NINE ANIMALS AND THE WELL

Selecting the perfect birthday gift can be a daunting task; selecting a gift for the raja-king is a greater challenge for nine animal friends heading to the royal celebration. Rumford’s original fable of friendship, generosity—and counting—romps along as characters join the journey, ultimately giving the best gift of all. The setting for the fable is India, the source of the nine “Arabic” numbers we use today. Rumford’s inspiration for the story was the squiggly shapes of the Indian numbers. Information about the medium, the process of making the pictures, and the careful choice and detail applied in the selection of the Japanese and Indian handmade papers is included. Children will delight in this tale and its vibrant collage illustrations, decorated and refined with brush, pen, and pencil. Curving text swoops down and around, framing the characters and moving or punctuating the text and figures. The attention and devotion each character expresses in selecting the gift are echoed in Rumford’s own careful choices in the creation of this thoughtful work. (Picture book. 5-10)