The Day Louis Got Eaten

by John Fardell

Overview

When Louis gets eaten up by a Gulper, his big sister Sarah knows she has to act fast, and she sets off in hot pursuit. But rescuing a boy from a Gulper's tummy isn't so simple—especially when other strange and scary creatures are looking for their dinner too...

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781849393874
Publisher:	Andersen Press (UK)
Publication date:	02/28/2012
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 1.25(h) x 9.00(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

Editorial Reviews

…delicious…The art is cartoony, in pen and ink with bright watercolors…the narrative is cleverly visualized in a succession of softly edged panels teeming with delightful action words…I love this book so much I want to eat it up.
—Lisa Brown

The New York Times Book Review

Louis and his big sister Sarah were out in the woods one day... when unfortunately... Louis was eaten up by Gulper.” Far from afraid, Sarah springs into action, chasing after the furry, egg-shaped monster on her bicycle. But just as she’s about to catch the Gulper, it’s eaten by a black, winged Grabular, which is in turn gobbled up by an Undersnatch, a giant tadpole-like creature. The hilariously preposterous chase unfolds quickly in Fardell’s panel illustrations, and Sarah shows bravery, ingenuity, and determination every step of the way: she reconfigures her bike again and again, outfitting it with a paddlewheel to traverse the sea and spidery legs to climb some Seussian rock formations. Thus, it’s especially disappointing that Fardell (Jeremiah Jellyfish Flies High) relies on an amphibia ex machina resolution, which takes the form of a “Hiccup Frog” that causes the creatures gastrointestinal distress. Fardell gives Louis a moment to shine, too, and it’s clear he’s as nonchalantly brave as his sister—when she crawls through multiple stomachs to rescue him, he’s hanging out reading comic books. Ages 4–9. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"Louis and his sister find themselves deep inside the stomach of a Saber-toothed Yumper when a leisurely bike ride through the woods turns into a monstrous chase into prehistoric lands. After Louis is swallowed by a Gulper, Sarah sets off to rescue him, but each creature that consumes him is set upon by a larger one, and the chase is on. Finally, she must crawl into the stomach of the Saber-toothed Yumper and, flashlight in hand, wind her way through the insides of all the other beasts to retrieve her brother. Although the situation resolves itself when the creature feels a real 'frog in its throat,' the siblings are not free to return home until one of them finds a more vocal way to scare away the still-hungry Guzzler, Grabular, Undersnatch, and Gulper. Fardell cleverly morphs verbs into the names of the monsters chasing Louis and a two-wheeled bicycle into a machine capable of floating, rock climbing, and flight. The antics are over-the-top, and the creatures are more funny than scary, making this picture book a natural for storytime fun." --School Library Journal

From the Publisher

There is nothing stronger than the love and trust between siblings. Louis and Sarah prove that faith in one another goes a long way when Louis gets eaten up by a Gulper. Sarah's confidence under pressure, and her knowledge about Gulpers, allows Sarah to pursue the hungry Gulper through air, land, and sea. Her persistence leads her to the lair of a Saber-toothed Yumper where her brother has ultimately ended up while still being in the stomach of the Gulper. Quick thinking and keen planning allow Sarah to free Louis who confidently states to his sister "I knew you'd come." At the conclusion of the book, Louis has the opportunity to return the favor to his adventurous sister by protecting her during a time of need. This is an imaginative and cute story about the strong bond between siblings. The illustrations are fantastic and truly display the creativity and the amount of thought that Fardell puts into his work.

Children's Literature - Jayme Derbyshire

A cumulative tale of gathering potency that riffs on Jonah and the Whale. The first page of this tale is a dodge: A young boy with goo-goo eyes scooters off with his sister for a day in the forest near their idyllic woodland cottage. Yawn--apparently. The pen-and-ink drawing is pretty nifty, so it doesn't hurt to move ahead anyway. And that is for the best, as goo-goo eyes gets eaten by a Gulper. His sister, taking umbrage, gives chase, but before she can reach the Gulper, it is eaten by a Grabular. So it goes, with the sister in pursuit--on evermore inventive contraptions--and each crazy creature being devoured by a yet crazier one. The sister gets the Saber-toothed Yumper in the end, forcing it to disgorge all its stomach's contents, including the goo-goo–eyed brother, who turns out to be a tough dude after all. Things could be said here about the importance of persistence and the glories of sisters, all being true, but it might be best to see this book as a clever eye-catcher with a nicely tied-up story--there's nothing at all wrong with that. A very merry, lighthearted entanglement. (Picture book. 4-9)

Kirkus Reviews