The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend (Caldecott Medal Winner)

by Dan Santat

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

To anyone who has ever had an imaginary friend, this charming story of bravery and adventure is for you. Plus, Beekle is just adorable.

Winner of the Caldecott Medal

#1 New York Times bestselling and award-winning creator Dan Santat combines classic storytelling with breathtaking art in an unforgettable tale about friendship, imagination, and the courage to find one's place in the world.

This magical story begins on an island far away where an imaginary friend is born. He patiently waits his turn to be chosen by a real child, but when he is overlooked time and again, he sets off on an incredible journey to the bustling city, where he finally meets his perfect match and—at long last—is given his special name: Beekle.

From the creator of many beloved books including After the Fall and Are We There Yet? comes a gently humorous, utterly endearing and deeply thoughtful celebration of friends.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316199988
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	04/08/2014
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD480L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 6 Years

About the Author

Dan Santat is the Caldecott Medal–winning and New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend, Are We There Yet?, and After the Fall, as well as the graphic novels There’s a First Time for Everything and The Aquanaut. He is the illustrator of many other picture books, including Drawn Together and Lift by Minh Lê, Because I’m Your Mom and Because I’m Your Dad by Ahmet Zappa, The Alphabet’s Alphabet by Chris Harris, No More Poems! by Rhett Miller, and the Crankenstein series by Samantha Berger. Dan lives in Southern California with his wife, two kids, and various pets. He invites you to visit him at dansantatbooks.com, or on Twitter and Instagram at @dsantat.

Editorial Reviews

…[a] sweet, mind-bending gumdrop of a tale…

The New York Times Book Review - Sarah Harrison Smith

Caldecott Medal Winner
New York Times Bestseller
#1 Indiebound Bestseller
Huffington Post Best Overall Picture Book of 2014
PBS Parents Best Picture Book of the Year
NPR "Great Read"
ALSC Notable Book for ChildrenA Chicago Public Library Best Picture Book of the Year

"[A] sweet, mind-bending gumdrop of a tale."—The New York Times Book Review

"Bursting at the seams with charm."—The Huffington Post

* "There's something here that feels just right as an "unimaginary" friendship creates a joyous, recognizable bond. A terrific addition to any library."—School Library Journal (starred review)

"Beekle [is] a crowned white gumdrop of lovable cuteness...Welcome, Beekle. It's nice to know you."—Kirkus Reviews

"This story would comfort children looking for new friends and would also encourage children to reach out to someone different."—LMC

From the Publisher

Praise for The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend:

Dan Santat is one of the hardest working people in the industry today. And while his immense talent was always evident, Beekle takes his artistry to a new level. The story (which is just bursting at the seams with charm) begins on an island of colorful creatures, each waiting to be imagined by a special child and thus transported to the real world.... As with all great books, Beekle has an air of inevitability about it. As if somewhere out there is an island of perfect stories just waiting for the right person to come along and imagine it into being. We should all be grateful that Santat, with his brilliant use of color and humor, was here to bring Beekle to life.

The Huffington Post

2014-02-26
If an imaginary friend is unimagined, does it become a real friend? Beekle (a crowned white gumdrop of lovable cuteness) lives on a fantastic island with other creatures "waiting to be imagined by a real child." After seeing his companions leave, one by one, Beekle loses faith that he will ever "be picked and given a special name," and so he does "the unimaginable" and ventures forth to find his friend. Upon arriving at a port city, he observes adults going about their daily lives in monochrome, dingy settings that lack any spark of color or vitality. Perspectives that often isolate the tiny Beekle in corners or surround him with large figures accentuate his loneliness. Everything changes when he arrives at a playground awash in color and sees children playing with their imaginary friends—many of whom had been on his island. But even here, he still cannot find his special friend. Feeling sad, he climbs a tree, and from his perch, he hears a voice calling to him. Lo and behold, he meets his special friend, Alice. She's imagined him after all, as evidenced by the picture he retrieves for her, which is of himself handing her a picture. In a delightful comic sequence, the pair become acquainted, and "[t]he world began to feel a little less strange." Welcome, Beekle. It's nice to know you. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews