The boy on the page by Peter Carnavas

New Frontier, 2013. ISBN 9781921928468.
(Age: 4+) Warmly recommended. Picture book, Books and reading, Age. A loving tribute to the power of books and story, Carnavas has the hero of the book fall onto a page, from where he discovers the world. He meets many animals, sees many different things, all the while wondering why he is here. He then experiences a range of things, rolling down the hill, playing an accordion, catching a fish, planting a tree. As he is doing all these things, he is growing too, and meets someone with whom he builds a house, has a family, keeps a dog, still wondering why he is here.
He tries to jump off the page, but only succeeds in falling back onto the page where he sees all the things he has done and experienced and been involved in - his life.
This is a smart humorous tale of one man's life, from the time he begins to see things around him, to his older age, where he can place everything in the context of his life. All through the years of looking and seeing and being involved, he discovers the wonders of life, the things which make it worth living. And it is this that children reading the book will understand when reading the tale and looking at the appealing illustrations. Readers will identify with the young man starting out on his life's journey and recognise the boy growing into a man and doing things more adult, then growing older and questioning his life's journey.
But it not only shows the passage of time and how people age but also shows the importance of books in one's life journey, as each book can show something different, encourage new experiences, and be a companion on that journey.
Fran Knight