Illustrations – Julie Morstad
“We must contain stories upon stories, stories without end.”
Spelhorst was a sea captain who lived above a tailor shop. It may seem odd that an old man with no family would purchase a set of puppets but one of them reminds him of someone.
A king, a wolf, a girl, a boy and an owl.
A king who dreams of having his own kingdom.
A wolf who talks about their teeth. A lot. They are very sharp, after all.
A girl who knows a song.
A boy who wants to do something important.
An owl who longs to fly.
Together they have a story to tell.
“We will tell a tale of truth and wonder and sorrow”
I’m becoming more and more convinced that the only stories Kate DiCamillo can write are those that I love. I’ve yet to find one I haven’t adored.
She invites me into her imagination. She introduces me to characters who become real to me, even when they’re puppets. I smile and get misty eyed. My heart warms and my curiosity engages. I feel hope.
“May you always look upon the moon and the stars and the sun with wonder. May you journey out into the great wide world. And wherever you go, may you love without regret – for that is the greatest glory there is.”
Is it any wonder I never want to leave the worlds Kate DiCamillo creates?
Thank you so much to Edelweiss and Candlewick Press for the opportunity to read this book.
Once Upon a Blurb
Shut up in a trunk by a taciturn old sea captain with a secret, five friends — a king, a wolf, a girl, a boy, and an owl — bicker, boast, and comfort one another in the dark. Individually, they dream of song and light, freedom and flight, purpose and glory, but they all agree they are part of a larger story, bound each to each by chance, bonded by the heart’s mysteries. When at last their shared fate arrives, landing them on a mantel in a blue room in the home of two little girls, the truth is more astonishing than any of them could have imagined.
A beloved author of modern classics draws on her most moving themes with humour, heart, and wisdom in the first of the Norendy Tales, a projected trio of novellas linked by place and mood, each illustrated in black and white by a different virtuoso illustrator. A magical and beautifully packaged gift volume designed to be read aloud and shared, The Puppets of Spelhorst is a tale that soothes and strengthens us on our journey, leading us through whatever dark forest we find ourselves in.
Schizanthus Nerd 