nicktomjoe's review against another edition
4.0
I think the cliche is “Darkly comic.” The shadow of Thurber hangs over this, both from the acidic little stories by Janisch and the deceptively simple illustrations by Erlbruch. Stories such as “The King and the Book” are two lines long but open up a world of speculation for adult or child reader -or maybe for a shared readership of child and adult together? Who is the writer when the king talks to his pencil in another story? And how deep can we speculate on insomnia in “The King and Sleep”? Perhaps the best parallel are the classic collections of Zen riddles or Koan: where does control or choice in life really reside in “The King and the Cat” or “The King and the Fishing Net”?
mat_tobin's review against another edition
5.0
Once again I find that it is the Austrian writers who provide me with deeply, wise, humorous and brave stories for children. In no way do they ever speak down to their audience. In fact, I'd argue that, from the outset, they challenge them and encourage them to ask questions of who they are and their place in the world. Wonderful stuff.
Wolf's collage and crayon characters and interactions again bring that brilliance of humanity to the king and his encounters whilst Janisch incredible narrative asks questions of power, desire and, most importantly, asks the reader to appreciate and embrace the wonder of the natural world. It is a book that will offer so much the more we return to it.
Wolf's collage and crayon characters and interactions again bring that brilliance of humanity to the king and his encounters whilst Janisch incredible narrative asks questions of power, desire and, most importantly, asks the reader to appreciate and embrace the wonder of the natural world. It is a book that will offer so much the more we return to it.
bluenicorn's review against another edition
5.0
Loved the art, loved the short "stories." More like little meditations.
2kimi2furious's review against another edition
4.0
This was really cute. Oddly poignant. I think kids would miss that, but would enjoy the silliness.
hsquared's review against another edition
4.0
A proud but thoughtful king is bested by a variety of natural elements in this German import. The king, a creation of crayon and collage, converses with each figure, sometimes asking questions and other times asserting his own kingliness. “Don’t you know I’m the king?” he asks a bee, who promptly replies “And I’m the queen,” and then stings king’s nose. Sometimes the king shows a Zen-like acceptance, like listening to the majesty of the waves of the sea, or laying down in the warm sun with a cat. The king’s humanity comes out on top once, when he shows the night that he can do both dark and light by holding a candle. Erlbruch’s droll mixed-media illustrations provide a witty counterpart to Janisch’s text. Readers will get a chuckle out of a red-faced king clearly losing a power struggle with a sullen, long-eared dog. Children may not always understand the nuances, but they will appreciate the mighty and powerful humbled by the everyday and ordinary. The picture book can easily be read in one setting, or can be broken up into much shorter readings (each “story” is only one short page), making it suitable for both reading aloud and some independent reading.
tashrow's review
5.0
Told in 21 tiny stories, this is the life of a king as he moves through the world he rules and encounters the many ways in which a king is just as powerless as any human. The king declares again and again that he is king, but things like the ocean are not impressed and others like the queen bee assert their own authority over his. Other times, the king is reminded of more important things than power, like spending time in the sunshine, letting the rain wash over his face, and the importance of the stars in the sky.
This lovely picture book is stunningly effective. The short stories are wonderfully brief, all of them less than half a page of text. Each is profound in its own way, showing the importance of the here and now, the limitation of personal power over the universe, and a quiet acceptance of the way things simply are. Translated from the German, the short stories keep their quiet power and their truth.
Erlbruch’s illustrations are delightfully childlike and yet sophisticated too. The King is drawn as a cutout of construction paper drawn on with what looks like crayons. The background he is against in each dual page spread changes, sometimes with elegant vintage prints, other times with the blue of the sea and still others with the simplicity of white snow.
A completely surprising and amazing picture book, this one is perfect for sharing whether with one child or many and looking forward to the discussions it generates. Appropriate for ages 4-6.
This lovely picture book is stunningly effective. The short stories are wonderfully brief, all of them less than half a page of text. Each is profound in its own way, showing the importance of the here and now, the limitation of personal power over the universe, and a quiet acceptance of the way things simply are. Translated from the German, the short stories keep their quiet power and their truth.
Erlbruch’s illustrations are delightfully childlike and yet sophisticated too. The King is drawn as a cutout of construction paper drawn on with what looks like crayons. The background he is against in each dual page spread changes, sometimes with elegant vintage prints, other times with the blue of the sea and still others with the simplicity of white snow.
A completely surprising and amazing picture book, this one is perfect for sharing whether with one child or many and looking forward to the discussions it generates. Appropriate for ages 4-6.
mat_tobin's review
5.0
Once again I find that it is the Austrian writers who provide me with deeply, wise, humorous and brave stories for children. In no way do they ever speak down to their audience. In fact, I'd argue that, from the outset, they challenge them and encourage them to ask questions of who they are and their place in the world. Wonderful stuff.
Wolf's collage and crayon characters and interactions again bring that brilliance of humanity to the king and his encounters whilst Janisch incredible narrative asks questions of power, desire and, most importantly, asks the reader to appreciate and embrace the wonder of the natural world. It is a book that will offer so much the more we return to it.
Wolf's collage and crayon characters and interactions again bring that brilliance of humanity to the king and his encounters whilst Janisch incredible narrative asks questions of power, desire and, most importantly, asks the reader to appreciate and embrace the wonder of the natural world. It is a book that will offer so much the more we return to it.
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