The Shadow and the Ghost
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
A profound exploration of how friendship can break through barriers of time and circumstance. Cat Min introduces two unforgettable characters who become friends despite the challenges.
NOW AVAILABLE IN SPANISH!
Shinbi is not a particularly ghosty ghost. At night she likes making tiny bouquets of things, and gazing at the far away stars. Haunting? Not so much. Even if that’s what the other ghosts like.
In the daytime, in a meadow, sits a single rock, casting a single shadow, named Greem. He’d really like someone to talk to. But who? He writes one word on his lonely rock: “Hi” and hopes someone will see it. Sure enough, in the darkness of night, Shinbi finds the note! But who could have written it?
P R A I S E
★ “Will leave viewers in awe. May the stars align for young readers to share this heartwarming picture book with their precious friends no matter how far apart they are."
—Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred)
“In this unique fable linking two worlds, their wonders aglow in rich color washes, author-illustrator Min uses inventive compositions and striking contrasts to illuminate this friendship defined—but not confined—by night and day.”
—Booklist
“A friendship that transcends barriers of embodiment and time anchors this starry creation … a work of breathless connection that interweaves yearning for companionship with yearning to know the natural world.”
—Publishers Weekly
“A joyful celebration of friendship, the stars, and finding one’s self in this world and beyond.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“What a stunning book! A clever and sweet story of finding a friend with gorgeous, whimsical illustrations.”
—Tildy Lutts, Belmont Books
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A friendship that transcends barriers of embodiment and time anchors this starry creation by Min (The Little Toymaker). Shinbi is a night-roaming ghost who eschews haunting to watch constellations from her favorite rock. Greem, the rock's velvety shadow, makes himself known to Shinbi after the ghost uses a shooting star to wish for a friend. He is only visible during the day, so the two can't meet, but their exchanged notes of greeting lead to intense mutual curiosity about each other. They craft and share images of their similarly shaped selves, Shinbi tells Greem about the night sky, and the two invent constellations from pebbles they toss into grass. Brilliantly graduated panels of day to night capture moments of transformation and seasonal variation, conveying the beautiful but frustrating reality that keeps Shinbi and Greem apart—until Greem makes a wish of his own. It's a work of breathless connection that interweaves yearning for companionship with yearning to know the natural world. Ages 4–8.
