Perfect for those looking for a scary Halloween tale that won’t leave them with more fears than they started with. Pair with Dr. Seuss’ tale of animate, empty pants.

Jon Klassen - Candlewick Press Jon Klassen - Candlewick Press

That phrase is key to children’s books. Kids want to work for you. They’re excited to be entrusted with that task. “Yeah, you want me to figure it out. You’re not going to spoon-feed me.” They’re so excited, and you can feel it, almost, when they realize what you’re asking them to do. Reynolds and Brown have crafted a Halloween tale that balances a really spooky premise with the hilarity that accompanies any mention of underwear. It might be smart and droll, but it's also so completely and utterly unsatisfying *as a story* it becomes almost a vanity project, something pretty smug. Klassen said he was inspired by Arnold Lobel. Oh no. Common Sense is the nation's leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of all kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in the 21st century. My 5 1/2 year old granddaughter loved this story. She is beginning to read the simple words herself, and loved the dialog among the three animals. The wonderful water-color illustrations are a huge part of this book's appeal and contribute to the book's charm.

Keep in touch

Que no se entere Pennac que ya no les leo a mis hijos. La fase del acompañamiento se acabó y al final, de todos esos años sumergido en lecturas en voz alta de cuentos, libros, álbumes ilustrados, grapas y hasta un par de omnigolds de la Patrulla-X, me ha quedado una afición por la literatura infantil y juvenil y unos cuantos nombres a los que seguiré la pista en solitario. I liked the developing dread even while I was laughing at/with the three friends, I mean, the cranky turtle and the armadillo and snake, who deal with a big, unexpected intrusion into their lives, and their later musings. So in the book, I’m going through the motions, but there’s this silent conversation going on also. What do you think is this going to happen? Is he telling the truth? Kids can hear it. It’s like that part in The Shining when the little boy and the caretaker are in the kitchen and the caretaker is talking about all the food they have, but then at the same time, in the shining way, silently, he’s asking the boy, Do you want some ice cream?... He’s saying to the boy, “I’m reading you.” Turtle really likes standing in his favorite spot. He likes it so much that he asks his friend Armadillo to come over and stand in it, too. But now that Armadillo is standing in that spot, he has a bad feeling about it . . .

The Rock from the Sky by Klassen, Jon - AbeBooks 9781406395570 - The Rock from the Sky by Klassen, Jon - AbeBooks

It is also, as it just so happens, a book that may be impossible to encapsulate well in a review. Let me put it this way then: Would you like to read a book that will make you laugh and your kids laugh, and all of you are laughing for real, no one faking it, and enjoying this book for the exact same reasons? Because what we have here is a bit of a unicorn. It’s a book that is amusing to children and adults in precisely the same way. It straddles ages and even, I’d suggest, different kinds of senses of humor. Add in the fact that it’s beautiful to look at (yes, kudos on those skies, Jon), a tiny bit poignant, and contains funny hats and I’d say it’s a winner to its core. The kind of book that comes out of the blue and just hits you with its charm. My son and I have probably read this over a hundred times, and I don’t know who’s laughed more, me or him. Als je dit boek ziet, weet je gelijk: dit is bijzonder. Geen rots te zien op het omslag, laat staan van boven. Wel in letters in de titel. Geen felle kleuren en toch nodigt het minimalistische uit tot openen van dit dikke prentenboek. UPDATE: Ok, I get it now. It's like a grumpy six-year old has a conversation George Costanza on an episode of Seinfeld. The story is absurd and the characters are cranky. But together somehow it all works. I feel at peace now.

Need Help?

Jon Klassen es uno de ellos, por sus personajes hieráticos propensos a la suspicacia y a la ira, por sus paisajes desérticos, por sus diálogos minimalistas, por la manera que tiene de dilatar el tiempo, de generar tensión con muy pocos elementos y por, en definitiva, su sentido del humor extraño, casi akikaurismäkiano. Cyril the Squirrel is so lonely that, when he finally makes a friend, he doesn’t seem to notice that "Pat" might not be quite what he seems. A colourful, rhyming story about friendship against the odds. Turtle really likes standing in his favourite spot. He likes it so much that he asks his friend Armadillo to come over and stand in it, too. But now that Armadillo is standing in that spot, he has a bad feeling about it... The art is fascinatingly cinematic in a flip-book kind of way, using the static nature of the simple scenes and repeated compositions to set off the drama of small gestures, changes of position, and eye shifts; of course, this being Klassen, all three animals sport natty headgear, ranging from bijou bowlers to a lovely little beret for the snake. The sly humor and touch of sci-fi will make this a winner for reluctant later-stage readers as well as beginning readers developing their stamina, and it’ll be a great conspiratorial co-read with adults or sibs. It's a classic Klassen: simple, weird, funny, expressive, and beautiful (just look at that changing sky <3):