Helpful Score: 3
As in Base's Animalia , his lush, intricately detailed illustrations in The Eleventh Hour comprise a sort of visual hide-and-seek. Here, the stakes are clues to the solution of a mystery: Who has surreptitiously eaten the feast prepared for Horace the Elephant's 11th birthday party? The culprit could be any of a number of exotically costumed animal guests, from a pig dressed as an admiral to a pair of giraffes in tutus to a zebra gone punk. The fun of poring over the pictures for hidden messages and significant particulars is, happily, matched by the enjoyment derived from the text--witty, ingenious verses that ably skirt the singsong or mundane. It will take an exceptionally persistent sleuth to deduce the thief's identity. But it is, as Base points out, the thrill of the chase that matters most; and on this count the work scores high marks.
Helpful Score: 1
I love this book. It can be so simple or complicated, depending on how in depth you want to get with it. I love that there are such creative people in the world.
This is a children's mystery book...
this was fun as a read-aloud for 2nd and 3rd graders, however, the pictures are so lavish and detailed, and the who-dun-it plot requires careful observation, so it's best as an individual book.
One of my favourite books. Gorgeously illustrated (of course) and genuinely challenging without being TOO hard. Even if you have to cheat and look up the answer, there's still so much to look at on a second (or third, or fourth) read. This is one of those books that I like more and more as I get older.
This book is full of clues that will keep you and your child busy for hours. The artwork is sublime!
Shannon M. (confuzzledbooks) reviewed The Eleventh Hour: A Curious Mystery on + 486 more book reviews
The eleventh hour is a story about an elephant who hosts a party for his own birthday. He creates many lavish dishes for his friends. Before the elephant and his friends eat the feast they play many birthday games. After the games, the elephant and his guests find that someone has eaten all of the birthday meal. Beautiful illustrations to enjoy as you read the story and the art also reveals who ate the birthday dinner.
This is a very whimsical children's book. The illustrations are spectacular and there's so much detail it takes a couple of times to read to really see everything. The stories cute and children under 9 I think will enjoy it very much.
Even though I love the art the illustrations are overwhelming especially when you realize that only searching through the art is how you find who had devoured the meal.
I never did find out who done it I had bought this as a gift for a nephew. I would probably search through it again if I had had the time. It definitely would be good to help kids as a visual exercise.
This is a very whimsical children's book. The illustrations are spectacular and there's so much detail it takes a couple of times to read to really see everything. The stories cute and children under 9 I think will enjoy it very much.
Even though I love the art the illustrations are overwhelming especially when you realize that only searching through the art is how you find who had devoured the meal.
I never did find out who done it I had bought this as a gift for a nephew. I would probably search through it again if I had had the time. It definitely would be good to help kids as a visual exercise.
