{"id":33731,"date":"2018-05-18T23:36:51","date_gmt":"2018-05-19T03:36:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=33731"},"modified":"2018-05-18T23:36:51","modified_gmt":"2018-05-19T03:36:51","slug":"review-of-after-the-fall-by-dan-santat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=33731","title":{"rendered":"Review of After the Fall, by Dan Santat"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>After the Fall<\/p>\n

How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again<\/em><\/p>\n

by Dan Santat<\/p>\n

Roaring Brook Press, 2017. 36 pages.
\nReview written October 2017.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a lovely parable about Humpty Dumpty\u2019s recovery.<\/p>\n

Humpty Dumpty\u2019s favorite spot was high up on a wall, close to the birds.<\/p>\n

Then one day, I fell. (I\u2019m sort of famous for that part.)
\nFolks called it \u201cThe Great Fall,\u201d which sounds a little grand.
\nIt was just an accident.<\/p>\n

But it changed my life.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

After that, Humpty was afraid of heights. But he got an idea. He made a paper airplane, and painted it to look like a beautiful bird.<\/p>\n

But then, another accident happens (They always do.), and Humpty\u2019s bird got stuck on the top of the wall.<\/p>\n

I almost walked away, again.
\nBut then I thought about all the time I\u2019d spent working on my plane, and all the other things I\u2019d missed.<\/p>\n

I decided I was going to climb that wall.<\/p>\n

But the higher I got,
\nthe more nervous I felt.
\nI didn\u2019t want to admit it:
\nI was terrified.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But he keeps going, one step at a time, until he\u2019s no longer afraid.<\/p>\n

This sounds simple, and it is \u2013 but the execution is brilliant. The timing of the page turns and the dramatic illustrations carry the theme beautifully. I love the page where Humpty reflects that his fear of heights is keeping him from enjoying some of his favorite things \u2013 the illustration shows a range of cereals, with gray, boring cereals on the bottom (names like \u201cFiber Flakes\u201d and \u201cGrown-up Food\u201d and Humpty holding \u201cBo-Rings\u201d), and bright, colorful cereals on the top (including \u201cRainbow Bites,\u201d \u201cSugar Bunny,\u201d \u201cJust Marshmallow,\u201d \u201cBowl-O-Cookies,\u201d and \u201cFree Toy\u201d).<\/p>\n

The catch is the climax. It\u2019s lovely and inspirational \u2013 you just have to not think about it too hard (which I have a big problem not doing). Humpty Dumpty hatches! Into a beautiful bird, and flies away!<\/p>\n

It\u2019s lovely and wonderful and all about overcoming your fears and going on to soar. There are two problems that persnickety me can\u2019t quite overlook. One is that if Humpty was an egg with a live embryo inside \u2013 that embryo wouldn\u2019t have survived his fall. (I always thought he was hard-boiled.) The second problem is that birds can\u2019t fly moments after hatching.<\/p>\n

But every other single thing about this book is beautiful and brilliant. You can rise again after unfortunate accidents and emerge better than ever.<\/p>\n

dantat.com<\/a>
\nmackids.com<\/a><\/p>\n

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

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