The Only Child
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- $5.99
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- $5.99
Publisher Description
A gorgeous, deeply felt story of one girl’s journey through loneliness, magnificently illustrated and hailed as “an expansive and ageless book full of wonder, sadness, and wild bursts of imagination” (USA Today)
“A dreamy, wordless debut.”—The New York Times
A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST MIDDLE GRADE BOOK OF THE CENTURY • A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The Wall Street Journal, Entertainment Weekly, Publishers Weekly
Part picture book, part graphic novel, The Only Child tells the story of a little girl following a mysterious stag deep into the woods. Lost and alone—like Alice down the rabbit hole—she quickly finds herself in a strange and wondrous world. But with home and her family so far away, how will she get back to where she came from?
Wordless and deeply moving, with expressive and dreamlike illustrations by renowned author and concept artist Guojing, The Only Child brilliantly captures the rich, emotional life of a child, filled with longing, love, and joy.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In an author's note, newcomer Guojing explains that this wordless graphic novel grew out of memories of "isolation and loneliness," growing up under China's one-child policy. The Only Child of her story is an adorable dumpling in overalls who discovers herself alone on a bus after falling asleep. She sets off to find her grandmother's house and is approached in a wintry forest by a stag, who flies with her into a realm beyond the clouds. There they discover an irresistible creature part baby seal, part polar bear cub and the three share a marvelous adventure until the animal's parent comes to fetch it and the child is left alone again. She is never deserted by the loyal stag, though, who returns her safely to her own world. The low-key, all-gray charcoal palette carries whiffs of winter chill and poverty, but the physical sensations Guojing suggests visually the fluffy softness of the clouds, the warmth of the stag's closeness provide the comfort of a soft quilt. Fine draftsmanship, deft pacing, and striking imaginative power distinguish this debut. Ages 5 9.
