Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Eric...the hero?
Picture Book
For ages 5 to 7
Red Fox, 2013 ISBN: 978-1849412841
Eric is a boy who is prone to making mistakes and messing things up. He is clumsy and frequently he gets into trouble, which means that people often call him names like twerp and nitwit. In fact he is called these names (and others) so often that he starts to believe that he is indeed a twit, a twerp, a nitwit, a dummy, a dunce and a dope. Not surprisingly, poor Eric frequently feels as if “no one in the whole wide world” cares about him. His feelings of loneliness and unhappiness get so acute that he finally decides to run away.
Eric is walking along when he hears someone yelling “Monster!” and soon terrified people are running by him, heading for the king’s castle. Eric runs too and he can hear and feel the terrible footfalls of the monster. As they run, the people call out. Some say that they need a hero to save them. Others say that what they need someone who is a twit, a nitwit, a dummy, a dunce, and a dope to fight the huge monster. No normal person would take on such a terrible task.
Eric fully believes that he is a twit, a nitwit, a dummy, a dunce, and a dope because people are always telling him that his is these things. Since Eric is “never afraid to try anything,” he stops running, turns and waits for the monster to turn up.
All over the world people who are perhaps a little clumsier and little more accident prone than others are called names and made to feel small and useless. This book was written for these people, and it celebrates the fact that there is a hero inside every single one of us, even if we are clumsy and make mistakes. We all have gifts and something to offer. Children will be delighted to see how Eric, the hero, finds his way
