Review: Henry in Love by Peter McCarty

Published in 2010, Henry in Love would have never fallen into our realm if the librarian hadn’t had it on display for Valentine’s Day this year. As my son has a huge crush on one of his classmates, I grabbed it, always looking to address what he’s going through with the power of children’s literature.

While there was nothing overly complicated about the story, the lightness of it was refreshing and captured Henry’s perspective, or what matters to a young elementary-aged boy, perfectly. For instance, when Henry, his best friend Sancho, and older brother are walking to school, they run into an older football player, who plays catch with them. While on the surface this part held no significance in the grand scheme of the story, it was my son’s favorite part.

The entire story was threaded together by a blueberry muffin, which had both my son and I wanting blueberry muffins by the end of the book. What happens in the end between Henry and his crush is totally innocent yet totally romantic. Henry in Love proves that simplicity, even in children’s literature, can be profound and memorable. Readers will likely never view blueberry muffins in the same mundane way ever again.