A CHILD IN SEARCH OF HER STORY Caldecott medalist Mordicai Gerstein looks at books from a whole new angle. Once upon a time there was a family who lived in a book. All but the youngest had stories they belonged to--fighting fires, exploring space, entertaining in the circus--but she didn't have one yet. Walking through all the possibilities of story types Mordicai Gerstein presents her quest in unique and changing perspectives: readers look down into the books below at the characters in their worlds. A funny and touching celebration of books, stories, and finding yourself. Starred Review. Grade 2–4—If you live inside a book, then a reader can follow your every word and deed—"EEK!"—as the heroine in this multilayered fantasy soon discovers. Every one of her family members, including the pets, has a story: dad is a clown, mom a firefighter, brother an astronaut. The goldfish seeks the sea while the dog is off to investigate odors. Only the girl is without a story, and she proceeds to travel through fairy tales, mysteries, adventure yarns, and historical novels in search of one. Each person and creature she encounters offers the pigtailed child in striped socks a story, but none suits her until she comes up with one of her very own. Humorous dialogue appears in parallelogram-shaped boxes. Aerial views dominate as different guides, one a Sherlock Holmes look-alike, lead the girl on her search. While young children may have difficulty following the many twists of this story, they will certainly enjoy some of the jokes and the humorous illustrations. They may also challenge themselves to identify some of the fairy tales and stories in which the girl becomes involved. And the starring role given to writing will appeal to their teachers.— Marianne Saccardi, formerly at Norwalk Community College, CT Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. *Starred Review* Metafiction for the picture-book set? In Gerstein’s able hands, this charming story follows a young girl and her family who live in a book (when it’s closed they sleep, when it’s open they rise), though she doesn’t know what kind of story her book is. Compositions are drawn as if the viewer were looking down on characters and scenes with the page as the ground; at one point the girl looks up only to be scared witless by your face peering down at her. She dashes through spreads that take her into nursery rhymes, on the trail of a mystery, across pirate waters, and even into outer space before she ultimately decides to write her own story, which is, of course, this story. Akin to David Wiesner’s Caldecott Medal book, The Three Pigs (2001), though not as complex, children might find some of the finer points of the concept to be challenging; but the conceit is executed with such cleverness and gentleness that slightly older readers who know a few tricks about picture book conventions and don’t mind flexing their comprehensive abilities a bit will gather a deeper awareness for the art of reading and an appreciation for the possibilities and openness of storytelling. The little girl’s quest is a terrifically sweet and humorous one, and while it rewards deeper reading, it certainly doesn’t live by it. Grades K-3. --Ian Chipman “Gerstein's characteristic pen-and-paint-on-vellum technique creates a vivid depth, accentuated by use of shadows, that makes the reader feel as if they could literally drop into the scene.” ― Horn Book “Humorrous. ” ― Starred, School Library Journal “More seasoned readers will be inspired to rethink what a book is (pun intended), how it works, and their own part in bringing it to life. This is A Book to savor.” ― Shelf Awareness “This charming story follows a young girl and her family who live in a book, though she doesn't know what kind of story her book is.” ― Starred, Booklist “Readers will particularly giggle at the characters importuning the young protagonist to join their various genres.” ― Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books “Clever.” ― Kirkus Reviews “One of the more innovative picture books I've read in quite a while.” ― Eclectica “Fresh, clever, surprising, and great fun.” ― Kidslit.menashsalibrary.org “A thoroughly fascinating adventure about a family who lives inside a book. ” ― The Cleveland Plain Dealer Mordicai Gerstein is the author and illustrator of The Man Who Walked Between the Towers , winner of the Caldecott Medal, and has had four books named New York Times Best Illustrated Books of the Year. Gerstein was born in Los Angeles in 1935. He remembers being inspired as a child by images of fine art, which his mother cut out of Life magazine, and by children's books from the library: "I looked at Rembrandt and Superman, Matisse and Bugs Bunny, and began to make my own pictures." He attended Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles, and then got a job in an animated cartoon studio that sent him to New York, where he designed characters and thought up ideas for TV
