{"id":5432,"date":"2021-10-03T00:01:50","date_gmt":"2021-10-03T06:01:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=5432"},"modified":"2021-10-02T11:52:54","modified_gmt":"2021-10-02T17:52:54","slug":"7-imps-7-kicks-763-featuring-tom-gauld","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=5432","title":{"rendered":"7-Imp\u2019s 7 Kicks #763: Featuring Tom Gauld"},"content":{"rendered":"


\nTom Gauld’s<\/a><\/strong> The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess<\/a><\/strong><\/em> (Neal Porter Books, August 2021) is the kind of story that feels like a classic \u2014 like a book you perhaps read twenty years ago \u2014 yet also feels fresh and new and compelling. <\/p>\n

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Using comics-esque constructions, such as panels and crisp-lined cartoon artwork, Gauld tells the story of two siblings, the characters named in the title. The king and queen of a “pleasant land” long for children. The king visits the royal inventor, a clever woman who creates a little wooden robot, and the queen visits the green-skinned local witch, who grabs a log and uses her magic to form a “perfect little log princess.” The siblings are close, and the family is happy. <\/p>\n

The catch, however, is that the princess nightly turns back into a log, and only magic words will wake her: “Awake, little log, awake.” The robot wakes his sister daily, and they have grand adventures. One day, he fails to wake his sister, and the maid takes what she thinks is a plain old log and disposes of it. When the little robot discovers this, he sets out to find his sister, turn her back into a princess, and bring her home. And in the process, the sister, in turn, must help her brother. (And why it takes a famiy of beetles to help them both<\/em> I will leave for you to discover.) <\/p>\n

These are endearing characters. They hold a deep and abiding love for one another that never comes across as cloying. It’s a story with heart and adventure, and the stakes are high here. It will leave young readers gasping (the maid throws the log, who is really the princess, out of the window?!<\/em>), eagerly turning pages to learn what will happen next and rooting for the siblings. The pacing is spot-on, Gauld varying his page compositions and use of panels in a satisyfing way. Best of all, there are two deliciously tantalizing pages (one pictured below) in which readers are given hints as to the many adventures of the intrepid siblings as they try to save one another, “too many adventures to recount here.” These pages, in particular, are 110% delightful. (I’d like a whole book about The Magic Pudding, thanks very much.) <\/p>\n

Here are some spreads below so that you can see for yourself. <\/p>\n

Don’t miss one. It’s irresistible.
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(Click either image above to see spread in its entirety)<\/em><\/center>
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“The robot ran to the barge. ‘Please, sir,’ he said to the captain.
‘My special log is in your barge. May I come aboard and search for it?'”<\/em>
(Click spread to enlarge)<\/center>
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(Click either image above to see spread in its entirety)<\/em><\/center>
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“The princess knew that whatever happened, however tired she felt,
she must not fall asleep. …”<\/em>
(Click spread to enlarge)<\/center>
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(Click cover to enlarge)<\/em><\/center>
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\nTHE LITTLE WODDEN ROBOT AND THE LOG PRINCESS. Text copyright and illustrations copyright \u00a9 2021 by Tom Gauld. Illustrations reproduced by permission of the publisher, Neal Porter Books, Holiday House, New York.<\/em><\/p>\n

* * * Jules’s Kicks * * *<\/strong><\/font>
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Note for any new readers: 7-Imp\u2019s 7 Kicks is a weekly meeting ground for taking some time to reflect on Seven(ish) Exceptionally Fabulous, Beautiful, Interesting, Hilarious, or Otherwise Positive Noteworthy Things from the past week, whether book-related or not, that happened to you. New kickers are always welcome.<\/p>\n

1)<\/strong><\/font> Getting the hang of it. <\/p>\n

2)<\/strong><\/font> “Monday”<\/a><\/strong> by Alex Dimitrov.<\/p>\n

3)<\/strong><\/font> New music from Elbow<\/a><\/strong>! (Thanks to Little Willow for the heads-up.)
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