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The Only Child
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A New York Times Best Illustrated Book
Hailed by Entertainment Weekly and the Wall Street Journal as a best book of the year, this gorgeous and imaginative story—part picture book, part graphic novel—is utterly transporting and original. USA Today declared it “a compelling and melancholy debut from an important new talent" as well as "an expansive and ageless book full of ...more
Hailed by Entertainment Weekly and the Wall Street Journal as a best book of the year, this gorgeous and imaginative story—part picture book, part graphic novel—is utterly transporting and original. USA Today declared it “a compelling and melancholy debut from an important new talent" as well as "an expansive and ageless book full of ...more
Hardcover, 112 pages
Published
December 1st 2015
by Schwartz & Wade
(first published September 1st 2015)
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Kimberlee
We have it cataloged as Juvenile at our library, but the story is easy to follow, so it would be accessible to a wide age range.
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Start your review of The Only Child
when i first saw this cover online, months before the book was released, i thought to myself, "i will make you mine."
and then i did.
superficially, the artwork reminded me of a cutesier Shaun Tan or a less-gross Renée French. but i know nothing about art, and when i mentioned this observation to art-snob sean of the house, he scoffed and pointed to a couple of illustrations and said "shaun tan would never do that or that," so i guess i'm wrong. sean of the house does not care for the art in ...more
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The Only Child is a wordless children's graphic novel that's magical in every way.
The beautiful and detailed illustrations tell a stunning story. One of the best graphic novels for children we've read!
4**** ...more
The Only Child is a wordless children's graphic novel that's magical in every way.
The beautiful and detailed illustrations tell a stunning story. One of the best graphic novels for children we've read!
4**** ...more
Nov 25, 2015
Carmen
rated it
really liked it
Recommends it for:
Kids; Parents
Shelves:
fantasy,
chinese-author,
children,
fiction,
traditionally-published,
published2015,
she-says
Guojing's wordless graphic novel for children is about a little girl in China who leaves home "to visit grandma" but ends up on a magical adventure when she gets lost and meets a stag in the forest.
http://i1.nyt.com/images/2015/10/28/b...
Wonderful images of the stag, the cloud bear, and the whale who swims through the clouds instead of the ocean are lovingly drawn by Guojing.
http://www.creativeauthors.co.uk/wp-c...
http://100scopenotes.com/files/2015/1...
She writes in the introduction:
http://cdn. ...more
http://i1.nyt.com/images/2015/10/28/b...
Wonderful images of the stag, the cloud bear, and the whale who swims through the clouds instead of the ocean are lovingly drawn by Guojing.
http://www.creativeauthors.co.uk/wp-c...
http://100scopenotes.com/files/2015/1...
She writes in the introduction:
http://cdn. ...more
Wow. Mind blowing. One of the most unique children's picture books I have ever read/owned. There is so much depth of feeling and emotion in the illustrations. Extraordinarily beautiful and poignant. You can almost feel the hair on the animals. A must have for collectors of the best of the best in children's literature. Check out this one my fellow children's book lovers. It is remarkable. Classic children's book material.
...more
A lovely wordless picture book fantasy about a little girl who gets lost on her way to Grandma's house and gets befriended by a stag who introduces her to a magical natural world. Lovely pencil drawings. Compared by a lot of people to Shaun Tan's work, maybe because it is also wordless, but this one is sweeter, sadder, a bit more cartoony and sentimental. Soft and somewhat bleak images abound, which Guojing says are meant to reflect her lonely childhood in China under their enforced one-child-on
...more
A snowy new year's day is the perfect time for this story of being lost and found. The author/illustrator, Guojing, was born in China while the one-child policy was in effect. Her memories of loneliness were a springboard for this story about what happens when a little girl decides to set out in search of friendship.
It's told entirely through wordless images, existing as something between a graphic novel and a picture book. The monochromatic illustrations are full of softly rounded lines, gentl ...more
This beautifully illustrated picture book with no text shows a little girl going to bed in China. She is lonely and bored and decides to run away to see Grandma. Leaving her flat she goes into the night and meets a stag and here the magical journey begins. The illustrations are wonderful and must have taken so long. I didn't like the faces on the people very much, cartoon style with dots for eyes and mouth whilst the rest of the illustrations are realistic and the stag has realistic eyes and fea
...more
Both the lovely illustrations and telling a story without words made me think of Brian Selznick. The foreword by author Guojing and her loneliness as a politically-mandated single child in China sets the stage for a little girl's adventure on her own, getting lost in the woods, where she is befriended by a stag and some other imagined friends. Just terrific.
...more
Beautiful and subtle, the pencil drawings follow the day in the life of a lonely only child who spends the day playing and attempting to while away the hours till her parents return from work. There are no words, just beautiful images of a child's imagination at work when she finds herself alone and lost outside her apartment.
...more
This one I need to own.
This is, simply put, beautiful.
Wordless picture books don't get nearly enough appreciation as far as I'm concerned. The depth that your work has to have to convey not just emotion but story cannot be understated. You don't have sound, you don't have words, you've got nothing but your skill as an artist to pull in your reader and hold them and take them on a journey.
This perfect example of that kind of talent did, fortunately, get a whole lot of attention, even making it o ...more
This is, simply put, beautiful.
Wordless picture books don't get nearly enough appreciation as far as I'm concerned. The depth that your work has to have to convey not just emotion but story cannot be understated. You don't have sound, you don't have words, you've got nothing but your skill as an artist to pull in your reader and hold them and take them on a journey.
This perfect example of that kind of talent did, fortunately, get a whole lot of attention, even making it o ...more
This book may be over 100 pages long, but it's easy to get through in just a few minutes. In spite of that, it has a very well-defined story, all told in hazy black-and-white images.
It reminds me more of a graphic novel than a picture book, due to the panels. There's no text at all (except for a couple of words on objects).
The story is about a little girl who's left home alone. She gets bored and decides to go see her grandmother. She leaves a note for her parents, takes her umbrella, and gets o ...more
It reminds me more of a graphic novel than a picture book, due to the panels. There's no text at all (except for a couple of words on objects).
The story is about a little girl who's left home alone. She gets bored and decides to go see her grandmother. She leaves a note for her parents, takes her umbrella, and gets o ...more
Oh wow. The illustrations are just gorgeous. There's such depth here, worthy of more than a quick read but real study. As for plot? By the end I wasn't sure if this was a dream or a real adventure, which was ok. Ambiguity is good. And maybe, if I read and reread it, I'll decide. I rarely predict the Caldecott's but this one? It'd be very surprising if it doesn't get at least a mention.
ARC provided by publisher. ...more
ARC provided by publisher. ...more
Some hybrid of wordless picture book and wordless graphic novel. Beautifully illustrated - a must read.
3.5 stars! I loved the illustrations. They are charcoal or pencil. This is a full picture book with no words. These are my kids favorite kind of stories for me to read because I make up the story as I go. There are no spoilers in this review because every story is different. Here's mine :D
Once upon a time, a small girl named Sally, wakes from a pleasant sleep. She yawns and gets out of bed. She sees her mother on the way to the bathroom. "Mom, I'm hungry," the girl says. The mother really has to ...more
Once upon a time, a small girl named Sally, wakes from a pleasant sleep. She yawns and gets out of bed. She sees her mother on the way to the bathroom. "Mom, I'm hungry," the girl says. The mother really has to ...more
A wordless journey in enhanced pencil drawings. Highly recommended as a picture book for older readers. The emotional journey balances the fantastical one in a seamless visual narrative.
This is a beautiful black and white, wordless graphic novel.
Sep 17, 2019
Abigail
rated it
it was amazing
Recommends it for:
Anyone Who Appreciates Beautifully-Illustrated Picture-Books and/or Stories About Enchanted Journeys
Left on her own one day when her mother and father must go to work, the titular 'only child' in this gorgeous wordless picture-book sets out to visit her grandmother, only to fall asleep on the bus-ride there. Waking up far too late, the girl disembarks and soon finds herself lost in the woods. When a beautiful stag approaches, she finds a friend and a guide, one who takes her on a fantastic voyage to a far-removed land in the clouds. Here she meets another friend, and together the three pass an
...more
Dad rating: 3. It's lovely, & I do like a good wordless book.
Kid rating: 0. When a book makes you burst into tears thinking about lost kids separated from their parents, and (while still inconsolable) tell your dad to return it to the library immediately, I figure that's a 0 from him. #dadfail
This feels like another of those kids books that probably has more meaning/impact on adults. I'm sure some kids would love this, but it just made mine sad. Wordless picture books are a tough nut, but forma ...more
Kid rating: 0. When a book makes you burst into tears thinking about lost kids separated from their parents, and (while still inconsolable) tell your dad to return it to the library immediately, I figure that's a 0 from him. #dadfail
This feels like another of those kids books that probably has more meaning/impact on adults. I'm sure some kids would love this, but it just made mine sad. Wordless picture books are a tough nut, but forma ...more
What does an only child long for?
PLAYMATES - both real and imaginary.
The artwork in this one reminds me of The Arrival, though the story is reminiscent of The Snowman.
It is a wonderful book - sweet but not cloying . . . simply adorable! ...more
PLAYMATES - both real and imaginary.
The artwork in this one reminds me of The Arrival, though the story is reminiscent of The Snowman.
It is a wonderful book - sweet but not cloying . . . simply adorable! ...more
The ability of an author/illustrator to bring so much emotion to light through images only is such a powerful thing. This is book you will not want to miss this December.
😭😭😭 this book was so beautiful and emotional. It’s made me rethink having 1 kid. Usually I hate wordless picture books, but this one really touched me, Especially after reading the authors note.
I've "read" this twice already this year and I'll probably read it again, which is something it has in common with Shaun Tan's 'The Arrival', a book that I pore over frequently. While I did think their art styles were similar before I'd read The Only Child, since then I've read Tan's The Bird King and I'm convinced no one can do what he does. Not even close. He's more fanciful, yet there's a lot of geometry and a sci-fi influence to his whimsy.
But this book is pretty amazing, too, and has rela ...more
But this book is pretty amazing, too, and has rela ...more
Wordless black and white graphic novel (some might put it in picture books) about a lonely kid who goes on an adventure.
Beautifully lush illustrations. But honestly, for me, those images pack more of a punch when I flip through the book now than they did when I was sequentially reading the story. Cute/Beautiful/Majestic animals of several types cameo.
I was a very happy only child, though, so there's a part of me which is kinda biased against the thesis of this from the getgo. The cultural conte ...more
Beautifully lush illustrations. But honestly, for me, those images pack more of a punch when I flip through the book now than they did when I was sequentially reading the story. Cute/Beautiful/Majestic animals of several types cameo.
I was a very happy only child, though, so there's a part of me which is kinda biased against the thesis of this from the getgo. The cultural conte ...more
If I had my way this book would win the Caldecott. It is so beautiful. A wordless picture book that needs no text for the reader to experience the life of this only child, and their remarkable journey. I feel like it is a story we can all relate to. Even being one of four there were moments were I felt alone. I definitely teared up at the end.
A beautifully illustrated children's book about growing up isolated and lonely. The author grew up in China under the one child per family policy and she had a lonely childhood.
This book attempts to encapsulate her childhood. I think she does a wonderful job of mixing fantasy with reality and seeing the world through a child's eyes.
I loved it. And so did my daughters. ...more
This book attempts to encapsulate her childhood. I think she does a wonderful job of mixing fantasy with reality and seeing the world through a child's eyes.
I loved it. And so did my daughters. ...more
Incredible. A story about loneliness and imagination.
The final endpapers got me all choked up. Incredible detail rendered in pencil and edited digitally, this graphic novel is an emotional tale told only in pictures.
The final endpapers got me all choked up. Incredible detail rendered in pencil and edited digitally, this graphic novel is an emotional tale told only in pictures.
The little girl in this book is such a cutie I'm not sure that she could be any cuter. Unless of course she goes on an adventure where she gets to sit on clouds and play with baby animals. I mean it is stinking cute.
...more
Beautiful artwork and story telling. This story is completely wordless and told just through pictures. such and imaginative story.
I received a copy if this story through Edelweiss
I received a copy if this story through Edelweiss
A wordless picture book can appeal to all ages. The black and white art is beautiful. A young child is lost on a snowy evening and is rescued by a magical stag. The art work tells the story.
Read at the RHCB preview. The art is stunning--I can't wait to get my hands on a finished copy so I can spend more time with this one.
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Guojing (Jing Guo) is an illustrator and concept artist. Previously she worked in the game and animation industry. She is now a professional illustrator. Her wordless picture book, ‘The Only Child’, a New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book of 2015, and a Publishers Weekly Book of 2015, is published by Schwartz and Wade (Random House, Dec, 2015). The story is based on her own experiences a
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