A whimsical introduction to one of the most unconventional architects of the 20th century.
A quirky story of a girl and a dragon inspired by the equally quirky Casa Batlló, designed by the celebrated architect Antoni Gaudí.
As her nanny sleeps, Paloma hears a sound at the window. Upon her opening it, a frightened bat flies in. It is fleeing something, and that something is now on the stairs. Unafraid, Paloma seeks it out. Eventually catching up to the creature—now identified as a dragon—Paloma tickles it between its scales, causing the dragon to explode in laughter and so “unleashing the sea and all its waves, tuna, crabs, cuttlefish and seaweed!” Having unwittingly swallowed all this during a previous yawn, the dragon is sorry to have caused a flood in her house and now just asks for a place to sleep. He curls himself up on the roof, “closes its eyes and falls asleep.” Paloma returns to the room where her nanny is waking up, unaware there is a dragon on the roof. As the adventure takes place, the illustrations portray columns in the shape of bones, a staircase like a winding spine, and tile work resembling an oceanscape. Should children believe the house is the product of the illustrator’s imagination, photographs of the real Casa Batlló in Barcelona show that the house does exist and that a dragon sleeps on its roof.
A whimsical introduction to one of the most unconventional architects of the 20th century. (further information, interview with author and illustrator) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2019
ISBN: 978-3-7913-7391-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Prestel
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2019
A must-own adaptation chock-full of such stuff as kids’ dreams are—and will be—made on.
Mirth, magic, and mischief abound in this picture-book retelling of one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays.
Ariel, the beloved sprite whose conjurings precipitate the eponymous tempest, gets top billing in this adaptation and recounts the narrative in the first person. Through Ariel’s eyes, readers are introduced to the powerful Prospero, his lovely daughter, Miranda, and the shipwrecked nobles who are brought to the island to right an ancient wrong. Ellinas’ picture book largely divests the tale of its colonialist underpinnings and breathes three-dimensional complexity into the major and minor characters. Caliban, for instance, is monstrous due to his callous treatment of Ariel rather than because he is racially coded as savage. Another delightful change is the depiction of Miranda, who emerges as an athletic, spirited, and beautiful nature-child whose charms are understandably irresistible to Prince Ferdinand. The text is perfectly matched by Ray’s jaw-droppingly beautiful illustrations, which will enchant readers from the front cover to the final curtain. The greens of the waters and the blues of the island’s night sky are so lush and inviting that readers will wish they could enter the book. Peppered throughout the story are italicized fragments of Shakespeare’s dialogue, giving both young and older readers something to enjoy. Large, granite-colored Caliban is plainly nonhuman; the human characters present white; Ariel is a translucent, paper white.
A must-own adaptation chock-full of such stuff as kids’ dreams are—and will be—made on. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: April 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5362-1144-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
An immersive, charming read and convincing proof again that even small bodies can house stout hearts.
Can knightly deeds bring together a feathered odd couple who are on opposite daily schedules?
Having won over a dragon (and millions of fans) in the Caldecott Honor–winning Knight Owl (2022), the fierce yet impossibly cute nocturnal, armor-clad owlet faces a new challenge—sleep deprivation—in the wake of taking on Early Bird, a trainee who rises with the sun and chatters interminably: “I made pancakes! Do you like pancakes? I love pancakes! Where’s the syrup?” It’s enough to test the patience of even the knightliest of owls, and eventually Knight Owl explodes in anger. But although Early Bird is even smaller than her mentor, she turns out to be just as determined to achieve knighthood. After he tells her to leave, she acquits herself so nobly in a climactic encounter with a pack of wolves that she earns a place at the castle. Denise proves a dab hand at depicting genuinely slinky, scary wolves as well as slipping cheerfully anachronistic newspapers and other sight gags into his realistically wrought medieval settings to underscore the tale’s tongue-in-cheek tone. Better yet, a final view of the doughty duo sitting down together to a lavish pancake breakfast/dinner at dusk ends the episode in a sweet rush of syrup and bonhomie.
An immersive, charming read and convincing proof again that even small bodies can house stout hearts. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2024
ISBN: 9780316564526
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2025
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