I love this, It was so cute! ( )

A Book Review- The Snatchabook ‎by Helen Docherty, Author and Illustrator, Thomas Docherty. Sourcebooks Jabberwocky; Illustrated edition (October 1, 2013)
“Tap! Tap! The noise came really fast. Before they looked around, the book was gone–without a sound.” In the long dark autumn evenings in Burrow Down, a terrible thing was happening–storybooks are disappearing even as they are being read. Author Helen Docherty and her husband illustrator Thomas Docherty combine their talents for a second time in this rhyming picture book. (They previously co-authored Ruby Nettleship and the Ice Lolly Adventure, which Thomas also illustrated (2010).)
Written in rhyming couplets gathered in quatrains and six-line stanzas, The Snachabook is Helen’s first venture into rhyming stories. The effort is a resounding success that begs The Snatchabook to be read out loud: “Her curtains opened, just a chink. She barely had time to blink. Her storybook just disappeared! Eliza Brown found that very weird.”
Not only did Eliza Brown’s storybooks disappear, but they were vanishing from every den, burrow, warren, and hideaway in Burrow Downs. Eliza is determined to solve the mystery of what or who is absconding with all the bedtime storybooks.
If Helen Docherty’s rhymes add joy to the story’s language, Thomas Docherty’s Illustrations convey a depth of emotions and information far beyond the text. Most of The Snatchabook is rendered at night and although the moon is cold, white and full, it only illuminates a glimpse of something strange with wings and a long peculiar tail. With a green hue added to the dark blue night sky, thin black clouds streaking across the sky, and leaves blowing wildly off the nearly bare trees, his illustrations recall an autumn night as imagined by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Madeleine L’Engle or Snoopy–it was indeed a dark and stormy night.
The warm, rich reddish brown earth surrounds the setts, dens, burrows, warrens, and other homey hideaways that are colored in warm yellows and oranges contrasting with the cold sky. The rounded images, together with bright cozy comforters, fluffy pillows, and hooked rugs on the floor, further the distinction between the safe and snug homes and the scary night. But is it really safe?
“The wind blew wild across the sky. The smallest squirrel heard a cry. ‘What’s that?’ she whispered to her dad. But then - and this was really bad–before they’d had a chance to look, she’d lost her very favorite book.”
In one of the few daylight scenes in the book, the residents, badgers, squirrels, rabbits, owls, and hedgehogs of Burrow Downs gather in the village green. The worried expressions, hand gestures, and the segregation of each household, along with several insightful thought bubbles, reveal neighbors suspecting neighbors. The community is rife with rumor and suspicion.
As Eliza Brown watches this scene in dismay, she decides that the mystery must be solved without delay. She devises a plan and baits a trap that very night. The tension reaches its height when after waiting most of the night Eliza sees a huge monstrous shadow with pointed ears that stretches from her bedroom window to the large stack of books, the bait. Although telling herself she is not scared, she is terrified - the reader not so much. Thomas Docherty has by now shown enough cameos of the creature that it is obviously neither large nor monstrous. And, what kind of scary fiend would leave behind a trail of fairy dust and stars?
After Eliza Brown challenges the book thief, the little snatchabook introduces himself, and the sequence of simple illustrations - that may be the best in the book- tell the story: Eliza’s surprise, the little snatchabook’s sorrow and contriteness, and finally Eliza’s compassion as she sets the little fellow on her knee and listens to his sad confession.
The Snatchabook is a charming rhyming picture book that is neither trite nor shallow. Although probably enjoyed most by the pre-K, kindergarten, and first-grade crowd, older children will probably like reading this out loud to younger children. Adults will also enjoy reading, which is a bonus as it has an excellent chance of becoming a repeat request for a bedtime story. ( )

Beautiful illustrations and the rhyme scheme is very good (one or two hitches; note that I was reading quickly). Not sure why no insta-love from me, exactly. (I would buy it if kids' books weren't so dad-blammed expensive these days.) ( )

In this rhyming picture book, someone is stealing all of the books from Burrow Down. One character sets out to find who is taking all of their books. When she discovers the truth, she decides to help him make it right. ( )

Just finished the galley of "The Snatchabook", can I just say how much I ❤ this book! @Sourcebooks.

Perfect for family storytime. ( )