The Day Louis Got Eaten by John Fardell

When Louis and his big sister, Sarah, were out in the woods, Louis got eaten by a Gulper.  Sarah didn’t panic, she got something she thought she might need and rode after them.  But just as she had almost caught them, the Gulper was eaten by a Grabular.  Sarah continued to follow but just as she almost reached the Grabular, it was eaten by an Undersnatch.  The Undersnatch was eaten by a Spiney-backed Guzzler.  The Guzzler was eaten by a Yumper.  Sarah approached the Yumper as it slept, but how in the world was she going to save Louis? 

Fardell delights in the ridiculous here and young audiences will too.  The series of monsters that feast on one another makes for a very silly read, each monster more strange than the last and larger too.  Sarah is a wonderful heroine and really the main character of the book.  As she chases the monsters, she slowly converts her bicycle into a new and amazing contraption that can paddle on water, run underwater, zoom with the wind, or even walk on stick legs.  She’s not only resourceful but she remains calm too. 

Fardell’s illustrations are detailed and wonderful.  He makes each monster unique and intriguing.  The illustrations are done in pen and ink and watercolor.  Fardell manages to get such detail in his illustrations that it’s a real surprise when the monsters appear against such a realistic background.  At the same time, the detail doesn’t remove any of the playfulness.  It just makes the illustrations all the more fun to linger with.

An ideal read-aloud, this book is one of those that you can use to settle wiggly kids.  They won’t be able to resist the storyline, the monsters, and a great ending.  Appropriate for ages 3-6.

Reviewed from library copy.