Get Lost And Found In A . . .

Get Lost And Found In A . . .

It happens to all of us regardless of the length.  When the last word is read and the cover is closed, we look up.  For a few moments, we are confused as to where and when we are.  We are still lost in a story, a story other than our real lives.  Not only are we still part of the world within those pages, but we come away with having found something.  It may be something we have misplaced or misunderstood or something fresh and new.
This is the gift of a book, given to us again and again whenever the cover is opened.  Authored by Grace Lin and Kate Messner with illustrations by Grace Lin,
Once Upon a Book
(
Little, Brown And Company
, February 07, 2023) is a layered narrative with hidden references to other titles and different cultures. It is a story of longing and belonging.
Alice was tired of heavy sweaters and thick
socks and staying inside with nothing to do
.
As she grumpily walked away from her mother, wishing to be away from the constant chilly and cloudy weather, she noticed a book on the floor. Its pages gently flipped in the air.  Reading it aloud prompted the birds in the illustration to invite her into the book.
When Alice stepped into the book, the book she was reading appeared there, too.  The warm air and the birds as playmates suited Alice perfectly. until it started to rain.  Using the book like an umbrella, Alice continued reading and wished for somewhere dry.
Several camels asked her to join them in the desert.  Riding on a camel through the desert was grand until a dust storm began.  Alice did not stop reading.  What she read next encouraged the inhabitants to welcome her into their world.  Away she went.
Two more times, Alice was not quite as satisfied as she believed she would be in a new and distinctive setting.  With her final wish, she read words describing a place memorable and comfortable to her.  A voice she had heard her entire life said,
«Turn the page.»
What do you think Alice did?
Authors
Grace Lin
and
Kate Messner
have penned an imaginative, immersive and original circle story.  They have masterfully used classic storytelling elements.  The places Alice visits are enticingly descriptive, appealing to the reader’s senses.  Each time Alice reads from the book, the inhabitant (s) of that place request she joins them.  This is followed by the same reply from Alice.  Now at a new setting, she continues to read until something specific interrupts her satisfaction.  This repetition fashions a participatory rhythm. We can’t wait to read where Alice will venture next!  The blend of text from Alice’s book, her commentary, and the words of the beings inside the book take readers on a remarkable journey.  Here is a passage.
«I wish I were someplace that wasn’t so
cramped and crowded.
» Then Alice read,
So the girl went to a place of wide-open blue,
where she would be boundless and free.
«That sounds like our home,
»
said the clouds.
«Turn the page
and come in . . .
»
The open dust j…