Blanket & Bear, a Remarkable Pair - Hardcover

Kelly, L.J.R.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0399256814 ISBN 13: 9780399256813

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, 2013

Synopsis

From debut picture book author L.J.R. Kelly, and acclaimed illustrator Yoko Tanaka, comes a poignant ode to well-loved toys in the vein of picture book favorites such as The Velveteen Rabbit, The Giving Tree, and Knuffle Bunny.

Blanket and Bear have always gone everywhere with their boy—but one day they are accidentally left behind. On a daring adventure across oceans and faraway lands, they travel to find their way back to the boy, meeting new friends along the way.

About this title

About the Author

L. J. R. Kelly was born in London, England, and comes from a family filled with other writers—including his sister, mother, father, aunts and grandfather. He is the vice-chairman of the literary estate of his grandfather, Roald Dahl. He studied politics at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, and writing at Dartmouth College. He lives and writes in the hills of New Hampshire. Visit him at www.LJRKelly.com.
 Yoko Tanaka is a graduate of the Art Center College in Pasadena, California and has illustrated several books for children, including the New York Times bestseller, The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo. Yoko lives in London, England. You can visit Yoko at www.yokotanaka.com.

From Booklist

There are countless picture books about misplaced toys, but this one reveals a little-known secret: where toys go when they’re lost. A boy and a bear and a blanket are inseparable, ever since the boy’s birth—until one day, bear and blanket are left behind on a ship. The boy is beside himself, but the bear and blanket, in a dreamlike sequence, sail off to “an island / of lost blankets and bears, / living in retirement, / without worries or cares.” Although the bear king tells the duo to forget the boy, they don’t listen, setting off to search, presumably for many years. When they find him, he’s older and doing just fine. This is a poignant story of growing up and letting go (think The Velveteen Rabbit), both for boys and toys. The rhyming text feels somewhat at odds with the magical quality of the soft acrylic illustrations, which are nostalgic in feel and at their best when it’s just bear and blanket on the page. Still, it’s reassuring, isn’t it? To imagine an old friend surrounded by pals? Preschool-Grade 1. --Ann Kelley

About this edition

• Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0399256814
• ISBN 13: 9780399256813
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Tanaka Yoko