Henry In Love

by Peter McCarty
  

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. 

Publisher: Balzer + Bray (December 22, 2009)

Reviewed by Merrimon, Merrimon Book Reviews