Review by Booklist Review
ldquo;She was gone," begins this marvel of a palindromic picture book, as a son and father grieve together in their isolated mountain home. Nayeri's text is sparse but heartrending, sparking large questions that drive readers forward and allowing Rockefeller ample space to construct an evocative fantasy world. The boy, distraught, takes off with a sword and shield on a multi-spread odyssey through various terrains and fantastical encounters, fleeing from danger to danger on his quest to find "the answer." Rockefeller unifies each section under a common color tone, giving vibrancy and emotion to each segment as the boy escapes giant forest spiders, falls past mushroom-mining gnomes, crashes into a water serpent's murky lake, washes ashore a crystal desert, and finally finds the wintry ruins of a collapsed tower. There stands a statue of a woman, strangled by an evil vine, and the story's central line, its hinge, is presented: "Mom, were you glad you were Mom?" As the story-wide palindrome begins its reverse course, the boy journeys back home, the answer held to his heart, and it provides the key to unlocking the secrets hidden within the previously fled obstacles. Repeat readings will be demanded, with the wildly detailed full-bleed art, paneled by artfully "painted" wood-frame gutters, providing unnumbered symmetries and connections for readers to discover. A touching triumph of artful collaboration between wordsmithing and world building.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Inside an idyllic hilltop cottage, beneath a portrait of two parents and a young child, a bearded adult and the child, a boy, sit alone and bereft: "She was gone." A page later, as the remaining caretaker struggles in the kitchen, the boy bolts in frustration ("He no longer believed... they would make it"). Outside, he snatches a sword and escapes into the woods, heading underground, slipping into a body of water, and emerging into worlds beyond. Within a snowy castle, he activates a glowing talisman that brings a stone image of his mother to life, at least long enough to answer a burning question. As the boy's quest progresses, the phrases of the text repeat in a mirrored narrative that initially reflects the boy's despair and, read in the reverse on the way home, conveys hope and resolve. Magnificently illuminated, video game--like spreads by Rockefeller (Poesy the Monster Slayer) feature stone ruins, menacing dragons, and ornaments that give the pages a book-of-hours feel. Printz Medalist Nayeri, meanwhile, distills an experience of grief, imparting the importance of seeking time alone to relive moments of shared love. Characters are portrayed with pale skin. Ages 4--8. Illustrator's agent: Joanna Volpe, New Leaf Literary & Media. (Oct.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A grieving young boy goes on an impossible adventure and returns, healed. Nayeri's text is minimal, even cryptic: just about 50 words, spooled out over the page turns in brief, elliptical spurts--and then reversed, conveying an entirely different meaning. Little listeners are unlikely to notice the clever construction initially, so beguiled will they be by Rockefeller's lush, jewel-toned images. They set the scene first in a cozy, medieval-esque cottage beset by grief: A weeping child huddles next to a sorrowful bearded adult; above them hangs a painting of the child as a happy toddler cuddled between the bearded adult, now smiling, and a beaming woman. All are tan-skinned. The text reads, "She was gone." In extremis, the child flees to the forest and pulls a sword from the ground. From there the adventure emulates a video game's many levels, including an encounter with fearsome spiders, an underground ride in a rickety cart, a plunge into a sea serpent's lair, and more. At the end of his quest--the middle of the book--there's an ethereal woman, an agonized question, and the sublimely reassuring answer. The boy's journey home traverses the same territory, but with smiling confidence. The illustrations are so filled with detail that they demand repeat visits, which will prompt little ones and their grown-ups to explore both text and subtext further. Entrancing and complex.(Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
