The Rock from the Sky
Age 4+
Picture Storybooks
Look up! From the Caldecott Medal-winning creator of the Hat trilogy comes a new deadpan gem.
Turtle really likes standing in his favourite spot. He likes it so much that he asks his friend Armadillo to come over and stand in it, too. But now that Armadillo is standing in that spot, he has a bad feeling about it...
A hilarious meditation on the workings of friendship, fate, shared futuristic visions, and that funny feeling you get that there’s something off somewhere, but you just can’t put your finger on it. Merging broad visual suspense with wry wit and existential silliness, celebrated picture-book creator Jon Klassen gives us a wholly original comedy for the ages.
Creators
Jon Klassen is the creator of the New York Times bestselling I Want My Hat Back and its companions This Is Not My Hat, which won a Caldecott Medal and a Kate Greenaway Medal, and We Found a Hat. He is also the illustrator of Extra Yarn, Sam and Dave Dig a Hole, Triangle, Square and Circle, all by Mac Barnett, and House Held Up by Trees by Ted Kooser. Originally from Niagara Falls, Ontario, Jon Klassen now lives in Los Angeles. Find him on Instagram as @jonklassen and Twitter as @burstofbeaden
Reviews
Saturated with Klassen’s characteristic wry humour, and ideal for children of four or five and up, it’s full of side-eyeing reptiles, shared imaginings, creeping suspense and narrowly avoided catastrophe.
The Guardian
The writer and illustrator Jon Klassen has become something of a star following the trilogy that started with I Want My Hat Back , his spare, dry style offering a darkly different take on life for young readers while inspiring internet memes and even tattoos for the oldies. All will surely love his latest, The Rock from the Sky, a picture book in five vignettes with a distinct, absurdist flavour and Klassen’s trademark muted palette.
The Observer (The New Review)
A new Jon Klassen is always a treat, and this deadpan gem will make you simultaneously laugh out loud and marvel at his visual wizardry.
The Bookseller
Son (4): I really liked this book. It was really funny. I like how the animals shouted at each other lots. My favourite character was the one from space. I want to read it again. 82 stars out of 5.Dad: I thoroughly enjoyed this book as an adult and may have to borrow it from my son to take into my class! Klassen, well done! You’ve gained three more fans from this story who are certainly going to try and purchase your other books.
Toppsta
The story is very simple, the artwork is remarkable and the story itself has a kind of sophistication that adults and kids both love. As with his other books, Klassen’s use of deadpan dialogue between two characters in short sentences brings so much humour, and the build-up of tension as to what will happen when the rock falls is absolutely brilliant.
BookTrust
