An atlas of imaginary places

Mia Cassany

Book - 2018

Upside-down mountains, volcanoes that spew bubble gum, a gentle humpback whale keeping an entire city afloat. These and other wonderful worlds may not exist on Earth, but elsewhere--who knows? Each spread of this captivating book invites readers on a fantastic voyage. Ana de Lima's whimsical, softly colored illustrations are filled with surprising details that reward close examination, while Mia Cassany's soothing narrator is a nameless fellow traveler. A jungle where the animals exchange stripes, spots, and markings each time they sneeze, an archipelago made up of dessert-shaped islands, and a lighthouse so tall you can draw a new galaxy with your finger are just some of the wild places to visit. Perfect for before-bed reading, o...r daytime dreaming, this stunningly illustrated book will delight young readers and encourage them to conjure their own imaginary places.

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Subjects
Genres
Picture books
Published
Munich : Prestel Verlag 2018.
Language
English
Spanish
Main Author
Mia Cassany (author)
Other Authors
Ana de Lima, 1977- (illustrator), Paul (Translator) Kelly (-)
Item Description
First published as: Atlas de los lugares que no existen, Spanish edition ©2016.
Physical Description
32 unnumbered pages : color illustrations ; 33 cm
ISBN
9783791373478
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

Featuring intricately illustrated settings and whimsical scenarios, this oversize picture book presents a vibrant, dreamy world where the impossible is normal and the possible is jumbled up. Here readers are invited to discover a jungle where animals can change colors and patterns, such as a rainbow-striped frog or giraffe-spotted elephant; a busy metropolis situated on a sleeping whale's back; and a volcano that spews bubblegum lava, among many others. Lively, brief text reinforces the blend of fanciful and familiar, as in The City of Butterflies, whose residents, when sad or worried . . . simply look upwards and marvel at the variety of colorful winged creatures protecting them. Throughout, recognizable, everyday objects are playfully rendered in fantastical ways, like a lighthouse so tall that, once reaching the top, you can use your finger to draw a new galaxy. Overview map endpapers identify and place each locale within a larger context. Both the imaginative concept and lovely, lushly detailed art will charm and perhaps inspire young ones to create their own wonder-filled worlds.--Rosenfeld, Shelle Copyright 2018 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 1-3-In this European import, readers are invited to join the author and illustrator on a journey to place where the "real is unreal and everything is upside down." Each oversize spread offers a large, fantastical illustration of a different enchanted locale, accompanied by a paragraph that describes the make-believe world and its denizens, from "the most beautiful of lady giants" with flowing red locks to animals "that change their coats when someone sneezes." The islands surrounding this continent, including a village that rests atop a sleeping whale and those that resemble sweets, proffer flights of the imagination. It's a "Labyrinth of Dreams" that grants those who make it to the summit the possibility of wishes. The detailed line drawings feature a predominately pastel palette with an abundance of sea blues, earthy greens, and bubble-gum pink (a volcano erupts just that), while the endpapers map this surreal setting. VERDICT While an additional purchase for most, this somewhat wistful book could serve as a prompt for imaginative drawing or writing.-Daryl Grabarek, School Library Journal © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review

An omniscient narrator encourages readers to peruse this "atlas," which is dedicated to a "make-believe world." Spreads are devoted to a city that rains fish, a volcano that spews not lava but bubble gum, etc.; endpapers offer an aerial view of the fantasyland. Set to intricate psychedelic art, this reads like "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" for the picture-book crowd. (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.