Hungry! Hungry! Hungry! Book

A young boy watches as a mischievous goblin creeps and crawls through the house searching for something to eat.

Children's Literature

The text is a simple series of questions asked by our young hero, with answers from a weird-looking goblin and the repetitious title as refrain, all contained in odd-shaped balloons. While his family goes obliviously about its business, the boy follows the goblin's wild and ravenous trail of destruction through the house. Hess uses this meager text as a basis for creating a series of double-page, surreal, color-framed paintings to enhance the tension of the increasingly nasty happenings. The "grisly, ghastly goblin" is an odd combination of parts, the most threatening of which are several teeth that overlap his lips. The settings, typically suburban, are projected from odd angles with combinations that make them appear spooky, but it's all in good fun. The socko, foldout, one-two punch ending is sure to delight. 2001, Peachtree Publishers, $15.95. Ages 4 to 8. Reviewer: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz