Staff Pick
This is my go-to book for every new baby in my life. This book provides the most important advice a person can receive in their life — how to survive in the land of Fairy Tales. This picture book has been adapted from a poem that appeared in Neil Gaiman's short story collection, Fragile Things, and it will enchant and entrance you.
The artwork of Charles Vess is the perfect combination of joyful and just slightly eerie to suck you into the world you are entering to accompany Gaiman's magical words. There is definitely some fairy dust sprinkled on this book.
And never forget the wise words: "Trust dreams, trust your heart, and trust your story." Recommended By Becky H., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
Trust Dreams.
Trust your heart,
and trust your story.
A renowned storyteller whose words have transported readers to magical realms and an acclaimed illustrator of lushly imagined fairy-tale landscapes guide a traveler safely through lands unknown and yet strangely familiar . . .
. . . and home again.
Review
“A magical, incantatory poem. It could be instructions for a child, a writer, a newly minted adult or an elder. It strikes immediately at the place where stories live and provides a feast of archetypes. ” Kirkus Reviews
Review
“ Young readers should relish the chimerical vision while older Gaiman fans should grasp the underlying suggestion that the compass used to navigate fairy tales can also guide us in the real world” Publishers Weekly
Review
“Like a more impish version of Dr. Seusss ‘Oh, the Places Youll Go!” Gaimans book offers riddling advice that could be for young or old.” New York Times Book Review
Synopsis
"A perfect reminder to always be on the lookout for magic and wonder. Sometimes, we need those two things the most" (Brightly.com, citing "Books That Teach Kids What It Means to Be a Kind Person").
In this breathtaking jacketed picture book, Neil Gaiman's lyrical poem guides a novice traveler through the enchanted woods of a fairy tale through lush gardens, a formidable castle, and over a perilous river to find the way home again.
Illustrated in full color by Charles Vess, Instructions features lush images of mythical creatures, magical landscapes, and canny princesses. Its message of the value of courage, wit, and wisdom makes it a perfect gift.
"
About the Author
Neil Gaiman is a
New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty books for adults and children, including the novels
Neverwhere,
Stardust,
American Gods,
Anansi Boys,
Coraline, and
The Graveyard Book; the Sandman series of graphic novels; and
Make Good Art, the text of a commencement speech he delivered at Philadelphias University of the Arts.
He is the recipient of numerous literary honors, including the Locus and Hugo Awards and the Newbery and Carnegie Medals. 1.8 million people follow him on Twitter.
Born and raised in England, Neil Gaiman now lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with his wife, the rock star Amanda Palmer.
Charles Vess's work has graced the pages of numerous publications and has been exhibited internationally. Some of his other books include Blueberry Girl by Neil Gaiman, a circle of cats and Seven Wild Sisters with Charles de Lint, a new edition of Peter Pan, and The Ladies of Grace Adieu with Susanna Clarke. His awards include a Mythopoeic, Ink Pot, two Chesley, two World Fantasy, and two Eisner awards.