{"id":29050,"date":"2016-10-01T21:05:44","date_gmt":"2016-10-02T01:05:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=29050"},"modified":"2016-10-01T21:05:44","modified_gmt":"2016-10-02T01:05:44","slug":"review-of-the-king-and-the-sea-by-heinz-janisch-and-wolf-erlbruch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=29050","title":{"rendered":"Review of The King and the Sea, by Heinz Janisch and Wolf Erlbruch"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"king_and_the_sea_large\"<\/a>The King and the Sea<\/p>\n

21 Extremely Short Stories<\/em><\/p>\n

by Heinz Janisch
\nillustrated by Wolf Erlbruch
\ntranslated by Sally-Ann Spencer<\/p>\n

Originally published in Germany in 2008 as Der K\u00f6nig und das Meer<\/em>.
\nGecko Press, 2015. 48 pages.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s something Zen about this book. The stories remind me of the child-like logic found in Winnie-the-Pooh<\/em>.<\/p>\n

As the title indicates, this book consists of 21 extremely short stories. All of them feature the king. A few feature the sea as well. Each story takes up one double-page spread with a very simple cut-paper illustration.<\/p>\n

I think you\u2019ll get the idea of the book if I quote a couple of the stories:<\/p>\n

The King and the Sea<\/bold><\/p>\n

\u201cI am the king!\u201d said the king.
\nThe sea answered with a whoosh<\/em>.
\n\u201cHmm.\u201d The king cocked his head thoughtfully.
\n\u201cI see,\u201d he murmured.
\nAnd he stood there quietly, listening to the waves.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The King and the Shadow<\/bold><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy do you have to follow me around?\u201d asked the king.
\n\u201cTo stop you from coming up with stupid ideas,\u201d said the shadow.
\n\u201cAnd to remind you there are two sides to every story.\u201d
\n\u201cSo there are,\u201d murmured the king, staring at the long dark shadow cast by his small gold crown.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The King and the Ghost<\/bold><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t believe in ghosts,\u201d said the king.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t believe in kings,\u201d said the ghost.
\n\u201cThen one of us must be mistaken,\u201d said the king.
\n\u201cSo it seems,\u201d said the ghost, spiriting himself away.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The King and the Bee<\/bold><\/p>\n

\u201cBuzz off,\u201d said the king, shooing the bee from his flower.
\n\u201cDon\u2019t you know I\u2019m the king?\u201d
\n\u201cAnd I\u2019m the queen,\u201d said the bee, stinging the king\u2019s nose.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

That gives you the idea. There\u2019s something peaceful about reading these stories, which are silly, yet wise.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t envision using these with a big group \u2013 they don\u2019t provoke a big bang. However, these are perfect for one child \u2013 or one adult reading to one child \u2013 for a cozy, meditative reading experience. I can\u2019t help but love the king.<\/p>\n

geckopress.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Buy from Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Find this review on Sonderbooks<\/a> at: www.sonderbooks.com\/Picture_Books\/king_and_the_sea.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.<\/p>\n

Source: This review is based on a library book from Fairfax County Public Library.<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I maintain my website and blogs on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.<\/p>\n

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