As much as I have loved, loved, loved this summer, I am starting to feel that familiar sense of excitement as I begin to gear up for my fall book fair orders. Excited by ideas to kick them off. Encouraged by the prospect and challenges of new business. But mostly busting at the seams with enthusiasm for new titles that will be appearing this fall.
And so I begin the list of new must haves...
Several months ago, I received a special little package in the mail. It was from Candlewick, and I could tell it was an ARC (advance reader's copy - my number one perk as a book seller!) I excitedly opened the envelope which revealed Kate DiCamillo's new book, The Magician's Elephant. Dear Reader's of All Ages, it will not disappoint! A simple little story with dear characters, beautiful illustrations (by artist, Yoko Tanaka), and of course, Kate's sweet voice. This tale is of an orphan named Peter and his vision of an elephant who literally drops from the sky; and the fateful union that he hopes will reunite him with his lost sister. The book came with promotional information that included an interview with the author. I have since added that sheet to one of my infinite piles. But what I most remember from the interview was that she says after completing the book she saw the movie, In Bruges, of which she could not remember the plot because she was so intrigued with the setting. It was the setting in her mind for The Magician's Elephant - a city she had only imagined and had no idea existed in the real world. By chance, I also have seen that movie, whose setting is uniquely unforgettable. I enjoyed picturing the story unfold among such ancient beauty.
Candlewick has kindly provided me with promotional postcard size prints of one of the book's illustrations. I will be sending these to ten lucky readers, picked from those who choose to leave a comment or a greeting below. Please forward to your friends!
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I am so excited to hear such a positive review about Kate's new book! She is definitely my favorite children's book author. I am always amazed at the way she writes on several different levels and can make readers of all ages reflect and connect with her characters and seemingly straight forward prose. I have read several of her books to my second grade class and the students simply adore her books and style. She is a perfect author to use to introduce to students the idea of looking between the lines for messages and meaning. I know in my class, we spent many read alouds discussing topics such as Mr. Watson's "forward looking" personality or Despereaux's ability to make choices that weren't easy or popular. I am so excited to see what she has come out with now! Thank you for giving me a sneak preview!
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