Once Upon a Book

by Grace Lin (Author)

Once Upon a Book
Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

From Caldecott and Newbery Honoree Grace Lin and bestselling author Kate Messner comes a modern folktale about the joy of reading.

Once upon a time, there was a girl. She went to a place alive with colors, where even the morning dew was warm.

Alice loves to imagine herself in the magical pages of her favorite book. So when it flaps its pages and invites her in, she is swept away to a world of wonder and adventure, riding camels in the desert, swimming under the sea with colorful fish, floating in outer space, and more! But when her imaginative journey comes to an end, she yearns for the place she loves best of all.

Paired with vibrant illustrations, this lyrical, expressive story invites the reader to savor each page and indulge in the power of imagination.

Select format:
Hardcover
$18.99

Kirkus Reviews

Starred Review
Lin and Messner's spectacular collaboration celebrates books and reading....A spellbinding ode to imagination and the transformative wonder of stories.

Publishers Weekly

In this meta collaboration by Lin (A Big Mooncake for Little Star) and Messner (Only the Best), immersive gouache spreads convey the way books can carry readers into new worlds. Stranded inside by winter weather, Alice, who wears pink glasses, rummages through a drawer for a favorite sleeveless dress--it's covered with print words--then spies a book on the floor and, curious, begins to read. "Once upon a time, there was a girl... She went to a place alive with colors, where even the morning dew was warm." A flamingo and other tropical birds break the book's fourth wall to beckon Alice into its pages, and she climbs right in. Now tiny amid riotous tropical growth in a dress that takes on the green of the page's background, she's seen perched on a tree limb, part of a brilliant tapestry of forest birdlife. As the pages turn, Alice, tiring of each setting's environs, travels by book with a rabbit companion. From desert to ocean to sky to the black void of space, her dress blends magically and invisibly into each background, until a new desire--companionship--sees her turning home to a celebratory meal. It's a warm, Sendakian view of books' cinematic and transportive powers that ends with a "place of coziness and warmth." Context cues suggest Chinese or Taiwanese heritage for Alice's family. Ages 4-8. Agents: (for Messner) Jennifer Laughran, Andrea Brown Literary Agency; (for Lin) Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (Feb.)

Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes



Grace Lin
Grace Lin (she/her), a New York Times bestselling author/illustrator, won the Newbery Honor for Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and the Theodor Geisel Honor for Ling and Ting. Her novel When the Sea Turned to Silver was a National Book Award Finalist, and her picture book A Big Mooncake for Little Star was awarded the Caldecott Honor. Grace is also an occasional commentator for New England Public Radio, a reviewer for The New York Times, a video essayist for PBS NewsHour, and the speaker of the popular TEDx Talk "The Windows and Mirrors of Your Child's Bookshelf," as well as hosting the two podcasts: kidlitwomen* and Kids Ask Authors. In 2016, Grace's art was displayed at the White House, where Grace herself was recognized by President Obama's office as a Champion of Change for Asian American and Pacific Islander Art and Storytelling. You can visit Grace online at gracelin.com and follow her on Twitter and Instagram @pacylin.

Chelsea Clinton (she/her) is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of She Persisted, She Persisted Around the World, She Persisted in Sports, She Persisted in Science, Don't Let Them Disappear, It's Your World and Start Now!, as well as Grandma's Gardens and The Book of Gutsy Women, which she wrote with Hillary Clinton, and Governing Global Health with Devi Sridhar. Chelsea earned a master's degree in public health from Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, where she is now an adjunct assistant professor, and a PhD in international relations from Oxford University. She is also the Vice Chair of the Clinton Foundation, where she works on many initiatives, including those that help empower the next generation of leaders. She lives in New York City with her husband, Marc, their three children and their dog, Soren.

Gillian Flint (she/her) is an illustrator who has a passion for painting in watercolors. She has been drawing and creating characters for as long as she can remember. Her work has been published in the USA, the UK and Australia. In her spare time she enjoys reading and gardening at her home in the UK. You can visit Gillian online at gillianflint.com and follow her on Instagram @gillianflint_illustration.

Alexandra Boiger (she/her) has illustrated nearly twenty picture books, including the She Persisted series by by Chelsea Clinton; the popular Tallulah series by Marilyn Singer; and the Max and Marla books, which she also wrote. Originally from Munich, Germany, she now lives outside of San Francisco, California, with her husband, Andrea; daughter, Vanessa; and two cats, Luiso and Winter. You can visit Alexandra online at alexandraboiger.com and follow her on Instagram @alexandra_boiger.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780316541077
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date
February 20, 2023
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV047000 - Juvenile Fiction | Books & Libraries
JUV051000 - Juvenile Fiction | Imagination & Play
JUV037000 - Juvenile Fiction | Fantasy & Magic
JUV013000 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | General
Library of Congress categories
Books and reading
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