Henry in Love

Summary:

Henry is in love with Chloe, the loveliest girl bunny in his class. One day he decides to impress her at recess with his best forward roll, and she shows off her perfect cartwheel to him! They spend the rest of recess chasing each other, and then the teacher sits them next to each other in class. Henry decides to give Chloe his delicious blueberry muffin at the end of the day as well, an adorable sign of true love.

Personal commentary & reflection:

Oh my god I love Peter McCarty. First off, his illustrations are so awesome. The way the characters have small eyes but big faces and bodies, and the way the background art is really minimal so you are drawn to the characters - it's so well put together! He also doesn't use a lot of show more bright and highly contrasting colors so the whole story and illustrations are both really mild and smooth feeling, it almost feels gentle. It helps give the characters a child like innocence... it's hard to articulate but I really just like the feeling of his illustrations.

When he shows Henry "getting ready for the day" in the bathroom on the 2nd page- so cute! And the plot I thought was adorable, a perfect little story about young love blossoming over blueberry muffins. When you're young, you don't have a lot of resources to share to express your love, so the fact that Henry gives Chloe his blueberry muffin that he was saving all day is just so perfect. It reminds me of my crushes in elementary school, the way they flirt at recess. This was definitely one of my favorite books so far. I'm going to recommend it to my girlfriend! show less

Ever since his Hondo and Fabian was chosen as a Caldecott Honor Book in 2003, I have been curious about Peter McCarty's work, so when I first saw Henry in Love - released just this past December - I was quite excited, particularly as I thought it would make a wonderful title for our discussion of Valentine's Day books, over in the online Children's Books group I run. Unfortunately, although I thought the illustrations were lovely - definitely worth four stars! - the narrative was so bland, that two stars would be generous.

This tale of young bunny-love - Henry thinks Chloe is "the loveliest girl in his class," and after a day spent making eyes in the classroom, and demonstrating their prowess on the playground, the two bond over a shared show more blueberry muffin - just never does anything interesting. Another reviewer has described it as "gentle," but I think that may be something of an understatement. A book with this little text needs to get it right, and Henry in Love just can't deliver the goods, with a story that feels random and anti-climactic.

It's rather a shame that the narrative here doesn't impress, as the artwork is simply gorgeous! McCarty's ink and watercolor illustrations manage to be both soft and expressive, and my eyes were constantly being drawn to the many lovely details, like his delicate line-work, or the vibrant poppies he plants on a field of cream-colored paper. Despite my disappointment in the story itself (which I can't really recommend), McCarty's art is compelling enough that I'll undoubtedly give his work another try. show less

Henry In Love is about a young boy, Henry, who is shy and not very adventurous, and how he handles liking a young girl, Chloe. Chloe is the opposite of Henry. She is vivacious, outspoken and willing to do anything for fun. She is definitely a personality type that complements Henry's more conservative type. Then one day, to break the ice, Henry takes the chance to talk to Chloe during snack time, which makes way for a relationship to flourish.
I read two books that were connected in terms of story line and content. This one, Henry in Love, and the other, also by Peter McCarty, Chloe. I found them both to be appealing in terms of the artwork, however, I only found the book, Chloe to be better and more developed in terms of content and show more character. This was funny to me because Henry in Love was the originating story which set the foundation for Chloe to branch off and become her own book. One key example of the sort of "testing" of ideas is with Henry. When the time comes for him to initiate conversation with Chloe and for the two to interact, the dialogue and means of reaching the final outcome is extremely disconnected and lacking information. At one point, Henry brings out a blueberry muffin and Chloe a carrot. Then while they are telling about what they have with one another, it then goes to Chloe just straight up eating the muffin. It's almost as if "Muffin...Henry...Chloe...End." There were other points in the story which I felt the same as too.
I think that could be useful for children with this type of sporadic writing style is that it does mimic and reach out to a young reader's appeal. I mean, young writers and readers tend to go on a more stream of consciousness style jumping from one concept to another. I think that McCarty's execution of telling Henry in Love in this way can be (and obviously is) successful because of how it engages and draws in a reader. It is casually written to make it seem more realistic, despite the fact that all the characters are talking functioning animals. If it were written more formally and extremely structured, I do not think the giddiness of the story or same mood would have been achieved. show less

This sweet and strikingly illustrated picture book uses a simple, sophisticated story to teach young children how to express affection, though its subtle storytelling may be difficult for some younger kids to comprehend. The book focuses on Henry, a little cat who is in love with a bunny, Chloe, in his class. The two interact throughout a school day, until Henry finally lets Chloe know how he feels by trading the homemade blueberry muffin that he had been saving for his afternoon snack for her carrot. The illustrations are done in muted watercolor and ink, but with a motif of brightly-colored free-form flowers that give the impression that the story is both commonplace and special. An abundance of white space, the limited use of show more background illustration, and plain typography keeps the reader’s focus on the characters. The illustrations and text complement each other, sometimes playing off of one another to create humor. The story portrays the world of children without condescension, and children will enjoy reading about familiar experiences. However, because some of the action is conveyed through the illustrations rather than told through the text, the story may require explanation for some readers. This book will help young readers learn about the experience of first love in a way that is comfortable and familiar, and parents will enjoy the humor and skillful illustrations throughout. Recommended. Pre-K - 1 show less

In this book, Henry - a seemingly normal cat - is in love with the loveliest girl in his class, Chloe. The story is extremely stripped down and raw, and very, VERY realistic and relatable. This book would be fabulous for talking to kids about feelings they may be having for someone that society has turned a bit taboo, but those feelings will happen taboo or not. Their feelings deserve to be discussed, and "Henry in Love" would be a great way to open that discussion. By casting the story with animals, all cultural barriers are eliminated, and it turns the book into a delightful fantasy.
Media: Sennelier shellac-based colored inks and Winsor and Newton watercolors

I'm developing a serious illustrator-crush on Peter McCarty. I loved [b:Jeremy Draws a Monster|6399392|Jeremy Draws a Monster|Peter McCarty|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/513KiLfVRkL._SL75_.jpg|6588089] and Henry in Love's illustrations have that same arty and appealing brilliance. I haven't been so enamored of drawn characters since I first met Toot and Puddle.

True, the story doesn't have a lot going on, but it's such fun to look at.

The theme of this beautifully illustrated book is that love requires sacrifice. Henry is teased by his friends for talking to a girl, but he approaches Chloe anyway. Later, he gives Chloe the special blueberry muffin that he was saving all day for himself. Young children will appreciate the beautiful illustrations full of adorable animals, and older children will understand why Henry would give up his blueberry muffin just to make Chloe happy. The artwork does a wonderful job of depicting the sensation of love by showing first Chloe by herself, sitting at her school desk but surrounded by beautiful flowers. After Henry gives her his muffin, it shows both Henry and Chloe together at their desks in the same field of flowers. Having Henry show more and Chloe both together in the “love” scenery suggests that Chloe understood how much the muffin meant to Henry and is starting to have feelings for him too. This book would make a wonderful read aloud book for upper elementary students who may be starting to experience their first crushes. This book would also make a good companion to McCarty’s book "Chloe". show less