Roger is Reading a Book

by Koen Van Biesen

Overview

A hilarious, lively story that celebrates the joy of reading

All Roger wants is some peace and quiet so he can read his book. Unfortunately, the girl in the apartment next door has hobbies of her own — very loud hobbies! But when Roger gives the girl a book of her own, she discovers that reading can be just as much fun as playing basketball or banging a drum.

This playful and engaging read-aloud from an award-winning Belgian author shows readers that shared activities can lead to rewarding friendships.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802854421
Publisher:	Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
Publication date:	03/02/2015
Pages:	42
Sales rank:	593,224
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 9.70(h) x 1.30(d)
Lexile:	BR (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Koen Van Biesen has illustrated over twenty children's books todate. He currently teaches at the Academy of Fine Arts in Mortsel.He lives in Belgium. Visit his website at www.koenvanbiesen.com.

Editorial Reviews

01/26/2015
Belgian artist Van Biesen’s fluid line, witty typography, and bits of photographic collage give this story an abundance of style. “Shhhh! Quiet. Roger is reading. Roger is reading a book,” Van Biesen begins while a studious fellow in a bow tie and a tweed cap sits on a stool in his apartment, perusing a small volume. The next page reveals his neighbor, a small girl in a violet dress with a butterfly perched on her head; the gutter of the book serves as the intervening wall between their apartments. “Boing Boing. Emily is playing. Emily is playing a game.” Emily bounces a basketball, whose multiple images convey the barrage of noise. He knocks on the wall grumpily, and the arms race continues as Emily switches to singing, drumming, juggling, ballet, and boxing. Roger’s frustration grows until he arrives at a tidy solution—a book for Emily. The comic escalation of Emily’s noisy pursuits, combined with delightfully unexpected details (Emily’s toy giraffe becomes a lamp as she reads into the night), add up to a beautifully crafted piece of work. Ages 4–8. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

BookDragon
"The perfect book for book lovers of all ages. . . . Goofy, smart, giddily delightful, Belgian master Koen Van Biesen is quite the remarkable book artist."

Publishers Weekly
"Van Biesen's fluid line, witty typography, and bits of photographic collage give this story an abundance of style. . . . The comic escalation of Emily's noisy pursuits, combined with delightfully unexpected details . . . add up to a beautifully crafted piece of work."

Booklist
"A charming story made even more so by the original, beautiful design."

100 Scope Notes
"The text is wonderfully efficient — simple and straightforward, with keen use of repetition. I've been reading it to Kindergarten classes recently and can attest to the book's read-aloud effectiveness. It has humor, which always plays well (including the final punchline of Roger's dachshund taking a bathroom break on a city lamppost), and a nice mix of quiet and loud moments which making for dynamic reading. . . . The mixed-media illustrations bring a playful tone to the story, with bright colors on ample white space. . . . Unique yet exceedingly inclusive, Roger is Reading a Book will make a delightful addition to your picture book collection."

Jen Robinson's Book Page
"An enjoyable romp."

Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
"This wonderfully clever book will delight young readers and will certainly resonate with their grownups who are probably very familiar with Roger's predicament. With a minimal text and lots of sound words, this is the kind of book young children will enjoy looking through on their own."

Booklist
"A charming story made even more so by the original, beautiful design."

The Horn Book Magazine
"Visually stimulating, this well-designed package of noises, books, and human nature is like an offbeat piece of chamber music."

Spirituality & Practice
"All book readers – young and old alike – will appreciate this tale and its universal messages about the lack of silence, noise, and handling conflict with spiritual insight."

From the Publisher

03/01/2015
PreS-Gr 1—In this enchanting Belgian import, bespectacled Roger, clad in a vest, a bow-tie, and a tweed cap, settles down to enjoy a book in peace and quiet. His reverie is repeatedly interrupted by Emily, an energetic youngster next door with loud hobbies—singing, drumming, juggling, and even boxing. With each disturbance, an increasingly irritated Roger knocks louder and louder on the wall, until in utter exasperation, he brings Emily a gift—a book of her own. When they both settle down to read, the story reaches its true crescendo—Roger's long-suffering dog demands to be taken for a walk, and Roger and Emily oblige. Van Biesen's mixed-media illustrations are somewhat reminiscent of the work of Chris Raschka and Vladimir Radunksy, but have a whimsical style of their own. Ingenious use of the book's gutter as the dividing wall between the apartments, clever changes in typography to signal sound volume, and the hilarious visual elements, such as the plight of Roger's basset hound, are but a few examples of Van Biesen's sophisticated use of visual effects. VERDICT This winsome story deserves a place in most collections.—Yelena Alekseyeva-Popova, formerly at Chappaqua Library, NY

School Library Journal

2015-01-10
A noisy neighbor can make reading a bit of a challenge—but there's a clever solution.Little Emily's fondness for bouncing a basketball, wailing away on drums and other sudden high-volume activities repeatedly sends Roger, his equally startled basset hound and his book flying into the air. The irritated gent's increasingly vigorous pounding on the apartment wall quiets her—but only for a while. Following several frustrating rounds, he stalks off to get and present her with a package that contains (you guessed it) another book, and peace is restored. Using the gutter as a stand-in for the separating wall, Van Biesen creates minimalist rooms and figures with a mix of unfilled outlines and small washes of color or pattern against white backdrops. Occasional offbeat visual details, such as tiny Emily's adult features and huge butterfly hair ornament, add flair to the very simple plotline. The text is a combination of outsized sound effects and smaller patterned commentary: "SHHHH! Quiet. / Roger is reading. / Roger is reading a book. // BOING BOING / Emily is playing. / Emily is playing a game." But a hushed spread that fades to black suddenly gives way with a page turn to a blast of frenzied barking from the poor dog, who, thanks to the continuing distractions, hasn't been walked all day. Both Roger and Emily do the deed, and a scene of sweet relief against a lamppost further cements the sense of resolution. A slight but tongue-in-cheek import with a mischievous twist. (Picture book. 5-7)

Kirkus Reviews