A gobbledygook, you ask? Like my own beloved childhood picture book friend, the Hurdy Gurdy Gondelope, this nonsense creature is a furry, space travelling, custard-slurping, dino roaring book lover . . . and reformed book eater.
Yes, that's right. Reformed book eater. Because, meeting dinosaurs and travelling through space and exploring custard recipes are things you can do in a book. If you instead gobble the books, there'll be no recipes and no dinos and no space travel to be found.
And we can't have that now, can we?
This is a warm, fuzzy, gorgeous concept of a book with a lovely voice, plenty of mouth-pleasing onomatopoeia and stunning illustrations the masterful Tom Jellett e'er does so well.
My only criticism would be that the text, although delightful, frequently loses cadence and rhythm - and rhyme is oft loss, detracting from the enjoyment of the story. This is a typical problem when rhyme is used - the book really would have been better without it.
Other than that, this is a delightful, fun and gorgeous book both kids and adults will adore. I love the ending and I love the scrumptious nature of this gobbledygook character - certain to become a kid-fave.
Title: The Gobbledygook is Eating a Book
Author: Justine Clarke and Arthur Baysing
Illustrator: Tom Jellett
Publisher: Penguin, $19.99 RRP
Publication Date: 24 October 2012
Format: Hard cover
ISBN: 9780670076574
For ages: 4 - 8
Type: Picture Book
