Henry in Love [Hardcover]

Peter McCarty (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Henry is a bit of a dreamer and not much of a talker.Then there's Chloe, who says what she thinks and knows how to turn a spectacular cartwheel.

This is the story of how one blueberry muffin makes all the difference.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. PreSchool-Grade 1—Henry the cat is in love with Chloe, the cute little bunny in the back row. On this particular day, his mother makes blueberry muffins for her sons to take for lunch, but Henry saves his for afternoon snack as a special treat. He is the typical little boy who is short on words but big on action. He does a forward roll to impress Chloe, but she bests him with an impressive cartwheel. Later, the teacher reassigns seats and Chloe moves up next to Henry. At snack time, she asks him what he has, and he shows her his big, beautiful blueberry muffin. Henry, who has yet to say a word to his favorite little girl, is surprised but pleased when Chloe thanks him and takes it. It seems that all is fair in love and kindergarten. McCarty's meticulous ink and watercolor art greatly extends the spare, understated text. The exquisite cream-colored pages bring richness to the presentation that makes readers want to turn each page. This beautiful book should appeal to the little ones who have a special someone in their lives but dare not say a word about it.—Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA
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From Booklist

This slight story begins with a young cat, Henry, who wakes and dresses, walks to school with his brother and best friend, and then spends the rest of the day obsessing about, and wooing, Chloe, an adorable young rabbit. A textbook Romeo, Henry shows off his athletic ability, chases Chloe around the playground, and sacrifices his eagerly anticipated blueberry muffin snack for his beloved. Many boys will find this as unappealing as kissing (Henry doesn’t manage to seal that deal), although a brief football scene provides some distractions from the romance. In addition, the quiet story may prove too subtle for its intended audience. Still, McCarty’s delicately detailed ink-and-watercolor illustrations of anthropomorphized animals, set on open, creamy pages, are delightful, and children will recognize Henry’s happy surprise when an unexceptional day turns suddenly into an exceptional one. Grades K-2. --Andrew Medlar

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Balzer + Bray (December 22, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061142883
• ISBN-13: 978-0061142888
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 11 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #254,864 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

PETER MCCARTY is the author and illustrator of many books for children, including Fabian Escapes, Moon Plane, and T Is for Terrible, as well as Hondo & Fabian, a Caldecott Honor Book. He lives with his family in upstate New York.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for kids and wonderful Valentine's or birthday gift for that special man in your life, January 25, 2010

By 

D. Merrimon Crawford (Colorado) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Henry in Love (Hardcover)

Henry is a young boy cat. He begins his school day like every other school day but today, Henry's mother bakes blueberry muffins, muffins that truly are blue. She gives a muffin to Henry, his brother and a friend (a dog) to take to school. After playing football with the rabbit football player, Henry sees Chloe, a girl he likes in school. How can a young boy tell a girl he likes her? What is love?

HENRY IN LOVE tells a sweet, charming story of love and friendship from a boy's point of view. The children characters are diverse --- cats, dogs, rabbits and other animals and the events follow his day at school. One boy even asks him if he is going to talk to a girl as kids of that age often do. Henry is a confident young boy, acting from his heart. Without a lot of fanfare, he reaches out to Chloe. In one simple gesture of generosity, Henry expresses his feelings. The last scene evokes a sense of sweetness and humor. The illustrations accompanying the words also tell the story from the boy's perspective from the arrangement of his room and his morning urination (from the back with no explicit details) to the school games. Like Henry's personality, the illustrations have a directness, sweetness and wonderful simplicity that focuses on the key essentials.

HENRY IN LOVE is a wonderful story of friendship that would appeal to both boy and girl readers. Without a lot of unnecessary romantic grand gestures, Henry expresses his feelings for Chloe directly and effectively. HENRY IN LOVE would make a wonderful Valentine's story for young children. If you are looking for a Valentine's story for a young boy, HENRY IN LOVE is one of the few that tells the story of love through a boy's perspective.

Sometimes, children's books make great gifts for adults as well. I read this book to my husband. After the first few lines, he came over to listen more carefully and look at the illustrations. The ending put quite a smile on his face. After seeing his reaction, I would also recommend HENRY IN LOVE as a wonderful Valentine's or birthday gift for that special, sweet man in your life. Few books can say so well just how special a no-nonsense courageous boy can be whether he be a young boy or an adult with a young boy's imagination still inside.

COURTESY OF BOOK ILLUMINATIONS

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Henry In Love......2 thumbs up!, January 4, 2011

By 

ken Stiefel - See all my reviews

This review is from: Henry in Love (Hardcover)

Initially, I picked out Henry In Love because I have a 3 year old named Henry. This sweet, simple story with it's really cute pictures stood out as a winner not only to my Henry, but to his 4 sisters as well. We all adored the drawings of the animal children, but my Henry especially liked the kitten Henry waking up in the morning and 'using the toilet'. He also loved that a big-kid bunny who was a football player actually thru a toss to the littler kids. From doing a forward roll to try to impress a pretty bunny named Chloe, to trying to catch her at tag, and finally giving her his huge, blue, blueberry muffin...Henry makes it so easy for us to like him. Did I also mention the drawings are super cute!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars First Love, November 30, 2010

By 

Catherine W. Hughes (Cambridge, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Henry in Love (Hardcover)

Henry wakes up to have breakfast, only to find out that he has a treat for school: a blueberry muffin. He walks to school and plays football on the way, with the brother of the "loveliest girl" in his class: Chloe. Henry saves his muffin for afternoon snack. Henry and Chloe trade gymnastic tricks and play chase at recess. When his teacher announces a new set of seating arrangements, Henry and Chloe wind up next to each other. They trade snack: a blueberry muffin for a carrot. Henry felt like this was love. Children ages 4 to 7 will adore the simple text and illustrations in this book.