is another great one. The concept is very clever and engaging. I enjoy reading it almost as much as my daughter loves hearing it.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Charlie Cook's Favorite Cookbook March 4, 2009

A Kid's Review

Format:Paperback

I have 2 boys 4 and 6. They enjoyed this book. The liked The Gruffalo better and so did I but this book was also fun to read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Too sophisticated? March 21, 2012

By Angie

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Julia Donaldson is an excellent author and a bit under-rated at our public libraries, so I had to purchase her books. This book, however, is a bit sophisticated - the concept of a book within a book within a book.... My nearly 9-year old gets it, but the story is just not as engaging as most of her other books.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed August 10, 2009

By B. Bell

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Highly recommend The Guffalo and Room on a Broom as stronger picks from this author. Snail on a Tail comes in second place. Low recommendation for The Gaffulo's Child. My child (4 yr old) found Charlies Cook's Favorite Book hard to follow, as did I. I ordered it because of our success with the above mentioned books. We read this one once and it has remained on the shelf since.

5.0 out of 5 stars My Grandsons have me read this book over and over June 7, 2013

By Daddy051

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I, usually, have a hard time getting my Grandsons to sit still while I read them a story. I have the opposite problem with this book as they want me to read it over and over to them. Four times in a row one day and three the next.

It is a very clever story written with the "story within the story" theme.

The art work is wonderfully done and the Grandsons like to go over the pictures and sort out all of the details.

5.0 out of 5 stars Julia's books are fantastic May 3, 2013

By Busymom

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

We collect Julia donaldson's books; they are all wonderful. Since my children are grown, I now buy Julia's books for neighbor's kids for their birthdays. And the illustrator (Axel) is fantastic. They make a great team.

5.0 out of 5 stars We love Julia's books March 11, 2013

By Dana Makmal

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

My boy's love Julia Donaldson's books. We have all her books except for 2 or 3 more which we will purchase real soon. I highly recommend her books.