McCarty tells a story of young innocent love in short understated sentences and with delicate 'quiet' drawings which utilise a lot of white space and focus on the characters with minimal details.
I just adore the ink drawings in this book. There is a certain purity about them, which translates very well to the young characters in the story. I find the softness of the colours and the gentle dabs of the flowers add to the romantic undertones in this book.
The story begins with little Henry and his brother as they leave for school in the morning and their mother gives them blueberry muffins as a special treat. We then follow Henry through his day at school as he plays with is peers, joins in class activities and shows off his athletic abilities as he chases Chloe around the playground.
At lunch-time Henry decides to save his blueberry muffin for the afternoon snack. Back in class the teachers decides to change the seating arrangements and much to his surprise and delight Henry finds himself sitting next to Chloe at snack time. When the little girl asks Henry what he has to eat he, like a true gentleman, offers her his big, beautiful blueberry muffin.
This is an adorable fun story, which is sure to appeal on many levels not just to the romantically inclined.
Title: Henry in Love
Author: Peter McCarty
Illustrator: Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher
Publisher: Balzer + Bray, $24.99
ISBN: 9780061142888
Format: Hard cover
For ages: 5 - 9
Type: Picture Book
