I Love Books

A great, laugh-out-loud book, perfect for all children, and particularly those reluctant readers! It's the end of the school term and, as the children leave the class, the teacher tells them to read a book over the holidays. Horror! This child HATES books! And a trip to the library - the most boring of places - is never going to be a great start to their time off school.

After giving up looking for the perfect book, they are given what appears to be a big, long, brightly coloured one to read. Great! Reluctantly, they begin reading - but are soon transported into a colourful world, meeting a character who needs their help. There's no time to lose! Their adventure takes them through perilous paths, scary places and pirate battles until they reach their destination… the place where the last ingredient is hidden.

Just then, dinner is ready. The story is on hold until bedtime when the child feels the need to find out how the adventure ends. Will they escape with the last ingredient? What is the potion for? And will this be the start of many more story adventures?

I Love Books is a wonderful story with exciting illustrations. The black and white sketches at the beginning turn into the most colourful and detailed ones as the child is hooked into the story. Children will be fully engaged and captivated by this text, which also gives great opportunity to model expression and adding suspense through speech. It will definitely be relatable to many children who either love reading and the places books can take them, or to the more reluctant who struggle to get started with a book.

Picture book / Reviewed by Maria Faithorn, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 5+

I Love Books is an unusual book with an important message. On the cover, the title reads, 'I Hate(crossed out) Love Books, which begins to explain what the story is about.  The beginning of the book takes us to a classroom on the final day as the children are breaking up for the summer holidays. Their teacher says "Enjoy your holidays and don't forget to read a book!" The children are not keen on books and the main character brings the bad news home that she has to read a book over the summer! Mum has an idea and takes her to the library to help her choose a book and with some help, she is encouraged to take home a book her mum loved.

Despite being so reluctant to pick up a book, soon the girl is reading and enjoying her book and going on different adventures with the characters in the stories she reads. This book is a real encouragement to get reading and the grey, dreary pages soon spring into colourful action with dragons and magic and a happy girl who has escaped into a reading adventure!

This book was shared with a class of 6-7-years-olds who loved the concept of the book and definitely love books, not hate them!

Picture book / Reviewed by Maria, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 5+

I Love Books is, just as its title suggests, a celebration of the love of reading, beautifully described by award-winning author and illustrator Mariajo Ilustrajo.  When a girl is horrified to be asked to read a book during the summer, her older sister gives her a book that she had enjoyed and which she might like, too.  At first, the child complains about how long it is before begrudgingly beginning to read it... until she is lost in the story.

This is the true pleasure of reading, becoming so lost in the story that you feel you are living inside its pages, and Mariajo illustrated this by turning the pages from monochrome to glorious colour as the child steps into the lush, wild landscape of her imagination.

This is how we would love to see all children grow as readers, with this love of stories so they get lost inside each book they read.  I would definitely share this book with any child who sees reading as a chore, and encourage them to get lost in its pages, just as much as those who love to read. A gorgeous picture book to be shared with all children, to remind them of the wonder of stories.

Picture book / Reviewed by Elen Green

Suggested Reading Age 5+