''Open Very Carefully: A Book With Bite!'' is a 2013 children's

picture book A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. With the narrative told primarily through text, they are distinct from comics, which do so primarily through sequential images. The ima ...

by Nick Bromley and illustrated by Nicola O'Byrne. It is about a

crocodile Crocodiles (family (biology), family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large, semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term "crocodile" is sometimes used more loosely to include ...

that disrupts a narrator's reading of

The Ugly Duckling "The Ugly Duckling" () is a Danish literary fairy tale by Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen (1805–1875). It was first published on 11 November 1843 in '' New Fairy Tales. First Volume. First Collection'', with three other tale ...

Reception

A review in ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' of ''Open Very Carefully'' wrote "This is a lively read with many prompts for interactivity and a format that makes it a good choice for both lap reads and preschool circle time ...", while ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

'' called it "A blandly nonthreatening alternative to

Emily Gravett Emily Gravett (born 1972) is an English author and illustrator of children's literature, children's picture books. For her debut book ''Wolves (book), Wolves'' published in 2005 and ''Little Mouse's Big Book of Fears'' published three years late ...

’s ''

Wolves The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, including the dog and dingo, though gr ...

'' (2006) and like encounters with metafictional characters." ''Open Very Carefully'' has also been reviewed by ''

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is ...

'', ''

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, wi ...

'', '' Horn Book Guides'', and Booktrust. Some teachers have been concerned that it reinforces stereotypes. ''Open Very Carefully'' won the 2014 Waterstones Children's Book Prize for picture books, was shortlisted for the 2014 UKLA Book Award in the 3 to 6 category, shortlisted for the 2014 Oscar's Book Prize, and longlisted for the 2014

Kate Greenaway Medal The Carnegie Medal for Illustration (until 2022 the Kate Greenaway Medal) is a British award that annually recognises "distinguished illustration in a book for children". It is conferred upon the illustrator by the Chartered Institute of Librar ...

. It appears on the 2015 North Somerset Teachers' Book Award Booklist.

References

External links

Library holdings of ''Open Very Carefully''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Open Very Carefully 2013 children's books British picture books Picture books based on fairy tales Works based on The Ugly Duckling Children's books about crocodilians