The boy on the page by Peter Carnavas

This book The boy on the page looks, at first glance, like a very simple picture book for a young child but when you read it you will discover it contains a deep philosophical question - the boy asks this question early in the book "Why was he here?"

The boy has a  life filled with activities - Some are fun, some are heroic while others are creative involving music and art and occasionally he even has an adventure or two. Over the course of the book we see him change from a boy into a man. One day the man falls in love. A new baby is born and his life experiences expand.  We see the man assisting the homeless, building a house and vegetable garden and raising his family.

"But every now and then, as the moon rolled through the deep, blue sky, he still wondered why he had landed on the page."

I won't spoil the ending but it is absolutely perfect.  I highly recommend The Boy on the page for all ages. Here are some teacher notes.  You might also enjoy The Man who loved boxes by Stephen Michael King.