Open Very Carefully
{{short description|Children's picture book by Nick Bromley and Nicola O'Byrne.}}
{{Infobox book
| name = Open Very Carefully: A Book With Bite!
| image = Open Very Carefully.jpg
| caption =
| author = Nick Bromley
| illustrator = Nicola O'Byrne
| cover_artist = O'Byrne
| country = England
| language = English
| genre = Children's picture book
| published = 2013 ( Nosy Crow)
| media_type = Print (hardback)
| pages = 29 (unpaginated)
| isbn = 9780857630476
| oclc = 842839196
}}
Open Very Carefully: A Book With Bite! is a 2013 children's picture book by Nick Bromley and illustrated by Nicola O'Byrne. It is about a crocodile that disrupts a narrator's reading of The Ugly Duckling.
Reception
A review in Publishers Weekly 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 ...",{{cite magazine |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-7636-6163-2 |title=Open Very Carefully: A Book with Bite |date=10 December 2012 |magazine=Publishers Weekly |publisher=PWxyz LLC|accessdate=23 March 2022}} while Kirkus Reviews called it "A blandly nonthreatening alternative to Emily Gravett’s Wolves (2006) and like encounters with metafictional characters."{{cite magazine|url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/nick-bromley/open-very-carefully/ |title=Open Very Carefully |date=1 January 2013 |magazine=Kirkus Reviews |publisher=Kirkus Media LLC |accessdate=23 March 2022}}
Open Very Carefully has also been reviewed by Booklist,{{cite magazine|title=Open Very Carefully |author=Kraus, Daniel |url=https://kcls.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S82C1255552/reviews |magazine=Booklist |quote=This most recent entry in the self-reflexive picture-book canon finds a comfortable niche between the brain-busting of Mordicai Gerstein's A Book (2009) and the cute literary investigation of Mo Willems' We Are in a Book! (2010).|publisher=American Library Association|accessdate=23 March 2022}} School Library Journal,{{cite magazine|title=Open Very Carefully |author=Julie Roach |quote=Bright reds and yellows, active line work, and plenty of white space create high energy and allow for the croc to interact with text and with the audience. .. While there are many interactive books like this available and some are more notable, kids will enjoy this lively, fast-paced story.|url=https://kcls.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S82C1255552/reviews |magazine=School Library Journal |publisher=Media Source Inc. |year=2013 |accessdate=23 March 2022}} Horn Book Guides,{{cite magazine|title=Open Very Carefully |quote=The droll illustrations are the lifeblood of the story's meta-ness, especially when the bird instructs readers to draw on the crocodile. |url=https://kcls.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S82C1255552/reviews |magazine=Horn Book Guides |publisher=Media Source Inc. |year=2013 |accessdate=23 March 2022}} and Booktrust.{{cite web |url=https://www.booktrust.org.uk/book/o/open-very-carefully/ |title=Open Very Carefully |quote=a picture book with a difference.|website=booktrust.org.uk |publisher=Booktrust |accessdate=23 March 2022}}
Some teachers have been concerned that it reinforces stereotypes.{{cite magazine|title=Open Very Carefully: even quality books can contain stereotypes |author=Teddy Kokoros |url=https://www.hbook.com/story/open-carefully-even-quality-books-can-contain-stereotypes |magazine=Horn Book Guides |publisher=Media Source Inc. |date=4 September 2014 |accessdate=23 March 2022}}
Open Very Carefully won the 2014 Waterstones Children's Book Prize for picture books,{{cite news |author=Emily Drabble |date=4 April 2014 |title=Katherine Rundell wins the Waterstones children's book prize 2014 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2014/apr/03/waterstones-childrens-books-prize-2014-katherine-rundell |newspaper=The Guardian |accessdate=23 March 2022}} was shortlisted for the 2014 UKLA Book Award in the 3 to 6 category,{{cite web |url=https://ukla.org/ukla_resources/ukla-book-award-2014-shortlists/ |title=United Kingdom Literacy Association |website=ukla.org |publisher=United Kingdom Literacy Association |accessdate=23 March 2022}} shortlisted for the 2014 Oscar's Book Prize,{{cite web |url=http://www.oscarsbookprize.co.uk/winners/ |title=Winners: The 2014 Story |website=oscarsbookprize.co.uk |publisher=Oscar’s Book Prize |accessdate=23 March 2022}} and longlisted for the 2014 Kate Greenaway Medal.{{cite news |date=5 February 2014 |title=2014 Greenaway picture book prize long list - in pictures |url=https://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/gallery/2014/feb/04/greenaway-prize-longlist-2014 |newspaper=The Guardian |accessdate=23 March 2022}}
It appears on the 2015 North Somerset Teachers' Book Award Booklist.{{cite web |url=http://www.northsomersetteachersbookaward.com/2015booklist |title=The 2015 Booklist |website=northsomersetteachersbookaward.com |publisher=The North Somerset Teachers' Book Award |accessdate=23 March 2022}}{{cite web |url=http://www.northsomersetteachersbookaward.com/blog/2015/9/12/open-very-carefully-a-book-with-bite-nick-bromley-and-nicola-obyrne |title=Open Very Carefully -A Book With Bite! Nick Bromley and Nicola O'Byrne |date=14 September 2015 |quote=Although great fun and perfect for enthusing readers, there is much work that can be inspired by this book. |website=northsomersetteachersbookaward.com |publisher=The North Somerset Teachers' Book Award |accessdate=23 March 2022}}
==References==
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/842839196 Library holdings of Open Very Carefully]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Open Very Carefully}}
Category:2013 children's books
Category:British picture books
Category:Picture books based on fairy tales