Synopses & Reviews
The adoption of a little brother sets off a series of fantastical adventures. When Mom and Dad bring home little Simón, their older son resists the idea of a new brother and retreats to a fantasy world. He builds a raft and sails to his own island of Bongadongo, creates an entire fleet of model ships, and, using chewing gum, tries to patch up a real boat that he finds along the shore. Simón is persistent and longs to join his new older brother in the fun. But the boy can take it no longer and runs away to find a ship that will take him far from home. A damaging windstorm, and its aftermath, changes their relationship forever. Tim Wynne-Jones creates a fanciful story of sibling rivalry. John Shelley's illustrations reveal how imagination bridges even the widest gap.
Review
"Beautifully render[ed]. . . . Sophisticated illustrations and prose are well-matched, and a valuable lesson subtly presented." --Kirkus Reviews
Review
"The richly detailed vision will engage children. . . . It's nice to see a picture book about adoption in which the new arrival is an older child, rather than a baby." --Booklist
About the Author
Tim Wynne-Jones has done everything from playing in a hippie band to working full-time ... for at least a year and a half. His other picture books include
Architect of the Moon, The Last Piece of Sky, and the wildly popular Zoom Trilogy. His novels include
The Boy in the Burning House and
The Maestro. He lives near Perth, Ontario, Canada.
John Shelly is the illustrator of MVP* (Front Street), The Secret in the Matchbox, and The Mystery in the Bottle. In addition to his illustrations for children's books in English, he has illustrated a number of Japanese titles, including a four-volume series of Hans Christian Andersen's tales to commemorate the bicentennial of the author's birth. Mr. Shelley lives with his family in Tokyo, Japan.