I Hate Everything! by Sophy Henn

Happy Sunday! Today's read might seem to be about ghosts...well obviously, it is because the characters on the cover are ghosts...but I'm pretty sure there's much more to it than that. I'm hoping this read will bring across some fun right along with its message.

Let's see how it goes, shall we?

(Note: This read is heading toward my possible favorites of the year list.)

I HATE EVERYTHING!

by Sophy Henn

Beach Lane Books

Picture Book

32 pages

ages 4 to 8

When a ghost is in a bad mood, his pal tries to turn his frown upside down in this irresistible picture book about there always being something to love.

A ghost is having a very bad day. He feels like he hates EVERYTHING! Lucky for him, he has a good ghost friend to talk it through with. Because if he doesn’t really hate sweets or flowers or dressing up, and he definitely doesn’t hate his friend, then maybe he doesn’t hate everything after all…

GOODREADS    /    AMAZON

MY TIDBITS

Sometimes simple is the most fun, and these pages prove that point.

This ghost is grumpy and claims to hate everything, but his friend is pretty sure he just needs some cheering up. So, the friend does the most simple thing and asks the ghost if it hates things, which it definitely doesn't such as candy and more. With a cute line-up of things, it soon becomes clear that the ghost may not hate a lot of things. The conclusion rounds the message off nicely...well, with a last twist at the end to add a final groan and smile.

The text is kept very simple with the ghosts  stating what needs to be said to make things clear. And that is all that's necessary. The illustrations carry the same direct simplicity. Th friend shows the ghost each item and that's that. There isn't any extra background or details, keeping  the visuals centered. And that's perfect. It creates a potent, understandable read, which holds just enough familiarity and gentle humor to draw even reluctant readers in and hold their attention. 

This is one of those reads, which is masterfully done to add just enough to make the entire thing sit wonderfully and be very enjoyable from beginning to end.

And here she is...

Sophy Henn is an award-winning picture book author and illustrator with a master’s in illustration from the University of Brighton. She is the creator of the much-loved Bad Nana series, the Pom Pom series, the Ted board book series, and the nonfiction titles Lifesize and Lifesize Dinosaurs, among others. Her debut picture book, Where Bear?, was nominated for the Kate Greenaway Medal and shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize.