Interviews
"This tale has a tenderness about it, in large part thanks to Stark’s deft writing and Prime’s thoughtful translation; so vividly does the Creature’s personality gel on the page, and how beautifully both author and translator can turn a phrase. We know of the Creature’s loneliness: She has to self-soothe (sucks her thumb and sings “GRRRR” to herself to calm herself down) to even get to sleep in her dark cave, just before dreaming about a friend to care for. We know of her vulnerability, which is expressed through bouts of rage, especially when she turns on herself for crying when she feels alone. (“There, there,” she tells herself.) We know she has subtlety in her soul, as she stares at the sunset and thinks, “How beautiful it is!” We know she’s not too defeated to try: One night, she floats to the moon’s reflection on the water and tries to embrace it, not understanding it would shatter into “a thousand gleams.” The frogs laugh at her as she mourns this. And we know, despite her defeats, she refuses to give up hope, even giving herself pep talks. (“Don’t be sad. You are big, and everything will be better tomorrow.”) [...] I don’t have a crystal ball, but I think I can safely say this picture book is unlike any other we’ll see this year. A poignant and memorable tale of friendship-found, don’t miss it."Julie Danielson, on Kirkus Reviews