I first got hooked on Oliver Jeffers’ stories and illustrations with The Incredible Book Eating Boy. When I found this book at the library, I had to snatch it up. It didn’t disappoint!
The Great Paper Caper is an entertaining tale of a forest whose trees are mysteriously disappearing. The forest animals cordon off the crime scene and investigate the clues. They discover that a bear has been cutting down the trees to make paper to fuel his obsession with winning the 112th Paper Airplane Competition. He confesses to his crime, and at his trial he is ordered to replace the trees. The forest animals forgive him and help him gather his failed paper airplanes, and in the end they help him in his quest to win the paper airplane contest.
Aside from the cute details of the police investigation, I really liked the message of forgiveness presented at the end of the story. Instead of condemning the bear for his crime, the forest animals have compassion for him, allowing him to make amends instead of going to jail and even helping him overcome his poor choices in his desperate quest to achieve his dreams. It is a lovely way to subtly portray how we can and should show grace when dealing with someone who has wronged us.
If you have a paper airplane fanatic in your house, check out this list of books about paper crafts. You just might win a paper airplane contest with one of the models in the Klutz book!