The Old Country - Softcover

Gerstein, Mordicai

Softcover

ISBN 10: 159643192X ISBN 13: 9781596431928

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press, 2006

Synopsis

From the winner of the 2004 Caldecott Medal comes a memorable new work, a novel of singular insight and imagination that transports readers to the Old Country, where "all the fairy tales come from, where there was magic -- and there was war." There, Gisella stares a moment too long into the eyes of a fox, and she and the fox exchange shapes. Gisella's quest to get her girl-body back takes her on a journey across a war-ravaged country that has lost its shape. She encounters magic, bloodshed, and questions of power and justice -- until finally, looking into the eyes of the fox once more, she faces a strange and startling choice about her own nature. Part adventure story and part fable; exciting, beautifully told, rich in humor and wisdom, The Old Country is the work of an artist and storyteller at the height of his powers.

About this title

About the Author:

Mordicai Gerstein is the author and illustrator of The Man Who Walked Between the Towers, winner of the Caldecott Medal, and has had four books named New York Times Best Illustrated Books of the Year. Gerstein was born in Los Angeles in 1935. He remembers being inspired as a child by images of fine art, which his mother cut out of Life magazine, and by children’s books from the library: “I looked at Rembrandt and Superman, Matisse and Bugs Bunny, and began to make my own pictures.”  He attended Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles, and then got a job in an animated cartoon studio that sent him to New York, where he designed characters and thought up ideas for TV commercials. When a writer named Elizabeth Levy asked him to illustrate a humorous mystery story about two girls and a dog, his book career began, and soon he moved on to writing as well as illustrating. “I’m still surprised to be an author,” he says. “I wonder what I’ll write next?” Gerstein lives in Westhampton, Massachusetts.

From AudioFile:

Never make an assumption about a Mordicai Gerstein story! Gerstein weaves together the ancient and modern as wars are fought, shapes are shifted, animals and people talk--all at that illusive juncture where worlds and stories converge. Tovah Feldshuh lives the story. Her characterizations will amaze--from the determined heroine, Gisella, her great aunt, and their animated relatives to the conniving fox and myriad creatures who impact Gisella's every move. Feldshuh's quick pacing underscores the urgency. Listeners will be charmed. A.R. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

About this edition

• Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 159643192X
• ISBN 13: 9781596431928
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 144