The Boy and the Book : [a Wordless Story]

A spine-tingling tale of book bonding.

In this wordless story, a little boy finds a book that he loves at the library. It’s a match made in kid lit heaven. But not for the book. Sometimes the little boy’s excitement gets the better of him and the book suffers from possibly too much love: bent pages, tears, hugs, tossing, and shaking.

The poor book requires first aid from his friends. Every time the boy comes to the library, the books hide and plan escape routes. But when the book gets away from imminent danger in the boy’s hands, the look of loss in the boy’s eyes is enough to turn a tragic tale into a love story.

The boy soon learns that the book is not just an object and is so much more on the inside. He loves the story the book gives him more than the fun he had playing with it.
Bob Kolar’s charming and hilarious illustrations show how sometimes our love for a good book can be too much, but with a more gentle touch, books can give us much comfort and joy.

David Michael Slater's seventeen picture books include Cheese Louise (Walrus Books, 1999), The Ring Bear (Flashlight, 2004), Jacques & Spock (Clarion, 2004), and Flour Girl (Magic Wagon, 2007). The Bored Book (Simply Read Books, 2009) was reviewed positively in the New York Times. David's ongoing teen fantasy series Sacred Books (CBAY, 2008-present), is being developed for film, and his hilarious comic novel for adults Fun & Games (Library Tales, 2013), received raves from the New York Journal of Books. David teaches middle school in Reno, Nevada, where he lives with his wife and son.