The Skull
Ratings26
Average rating4.4
Weird and wonderful. Also: beautiful. I am completely in favor of giving children books that aren't neat and tidy and pretty. In other words, this book.
To be honest, I thought something else was gonna happen in the end, but I did like it a lot. I loved the artwork and would totally get this for my kid if I had one. I also loved the authors note at the end.
After reading thousands of stories I love finding one that feels classic but is also able to surprise me.
Well done Klassen.
I am obsessed. This is the same author from [b:I Want My Hat Back 11233988 I Want My Hat Back Jon Klassen https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327888784l/11233988.SX50.jpg 16160067] which has such a style with the expressive eyes and sort of a darker tone - this hits it and really has a lot of time to expand on it. It is such a strange story and i'm fascinated by it - i'm still thinking of it!I love the author's notes especially, a nice love letter to libraries and also folk-tales. One of my favorites before the end of the year!
This is exactly the story that I want to write and illustrate. It has characters. It has a plot. It is a little bit sad. It is a little bit funny. It is a little bit scary.
The Skull is a great story that can be interpreted in different ways. It leaves enough to the imagination that kids can make it their own story, and give their own reasoning to the characters and their past. It's an engaging page turner with simple prose and great for all ages to enjoy. The illustrations are so clean, creative and full of texture (he put graphite shavings on a scanner and inverted the colour to make the snow??). I recommend The Skull to anyone looking for a quick, spooky, and heartwarming story.
Personal: Jon Klassen had an artist talk and book signing, and I got a free copy of The Skull (which is great because I already had it on my tbr)! I really enjoyed hearing about his artistic process, his insight into illustrating and writing books, and his philosophy on art. I learned that he also worked on coraline, that's so cool!! His talk was very inspiring and I learned a lot from him as an artist :)
Rating: 4.68 leaves out of 5
-Characters: 5/5
-Cover: 5/5
-Story: 5/5
-Writing: 5/5
Genre: Children/Adventure/Classic
-Children: 4.75/5
-Fantasy: 5/5
-Horror: 3/5
Type: Audiobook
Worth?: Yes
I adore Jon and his dark children books. There is just something about his stories that know the right amount of dark and not dark so it will be okay for children. I have read a few of his works before and there is just something that feels so right reading them.
Thanks to a good friend for getting this book and then showing it off in Casually Bookish. Lol!
Charming, macabre, sweet. A throwback to days of yore when kids' media was a bit messed up.
I too want a skull friend.
“When she was done crying, she got up and began moving forward again.”
I liked this more than I thought I would! Klassen's interpretation strikes the perfect tone, weaving together a simple yet also sweet and spooky (sorry for the alliteration, but those are all the correct adjectives) folktale. Any coworkers reading, no one else take it for Staff Picks. I want to use it for Staff Picks.
Otilla is an incredible protagonist, who knows exactly what she is about. Themes of found family, problem solving, and finding closure all abound. Oh my gosh, when they're tucked into bed together? Unbelievably cute.
The illustrations remind me of [b:Through the Woods|18659623|Through the Woods|Emily Carroll|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1414845473l/18659623.SX50.jpg|26477611], [b:The One Hundred Nights of Hero|28433627|The One Hundred Nights of Hero|Isabel Greenberg|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1506013534l/28433627.SX50.jpg|48547479], and [b:The Dark|15790852|The Dark|Lemony Snicket|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1350766092l/15790852.SX50.jpg|21512407]. This is a perfect time of year to pick this one up!