The Onion's Great Escape

by Sara Fanelli

Sara Fanelli's activity book, an exciting first for Phaidon Press, asks young readers to help the onion break free by answering thought-provoking questions and completing the activities within, finally pressing a three-dimensional character right out of the pages. Ages 5-10

Genres: Picture Books, Art, Childrens, Philosophy

68 pages, Paperback

First published October 3, 2011

About the author

Sara Fanelli was born in 1969 in Florence, where she studied for a Diploma di Maturita at the Liceo Classico Michelangelo before coming to England, where she studied at the City and Guilds of London Art School, Camberwell School of Art, and the Royal College of Art, London.

She has undertaken illustration work for various publications, including the New York Times, the Independent on Sunday and the New Scientist. Her clients include The Royal Mail, BBC Worldwide, and Tate.

Reviews

[Mathew · Rating 5 out of 5]

What do you do if you see a world, see your role in the world and contemplate the fact that you feel bound by fate to do what is presented to you? Welcome to Sara Fanelli’s existential, interactive and highly postmodern picturebook in which a little onion wishes to escape her fate on the chopping board.
Onion asks us to consider some big questions as she considers her future: who are we? Would your life be different if you had a different name? What is learning? Each double page spread, centred around the shape of a pop-out onion character (yes, a pop-out onion character, I mean, who else is going to help her escape her fate? It has to be you!) asks questions about who and become more complex as we read on.
All of Fanelli’s texts have a dreamy quality to them, something wholly otherworldly and collagic with snippets of reality there to tether us. I have always adored her experimentalism and passion for art as a form and the fact that she is consistently pushing the boundaries of what children’s picturebooks and art can do together. Once the onion is free from its binding, it’s almost impossible to put it back. I am sure that for many readers this will be annoying but for me, it’s liberating.

[Sim ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book was so playful and engaging! even though it's generally skewed towards children, I had so much fun reading it! although I couldn't do the interactive bits, I have a new view on onions and the book made me question life and doubts.
the graphic design was amazing too! 💯

[Francesca Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant read about the reader helping an onion escape before getting put into a frying pan. The book provokes lots of questions to the reader which require deep thought, questions you wouldn't normally think of. I liked how the onion is a pop up element of the book which looks different on each page. I think this book encourages children to do a lot of thinking when reading this book. I like how this book is very unique telling the story through questioning.

[Issy Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

You could probably do a page a day with this picturebook. It's full of deep, intriguing questions which you could investigate with any age class. I didn't rate it full stars because the actual onion in the book is hard to get back in- the format isn't very practical. But its still good!

[Steph Palmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some amazing and some really challenging questions. Great book but was overwhelming when read all in one go.

[Laura Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Introspective questions to ask children, even though I found it personally stressful to consider so many principles at once

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Reading this is an interactive experience, which was very cool -- and the kids loved helping the onion literally escape from the pages.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Weird and eccentric but also provocative, interactive, and a whole lot of fun. Not something that will last long in library collections.

[Leona Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the concept and story - once you free the illustrations the book is completed!

[Carrie Gelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part book, part self reflective journey, part art piece. Fascinating.