Robin's Worlds
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- Pre-Order
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- Expected Dec 3, 2024
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
A nonbinary child is whisked off on a spellbinding adventure for their birthday in this dazzling tale of friendship, community, and self-love.
It’s Robin’s eighth birthday and it seems like everyone has forgotten. But things take a sudden turn when the Cat-Headed Wanderer shows up and sweeps Robin away to a magical party in a fantastical treehouse. It’s a joyful celebration full of song, dance, and newfound friends, but Robin soon realizes there’s another reason they’ve been brought there. To uncover that reason, all Robin needs to do is walk through the half-open door in the back—but what lies beyond?
Rainie Oet’s enchanting language and Mathias Ball’s stunning illustrations will sweep young readers off their feet, as they follow Robin on this fantastical and deeply moving adventure of discovering themself through the joy of new friends and the memory of loved ones lost along the way.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Eight-year-old Robin's birthday is "just like any other night"—the child sits with stuffed cat Skipper, and eats "leftover bean-fry for dinner." Uncle Miles has yet to return home when the Cat-Headed Wanderer, "a tall figure in a thundery coat," arrives and whisks the protagonist off to a fete attended by all of the friends from their dreams. Suddenly, the day becomes a joyous event with hundreds of fantastical creatures, all there to celebrate (the child feels "like their body is made of feathers or flowers all opening at once"). As the party continues, Robin intuits the presence of two beckoning shadows, "friendly and familiar," that offer opportunity for remembrance. Lengthy, affecting narration from Oet, making their picture book debut, explores layers of grief and joy, while vibrant hues and detailed character designs from Ball (What If Bedtime Didn't Exist?) breathe life into each dreamlike scene as the evening tenderly paves the way for a solitary child to find connection in the real world ("There are so many of us, you have no idea"). Robin and their uncle have light brown skin; background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 4–8. Author's agent: Abigail Frank, Sanford J. Greenburger Assoc. Illustrator's agent: Natascha Morris, Tobias Literary.