"Meta" fiction in picture books

[TheSurgeonsMate]

I've noticed a real trend for picture books that are about books and how books work, and make plays on this and refer to themselves and the reader and are generally pretty damn clever.

I'm a bookish sort myself, so find that I'm quite drawn to them, but what do children make of them? DD is only 2 so I've been resisting this sort of thing so far, but I just wondered what people's experience of reading these books with children is?

Not sure I'm up the right path but DS (around age 5) was a big fan of The Incredible Book Eating Boy.

Ah yes, dusty I see on Amazon that this is exactly the sort of thing - it's done so that he seems to have taken a bite out of the book itself.

And things like There Are Cats in this Book

And Again! where the book gest scorched by the young dragon who is demanding that it be read again.

We like Emily G in this house - Meerkat Mail is a fav. Can see me buying Again as a gift.

When we saw it in a library, DH thought it was WRONG because the book gets damaged and sent a terrible message!

Who's Afraid Of The Big Bad Book and Charlie Cook's Favourite Book are both popular in our house.

(not picture books though).

I've shared a lot of the picture books with my DD (now aged 5) and found that they "get" them and enjoy them. I suppose such books are preaching to the converted in so far as if you already love to read to your child, you will naturally enjoy them and your child will already have a good understanding of how books work. I think Anthony Browne does some clever htings wiht books as well.

"whose afraid" looks great, Toaster.

Looking at amazon reviews, people are reporting the same as Campaspe, an enthusiasm for this sort of thing from their children.

um is "The Pencil"-
www.amazon.co.uk/The-Pencil-Allan-Ahlberg/dp/1406319554/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1339361518&sr=1-1 one?
A pencil draws the characters of a book, and then draws a paintbrush so that everything can get coloured in etc.

DD is (only) 13 months but I'm really enjoying getting thru some pretty smart picture books :>

"Who's Afraid" is well wicked. ;) "Storybook Wolves" looks worth a try too.

Will look out for "The Pencil" - sounds a bit M. C. Escher. (sp?)

Dd discovered there are cats in this book and there are no cats at 2.6 and loves them both but I'm not sure whether she really 'gets' them yet as anything other than stories about cats. Charlie cook is another favourite here. Loving the recommendations though. Library here we come.

There's also "Press Here".
www.amazon.co.uk/Press-Here-Herve-Tullet/dp/0811879542/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339446051&sr=8-1

which I have to admit I didn't #get# first time around; you treat the book like an iPad- pressing the yellow dot has all kinds of results

We've just had a great Anthony Browne from the library. Called 'You and Me', a really interesting take on Goldilocks.

I saw these at the library, while I was looking for The Pencil (I'm sure it's there). Again - check out the stonking acclaim from amazon reviewers:

This is My Book - a dragon appears to be taking bites out of the text and a mouse is trying to save it.

Don't Read This Book - didn't have time to look inside this, but seems to be about a book that isn't ready to be read yet!??

And in apps too - The Wrong Book