Grand Isle

by Kate Samworth (Illustrator)

Overview

In this wordless story, an ordinary day at the beach transforms into an unforgettable adventure.

“Many children have wondered what it might be like to be minuscule, and this wordless adventure is accessible even to a quite young beachgoer . . . An imaginative journey.” —Kirkus Reviews

When two sister wander the shore on their family beach outing in search of seashells, smooth pebbles, and other sandy treasures, they discover a gigantic seed pod large enough to hold them afloat. Unable to resist, they climb aboard, and before they know it are swept across the ocean to a mysterious island populated by marvelous vegetation and outsized insects. As they explore, their vessel is carried back out to sea, and they are stranded on the grand isle. Curiosity has led them far from home and only an act of daring and resourcefulness will bring them back.

This wordless adventure leads the audience through a richly imagined land packed with spectacular flowers and foliage well suited to Willy Wonka’s botanical garden. Samworth combines the natural with the surreal in harmonious colors to create a landscape that promises new discoveries on each visit.

 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781617759765
Publisher:	Akashic Books, Ltd.
Publication date:	09/07/2021
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	10.30(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

KATE SAMWORTH is an artist and illustrator inspired by natural science and art history. Her art responds to the constant changes in nature and draws upon her experiences farming in Turkey and Spain and hiking in Brazil. Her books include the Kirkus Prize–winning Aviary Wonders Inc., Liza Jane & the Dragon (by Laura Lippman), and Why Fish Don’t Exist (by Lulu Miller). Her work is held in multiple public and private collections across the US and abroad and her illustrations have been featured in World Watch and Orion magazines. Her latest work is Grand Isle.

Editorial Reviews

"A knockout. Samworth’s wordless tale twists and turns like the best of suspense films. An everyday beach trip takes a turn when a pair of adventuring kids lead the way into an inverted realm, where plants and bugs lord over them. This book is a feat of illustration, a carnival of color, a mash-up of dreams and reality. I slammed my fist with how good the end was."

Lulu Miller

"In the vein of books like Aaron Becker’s Journey trilogy, Grand Isle uses illustration to transport readers: the pages burst with color and scale . . . The illustrations are lush and have beautiful movement to them. A rich story that invites readers to tell you what they see."

Mom Read It

"Grand Isle creates a breathtaking world of fantasy using the everyday world around us. It’s an adventure of the imagination."

Johnny Marciano

Critical praise for Aviary Wonders Inc. by Kate Samworth:

Written and illustrated in the style of traditional mail-order inventories, this weaves in a surprising amount of genuine bird information while displaying the variety of interchangeable parts . . . For children and their bird-watching parents, who will appreciate the clever premise and the message of admiration."
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Some children may love the pictures and relish the silliness of the project without feeling the pangs of anticipatory nostalgia too deeply; others may find Aviary Wonders Inc. an uncomfortably guilty pleasure."
—New York Times Book Review

"Unsettling and unforgettable . . . Samworth's bracing irony will stimulate discussion among conservationists." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"This is an original, somewhat disturbing, and wholeheartedly bizarre (but in a good way!) picture book for older children . . . An impressive picture book debut."
—Booklist (starred review)

"This futuristic mail-order catalog offers hand-crafted parts for ambitious do-it-yourselfers who want to assemble a customized bird . . . The ecological subtext will resonate with some environmentally concerned children and adults who hope such a catalog will not become a necessary reality." —School Library Journal

"This is as cleverly executed as it is edifying . . . The gilding-the-lily exaggeration of birds' natural beauty is satire at its child-appropriate best, and the subtle digs at our perennial efforts to domesticate animals for our pleasure won't be lost on young readers."
—Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

"A book whose exquisitely beautiful surface shimmers above an achingly sad subtext."
—Washington Post

"At its heart the book is a warning about habitat destruction, but mostly, it will make you laugh, and children with a sense of whimsy will be delighted to imagine building a bird."
—NPR's Weekend All Things Considered

Samworth's bold brushstrokes and saturated colors belie a disquieting starkness. . . Within this colorful children's book beats a satiric heart; marketing lingo, consumer culture, and the commodification of nature all come under scrutiny."
—American Scientist

From the Publisher

2021-07-27
A family beach outing becomes an extraordinary adventure.

This flight of fancy begins with an ordinary trip to the beach for a White family of four. After the adults have settled in and taken the requisite picture, the two kids wander down the sand and recede into the distance. Actually, they shrink. Finding a convenient seed pod and using its leaves as oars, they set off for an island. There, they encounter a large egg, save the hatchling from entangling vines, and run from the looming cranelike parent, only to discover that their boat has sailed away. Half an eggshell becomes a makeshift boat, unseaworthy in the giant waves, but, happily, there’s a rescue. Their helpfulness is rewarded. Samworth, the creator of Kirkus Prize–winning Aviary Wonders, Inc. (2014), is much more adept at drawing the natural world than humans. This Brobdingnagian world (to the tiny children) is both appealing and a bit scary. The surreal, outsized flowers are worth admiring, but there are caterpillars twice the children’s height, and carnivorous plants threaten from all sides. Sequential panels suggest the passage of time and add interest to the page design. This is neither as rich nor as well executed as Dennis Nolan’s Sea of Dreams (2011), but many children have wondered what it might be like to be minuscule, and this wordless adventure is accessible even to a quite young beachgoer. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

An imaginative journey. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews