Illustrations – Natalie Hoopes
… and you’re suddenly in a place that only you can imagine.
A book called Book about books! Of course I was going to love this one! Whether you’re introducing a child to the magical portal books open to anywhere you can imagine, you’re suffering from a case of the dreaded reading slump or you just want to feel the spark that ignites when kindred spirits find one another, Book is the book for you.
Book brings to mind the marvellous adventures you’ve taken between pages, the places you’ve travelled in your imagination and the lifelong friends you’ve met there. Focusing on beautiful books that you can hold in your hand, you’re taken on a journey …
Where imagination scrapes the skies of opportunity, the forests of what-could-be stretch beyond the horizon
It felt like I was in an enchanted land while reading this book, mesmerised by the awesomeness that is the written word swirling around in my imagination. Natalie Hoopes’ illustrations were the perfect accompaniment to David Miles’ celebration of books.
The cranky little critters with the sharp fangs that represented the viruses books are immune to, the shelter made of books under which the boy (our protagonist) is reading and the lightbulbs with wings were some of my favourite elements. My absolute favourite illustration shows some of the adventures that await you when you look closer at a book. Showing different scenes unfolding within zoomed in letters was such a gorgeous way of getting the point across.
I want my own copy of this book so I can revisit it whenever I want to be reminded of why I’m so passionate about books. I’m so glad I accidentally found this alleged children’s book. While I’m sure kids will enjoy it I think it’s adults who will truly appreciate it.
You can say goodbye without feeling sad, because you know you can come back as often as you wish.
Once Upon a Blurb
In a world dazzled by the latest gadgets and mesmerised by Internet videos, the humble book seems like the most ordinary thing that could be. And perhaps it is until you learn to look closer … and closer … and closer … and you’re suddenly in a world that only you can imagine.
With soft, warm storytelling and stunning, whimsical illustrations, Book embarks the reader on an imaginative journey through the literary lands of fact and fiction, a world where passwords, viruses, and broken screens can’t stop a young boy’s earnest quest for truth. Join in this celebration of literature, scrape the skies of opportunity, traverse the forests of what-could-be, free the powers of knowledge, and discover once again why the humble book is anything but ordinary.
Schizanthus Nerd 