{"id":33675,"date":"2017-12-30T23:17:50","date_gmt":"2017-12-31T03:17:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=33675"},"modified":"2017-12-30T23:17:50","modified_gmt":"2017-12-31T03:17:50","slug":"review-of-the-antlered-ship-by-dashka-slater-illustrated-by-the-fan-brothers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=33675","title":{"rendered":"Review of The Antlered Ship, by Dashka Slater, illustrated by The Fan Brothers"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>The Antlered Ship<\/em><\/p>\n

by Dashka Slater
\nillustrated by The Fan Brothers<\/p>\n

Beach Lane Books, 2017. 44 pages.
\nStarred Review<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a picture book adventure story featuring animals. I expected trite, corny, or hokey. What I found was charming and marvelous.<\/p>\n

The book begins by introducing us to a fox who asks philosophical questions:<\/p>\n

The day the antlered ship arrived, Marco wondered about the wide world.<\/p>\n

He had so many questions.
\nWhy do some songs make you happy and others make you sad?
\nWhy don\u2019t trees ever talk?
\nHow deep does the sun go when it sinks into the sea?<\/em><\/p>\n

But when he posed these questions to the other foxes, they grew silent.
\n\u201cWhat does that have to do with chicken stew?\u201d they asked.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Marco goes to the harbor to see the ship and learns that the crew of deer onboard are lost. They hope to hire better sailors. Marco signs on, in hopes of finding other foxes who know the answers to his questions. A flock of pigeons, led by Victor, signs on, hoping to have adventures. The original deer crew, led by the captain Sylvia, are looking for an island with tall, sweet grass and short, sweet trees.<\/p>\n

But first, they find adventures. The crew gets discouraged by the difficulties they face. This is my favorite page:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe should have stayed in the woods,\u201d Sylvia said. \u201cDeer aren\u2019t supposed to go to sea.\u201d
\n\u201cWe should have stayed in the park,\u201d added Victor. \u201cPigeons aren\u2019t supposed to do hard labor.\u201d
\nMarco eyed the deer and the pigeons. \u201cFoxes aren\u2019t supposed to be vegetarian,\u201d he said. \u201cStill, we must do the best we can.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

No, Marco doesn\u2019t eat the crew. He makes a warm and reviving stew of vegetables and revives his friends to continue their quest.<\/p>\n

Marco continues to pour forth philosophical questions throughout the book. Things like: \u201cDo islands like being alone? Do waves look more like horses or swans?\u201d But the question for which he finds the best answers is \u201cWhat\u2019s the best way to find a friend you can talk to?\u201d<\/p>\n

And though the others\u2019 initial quests are satisfied, the friends decide that they want to travel on\u2026.<\/p>\n

The beautiful illustrations by Terry Fan and Eric Fan add just the right touch to give the animals\u2019 efforts seriousness. At the same time, their na\u00efve ideas are child-sized. Children will delight to share the adventure.<\/p>\n

dashkaslater.com<\/a>
\nthefanbrothers.com<\/a>
\nsimonandschuster.com\/kids<\/a><\/p>\n

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

Find this review on Sonderbooks<\/a> at: www.sonderbooks.com\/Picture_Books\/antlered_ship.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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