Hurry Up, Henry

by Jennifer Lanthier, Isabelle Malenfant (Illustrations)

Henry's mother and father and sister are always telling him to hurry up, and his best friend, Simon, never slows down. Henry doesn't like to be late. But he doesn't want to hurry, either. He likes to take his time and often sees things that his family miss in the rush. For Henry's birthday, Simon arranges for a special present that lets Henry take the time he needs -- with his whole family!

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Family, Friendship, Realistic Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

Published September 6, 2016

Reviews

[Moonkiszt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Featured in a grandma reads session.

Over many years I have herded cats. Family cats. Work cats. Church cats. Kid cats. Dad cats. Mom cats. Sibling cats. All-together cats. Strange cats. All with that universal phrase - "Let's go! Hurry up! We're going to be late!" Seeing this book about herding kids and seeing how tired they get of it, how tired I used to get being herded as a small child, I learned to dearly hate that word. . . late. It's so relative. I digress.

Jennifer Lanthier (author) and Isabelle Malenfant (Illustrator) have together created this charming tale of how three heroes, a little boy (the title-named Henry), his friend (Simon) and grandma (Grandma) conspire to overcome the eternal problem of The Herders v. The Herded. I loved it, but am biased as I am in one of the hero groups on this one.

3.5 stars, all hurried up to 4 stars.

Even better, my listeners loved it, too, with the entire session dissolving into Herders v Herded and their chattering cries to each other. From there we moved on to the next book. . .

[Shiloah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grandma has a great grasp of time.

[Vikki VanSickle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This little charmer is deceptively simply. Henry is always being told to hurry up, and his friend Simon is always being told to slow down. With the help of Grandma, Henry teaches his family and friends that learning to slow down and take in the day has lasting benefits. Featuring a multi-racial cast in a busy urban environment, this is a great story for fans of Last Stop on Market Street and Sidewalk Flowers.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everyone is always telling Henry to hurry up. His parents and older sister are constantly dragging him away from the interesting city sights on their way to school. Even his best friend Simon is always on the move. Only Henry’s grandmother seems to understand Henry’s need to experience the world at a slower pace. So, when Henry’s birthday approaches, Simon engages the help of Grandma to execute the perfect gift. The night before, Simon and Grandma move the household clocks forward an hour, so that in the morning everyone rushes out of the house before discovering they now have a whole extra hour to get to the school—time for smelling flowers, playing with dogs in the park, and even creating sidewalk art. Malenfant’s mixed media illustrations capture the dreamy, wistful quality of time slowed down, and her interracial cast of characters show love and concern for one another, even when expressing frustration with Henry’s slower tempo. Take time to share this sweet reminder of the benefits of occasional breaks from the fast-paced modern world.

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Henry likes to take his time in a world that is always in a hurry.

“Henry didn’t want to be late. But he didn’t want to hurry up either.”

Readers frequently scolded and told to "hurry up" will relate to Henry.

The illustrations appear to be a mix of water and pastels, but the book doesn’t give the medium.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Falls apart just a bit on the too-tidy resolution, but I love the theme, and the characterizations. I would have liked to get to know the friend Simon a bit better. I do recommend this to everyone who needs to learn to slow down & appreciate life, as well as everyone being told to hurry up.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I so love the gift that Simon gives Henry for his birthday. There is such kindness in honoring another person's way in the world.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

How have I not found this book until now? Lovely!

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this, but the kindergarteners didn't understand what Grandma and Simon did. Only one girl could answer when I asked.

[Annie Payne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very cute book for anyone and everyone who has ever been told to "Hurry up!"

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everyone is always telling Henry to hurry up whereas as he likes to take his time with things yet still likes to be on time. His best friend Simon likes to be fast with things and people tell him to slow down. Simon decides to help Henry out with this problem for Henry's birthday. This was a cute book. The sort of cartoonish illustrations (like with Henry and grandma sitting on the clock hand) really set the scene and put the focus on Henry and his family. Nice little book with showing how each person is different with his or her own quirky qualities and how there's always a way to make things work.

[Jillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet little book with nice, colored pencil-ish illustrations that have a touch of whimsy. Nice reminder to take time and slow down sometimes, and see the things you miss each day - especially with your family.

[Lupita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book. Sweet and instructional. A tip (I learned long ago) for all of us who were always late for everything.

[Gemma · Rating 4 out of 5]

A touching story about learning to slow down and appreciate taking in the little things, and friends appreciating the qualities of each other.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute book about taking the time to appreciate your surrounding, stopping to smell the roses.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

meh, not terrible, but nothing special

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book, but it reads a bit strange. The illustrations are somewhat charming, but they don't enhance the text. Overall, this book just didn't resonate with my son or me.