How the Nobble Was Finally Found

by C. K. Williams, Stephen Gammell (Illustrator)

Overview

The Nobble lives in a world all his own—a fantastical world where you can do the impossible things of dreams. It’s a nice life and all he’s ever known. Yet one day he begins to think about finding some place he hasn’t been yet. Or maybe seeing something he hasn’t seen yet. Or . . . something. So he sets off on a journey to an unusual place, where he discovers roary things, fuzzy things, and tall, shiny, rectangular things. Then a door knocks. If only he knew what a door was . . .

C. K. Williams and Stephen Gammell’s enchanting tale is about finding the courage to go out and search for what you want most in the world. And sometimes, that’s a friend.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780547540429
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	09/07/2009
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
Lexile:	AD610L (what's this?)
File size:	31 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

C. K. WILLIAMS (1936-2015) was an acclaimed poet and the recipient of a Pulitzer Prize and a National Book Award. In addition to his many collections of poetry, he wrote two picture books for young readers: How the Nobble Was Finally Found, illustrated by Stephen Gammell, and A Not Scary Story about Big Scary Things, illustrated by Gabi Swiatkowski.

STEPHEN GAMMELL is the beloved author and illustrator of Twigboy and Is That You, Winter? He received the Caldecott Medal for his illustration of Song and Dance Man by Karen Ackerman. He lives in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Editorial Reviews

Williams, a National Book Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, and Gammell, Caldecott winner and master of the sinuously surreal squiggle, deliver an overlong and overtwee tale. The Nobble has been around for thousands of years, "playing in the space between Wednesday and Thursday," but alone and lonely. He heads away from what he knows (napping in the bottom of the number 8, playing in the "octagonal rooms in snowflakes") to find himself in a city, which is full of shapes he does not have words for. A little girl recognizes him as similar to someone else she has seen and gets him to open a door ("What's a door?" asks the Nobble at the end of this torturously forced interaction) to see . . . another Nobble, one that looks just like him. Off they go, and the little girl hears them laughing. Too many words tell this story, which is heavy with the subtext of childhood loneliness and difference. The illustrator uses his delicious transparent colors, lightening his dark splatters, shadows and tangles, to great effect, but they cannot save this effort. (Picture book. 7-10)

Kirkus Reviews

"The Nobble’s continual world-play confusion will delight those listening to a read-aloud."—Booklist

"The illustrator uses his delicious transparent colors, lightening his dark splatters, shadows and tangles, to great effect."—Kirkus Reviews —

From the Publisher