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My Key
When two ordinary objects land on a city sidewalk, a little girl’s dull day becomes an odyssey of new places and unusual faces. Led far away on a dragon boat, she makes use of her found objects to get past the locked library doors, where erudite elephants open her eyes to the beauty of books and faraway lands. Faced with fantastic animals and discoveries, has she found the secret to make dull days a thing of the past?
A magical book that celebrates libraries and the power of imagination. For brave explorers ages 5 years and up.
A magical book that celebrates libraries and the power of imagination. For brave explorers ages 5 years and up.
- GenresPicture BooksChildrens
32 pages, Hardcover
Published November 2, 2021
10 people want to read
About the author
Amal Karzai
2 booksAmal's art has been featured in museums that include pieces now held in private collections. She received her MFA an illustration from the Academy of Art University, San Francisco and is the 2020 gold medal winner of Clavis Publishing's Key Colors Competition. Her work in children's books has been twice regionally nominated for the IBBY award.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
November 26, 2021
This didn’t quite work out the way I thought it would.
A little girl is having a dull day as she wants to visit the library but her mamma just said “later”. While sitting on the sidewalk complaining about the unfairness of it all to her cat, she suddenly discovers two apparently ordinary objects appear near her: a ball and a key. But these objects are magical and turn her boring day in a day of excitement and adventure by getting her past the locked library door.
Sounds good? Yeah, it felt appealing to me too. But this is a case where the theme is good, the implementation isn’t. The idea is that libraries can take you on a wonderful adventure right through the book in your hands. This is a lovely thought and absolutely true. But the way it is written turns this beautiful opinion into a concept so abstract that only the most precocious of children will understand the underlying points of the story. (Heck, even I had to read it twice and still ended up with only a hazy idea of the proceedings.)
The tale doesn’t flow smoothly but seems to jump randomly from scene to scene. Rather than creating excitement at the adventures, the book creates confusion and bewilderment at what’s happening. There’s no revelation about what or how the ball and the key work, and no personal detail about the girl.
This book is the Gold Medal Winner of the 2020 Key Colors Illustrators Competition. As such, I had assumed that at least the illustrations would make me happy. Sadly, they didn’t. The sketches are quite dark and blurry and the colours are more in earthy palettes than vibrant, fantastical tones. The illustrations didn’t look magical to me but dull and boring. The girl looks different in almost every panel.
Overall, this was a disappointment as I found both the story and the graphics quite weird. I don’t know whom to recommend this to, so please read other reviews and make up your mind about the appeal of this book. It just wasn’t the right fit for me.
My thanks to Clavis Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of “My Key”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
***********************
Join me on the Facebook group, Readers Forever! , for more reviews, book-related discussions and fun.
A little girl is having a dull day as she wants to visit the library but her mamma just said “later”. While sitting on the sidewalk complaining about the unfairness of it all to her cat, she suddenly discovers two apparently ordinary objects appear near her: a ball and a key. But these objects are magical and turn her boring day in a day of excitement and adventure by getting her past the locked library door.
Sounds good? Yeah, it felt appealing to me too. But this is a case where the theme is good, the implementation isn’t. The idea is that libraries can take you on a wonderful adventure right through the book in your hands. This is a lovely thought and absolutely true. But the way it is written turns this beautiful opinion into a concept so abstract that only the most precocious of children will understand the underlying points of the story. (Heck, even I had to read it twice and still ended up with only a hazy idea of the proceedings.)
The tale doesn’t flow smoothly but seems to jump randomly from scene to scene. Rather than creating excitement at the adventures, the book creates confusion and bewilderment at what’s happening. There’s no revelation about what or how the ball and the key work, and no personal detail about the girl.
This book is the Gold Medal Winner of the 2020 Key Colors Illustrators Competition. As such, I had assumed that at least the illustrations would make me happy. Sadly, they didn’t. The sketches are quite dark and blurry and the colours are more in earthy palettes than vibrant, fantastical tones. The illustrations didn’t look magical to me but dull and boring. The girl looks different in almost every panel.
Overall, this was a disappointment as I found both the story and the graphics quite weird. I don’t know whom to recommend this to, so please read other reviews and make up your mind about the appeal of this book. It just wasn’t the right fit for me.
My thanks to Clavis Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of “My Key”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
***********************
Join me on the Facebook group, Readers Forever! , for more reviews, book-related discussions and fun.
January 3, 2022
I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.
My Key is a beautifully but quite dark, illustrated children's book about a little girl who discovers a magic ball and key after waiting all day for her mother to take her to the library. She enters a magic world of books and reading adventures through the magical ball and key she finds.
I loved the xoncept of this book and the illustrations, but they didn't necessarily gel well together for me and I think many children will not get the understanding of this book unless its explained to them. However, do give it a read as your thoughts may be different to mine and I still enjoyed reading it.
My Key is a beautifully but quite dark, illustrated children's book about a little girl who discovers a magic ball and key after waiting all day for her mother to take her to the library. She enters a magic world of books and reading adventures through the magical ball and key she finds.
I loved the xoncept of this book and the illustrations, but they didn't necessarily gel well together for me and I think many children will not get the understanding of this book unless its explained to them. However, do give it a read as your thoughts may be different to mine and I still enjoyed reading it.
November 26, 2021
The art is a little dark and the story for children seems a little dark for kids. However, the artstyle is different and unique.
And yes, the book focuses much on reading and books.
Thank you, author and artist, for the advance reading copy.
And yes, the book focuses much on reading and books.
Thank you, author and artist, for the advance reading copy.
November 29, 2021
I think something may have gotten lost in translation.
The illustrations are the strongest part of this, although I had a tough time making them all out on my computer screen. (This is definitely not a good book to attempt reading on an e-reader or tablet!) The text started out confusing, and didn't get much better as time went on. The story starts like this:
The story then goes into libraries and imagination, and I have no idea what any of that has to do with the movies or that grammatically strange sentence that appears to be talking to someone named Timbuktu.
I understand that this is about imagination, but I really don't like the narrative. The wording seems clunky and disjointed.
I don't think I'd recommend this one. The pictures are okay, but there are better books out there that celebrate libraries and imagination without devolving into such weirdness.
Thank you to NetGalley and Clavis for providing a digital ARC.
The illustrations are the strongest part of this, although I had a tough time making them all out on my computer screen. (This is definitely not a good book to attempt reading on an e-reader or tablet!) The text started out confusing, and didn't get much better as time went on. The story starts like this:
I asked politely, "Please can we go to the movies, Timbuktu, a little kasbah in a big city? You know, one of those old Moroccan fortresses. Please?"
The story then goes into libraries and imagination, and I have no idea what any of that has to do with the movies or that grammatically strange sentence that appears to be talking to someone named Timbuktu.
I understand that this is about imagination, but I really don't like the narrative. The wording seems clunky and disjointed.
I don't think I'd recommend this one. The pictures are okay, but there are better books out there that celebrate libraries and imagination without devolving into such weirdness.
Thank you to NetGalley and Clavis for providing a digital ARC.
November 23, 2021
Lauded by this publishing house for some time, this award-winner is quite the dreamlike fantasia. A girl who dreams of going to impossible places finds a stick-and-ball set on her stoop, and lo and behold is thrust (how?! the visuals never convey the crossing-over at all well...) into a battle of sea monsters. Calmly recovered from that, she finds herself at the library doors, which of course would be an ideal way for her to take herself to impossible places. Were it not for the elephants...
Like I say, this has a dreamscape illogicality throughout, which might be alright if the art could convey the transitions between 'chapters'. It can't, although it seems more than capable of doing everything else, and in really finely-detailed fashion, too. Indeed, when the book takes advantage of its landscape format and gives us a double-page spread it sells the fantasy a hundred per cent, but the choppiness of the story really makes everything feel too 'off'. As a result, I'd suggest this is for poring over, from the library of course, but not for an instant purchase.
Like I say, this has a dreamscape illogicality throughout, which might be alright if the art could convey the transitions between 'chapters'. It can't, although it seems more than capable of doing everything else, and in really finely-detailed fashion, too. Indeed, when the book takes advantage of its landscape format and gives us a double-page spread it sells the fantasy a hundred per cent, but the choppiness of the story really makes everything feel too 'off'. As a result, I'd suggest this is for poring over, from the library of course, but not for an instant purchase.
April 2, 2022
A young girl discovers a magic ball that takes her on adventures through books. She sees some amazing animals and events. The contrast between the colorful world of her adventures and the dark tones of her reality work well.
January 24, 2023
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance reading copy.
I am not sure which aspect of the book I like better; the fascinating, detailed illustrations, or the concept of the book ( the magic key that books hold within them). While I found some parts of the narrative tough to follow, I also realized that it actually works well when we think about the theme of the story; and when we think about how thoughts jump from here to there sometimes. Also, the accompanying artwork adds so much to the storytelling that it helps the reader along, and you can enjoy it with and without the words.
It is a totally fantastical exploration of imagination; a tribute to libraries, books, and reading; a rollicking ride with twists and turns that turns out to be so very coolly fun! I love how those initial sepia colored illustrations shift to more colorful art as the girl discovers that “magic key!”
In Summary
This is a picture book that will awaken the story teller within, and one that shows how reading is the magic key to unlocking whole worlds!!
I am not sure which aspect of the book I like better; the fascinating, detailed illustrations, or the concept of the book ( the magic key that books hold within them). While I found some parts of the narrative tough to follow, I also realized that it actually works well when we think about the theme of the story; and when we think about how thoughts jump from here to there sometimes. Also, the accompanying artwork adds so much to the storytelling that it helps the reader along, and you can enjoy it with and without the words.
It is a totally fantastical exploration of imagination; a tribute to libraries, books, and reading; a rollicking ride with twists and turns that turns out to be so very coolly fun! I love how those initial sepia colored illustrations shift to more colorful art as the girl discovers that “magic key!”
In Summary
This is a picture book that will awaken the story teller within, and one that shows how reading is the magic key to unlocking whole worlds!!
January 25, 2022
As unconventional as it is bold, Amal's stunningly illustrated and loosely autobiographical tale stars a library-loving girl whose lackluster day takes a mystical turn. The experimental writing asks readers to surrender to its oddities, frequently blurring the line between narration and dialogue, and following a fantasy logic that's on Lewis Carroll levels of bizarre. The artwork resembles charcoal on canvas; wonderfully tactile and beautifully detailed, especially in pages that feature large spreads and perspective tricks. But like the narrative itself, the storyboard can be difficult to follow, jumping between spaces in ways that make the protagonist seem to teleport. All in all a strange but intriguing read.
November 3, 2021
While the flow of the story was a bit choppy for me, the idea of imagination is explored beautifully. A young girl follows the "magic ball" to the place where they will need to use their magical key to enter. And once there, she is pulled into even more magical worlds than anyone could imagine. The black and white with hinted at colors for the illustrations were the highlight. They are expressive, detailed, busy, crowded and perfect for the tone of the book. At least ages five and up would be the best audience. As a read-aloud to a group it might a little difficult, but one-on-one would most likely work best.
December 15, 2021
Well the little girl wants to go to the casbah but her mom just won't commit. "Maybe." No more brutal an answer to give a bored kid. But wait, the bored kid finds a magic ball! And the magic ball takes her... um... to literally MY library!! What?? Yes! Author/illustrator Amal grew up in Baltimore and seems to have spent a LOT of time at the central Enoch Pratt Free Library - so much so that she draws not only the famous facade of the building, but the checkered floor and the detail inside. And she gets the elephants dead to rights! Did you know there were elephants in the library? Of course there are elephants in the library!
December 4, 2021
A fantastical adventure to get to the best place in the world! The story was a wonderful tribute to imagination, reading, and the impact of libraries on young children's lives. I love the character is a young BIPOC girl with curly hair. It felt like seeing my own childhood reflected back at me. The text itself is a bit confusing at times, with changing narrators. Gets a little chaotic but it's a fun ride that made me imagine all the adventurous books I've read. I would use it in a classroom or get it as a gift.
December 2, 2025
Like many others have stated, the storyline itself is a bit choppy and confusing but I think overall it’s still worth a read and dissection. It opens up the conversation about imagination, adventure, illustrations/art, possessions, and even equity all circling around a library. The illustrations are yes “dark” but gorgeous and so in depth. If younger audiences don’t understand it, they will eventually. Don’t cut them off from curiosity and not always knowing right now. Let them take that adventure themselves, they’ll probably pick up on more than you’d notice or think they would.
December 14, 2021
I LOVED this picture book! Thank you for letting me read it. The graphics were stunning, so much that honestly this would even be great as a wordless book. I think this book would be better for older kids/students who enjoy picture books, as younger kids may get overwhelmed by the realism of the art style, or maybe not. I will definitely be ordering it for our middle grade picture book collection.
November 22, 2022
A little girl asks her mom to take her to faraway places, and her mom promises to take her to the library, but she's made this promise yesterday, and still, they have not gone. The girl suddenly discovers a magic ball and a magic key, and she finds herself at the library and all her dreams and hopes and wishes appear before her eyes.
I enjoyed this imaginative adventure story with beautiful illustrations, all centering on a trip to a fantastic library.
I enjoyed this imaginative adventure story with beautiful illustrations, all centering on a trip to a fantastic library.
November 4, 2021
Beautiful Illustrations! The story follows a young girl who finds two items on the sidewalk that not only put an end to her boring day but lead her to a world of magic. No spoilers but I will say that they story is a bit choppy and somewhat hard to follow at times. Not sure if this is how it is written or broken up in translation. I did find the book enjoyable and the illustrations lovely.
December 4, 2021
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC of this book.
The illustrations are stunning, but the story is one I am hard pressed to find accessible to children. As an adult it's confusing, and not one I can imagine my own daughter enjoying or understanding.
The illustrations are stunning, but the story is one I am hard pressed to find accessible to children. As an adult it's confusing, and not one I can imagine my own daughter enjoying or understanding.
February 16, 2022
The art is really something!
The story is a little confusing, though, and it seems to have a young child disobeying her mother to go to the library alone, which undercuts the much better message about the wonders said library offers.
The story is a little confusing, though, and it seems to have a young child disobeying her mother to go to the library alone, which undercuts the much better message about the wonders said library offers.
February 23, 2023
Blending reality and imagination. Felt a bit too confusing and abstract to be able to use with my groups of young children or adults with developmental disabilities.
Illustrations are artistically beautiful, but not graphically eye-catching for audiences looking for picture cues.
Illustrations are artistically beautiful, but not graphically eye-catching for audiences looking for picture cues.
November 17, 2021
An imaginative reader goes on a book adventure in her mind.
Not really my kind of story.
Not really my kind of story.
January 4, 2022
I love finding books that extol the wonder of libraries. This book may be too abstract for the youngest reader, but most children will love the imagination of this book.
January 6, 2022
2.5 stars.
January 7, 2022
Gorgeous!
January 12, 2022
Age: K-2nd grade
Books: Libraries
The power of libraries, a magic ball, and a girl's unfurling imagination make this an exciting read.
Books: Libraries
The power of libraries, a magic ball, and a girl's unfurling imagination make this an exciting read.
February 4, 2022
An extra star for beautiful illustrations
April 26, 2022
AMAZING artwork.
January 11, 2022
Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
Read
January 12, 2022Een meisje zit voor een huis. Ze verveelt zich en heeft haar moeder meerdere keren voorgesteld ergens heen te gaan. De kasba of de bibliotheek. Ze praat tegen haar kat Tiberius.
Ze lijkt zichzelf wat zielig te vinden. Ze merkt op dat zelfs de raven naar plaatsen vliegen die ze zelf kiezen. Toch zijn het juist deze vogels die haar iets brengen. Een bijzondere bol en een stok. Een magische bol, waarin het meisje op reis gaat, avonturen beleeft.
Ze ontmoet zeemonsters die haar de stralende bol willen afnemen. Ze ziet een paleis. Werkelijk? Een paleis waarin een boekenconferentie gehouden wordt door jonge olifanten! Wat een domper, het is gesloten. Net nu ze bij de deur van een bibliotheek staat dat als een paleis is voor haar.
De sleutel tot de wereld vol boeken lijkt ze in haar hand te hebben. Kan ze op verkenning in de haar gewenste wereld?
Ze verdwijnt in verhalen naar plaatsen en figuren die eerder onbereikbaar waren. Met een dosis magie en fantasie. Woesj... Een sleutel kan iets openmaken. Haar wereld lijkt anders, krijgt meer kleur.
Een bijzonder prentenboek in zowel tekening als kleur. Duidelijke vervagende afbeeldingen afgewisseld met fantasievolle expressieve vormen. Een verhaal waardoor nagedacht kan worden over wat voor jou de sleutel kan zijn tot een mooiere wereld, een fijnere dag. Een boodschap die erin is verwerkt, is zondermeer dat in boeken een wereld voor je opengaat. Een wereld vol magie en fantasie die je ook alleen kunt beleven.
De oorspronkelijke titel 'My key' sluit nog beter bij het verhaal aan dan de vertaalde in het Nederlands.
Een prentenboek dat beslist niet alleen voor de jongste lezers inzetbaar is. Het is niet heel eenvoudig. Juist ook voor de bovenbouw een mooi thema om te bespreken of zelfs in creatieve vakken mee aan de slag te gaan. Hoe geef jij jouw wereld kleur?
Ze lijkt zichzelf wat zielig te vinden. Ze merkt op dat zelfs de raven naar plaatsen vliegen die ze zelf kiezen. Toch zijn het juist deze vogels die haar iets brengen. Een bijzondere bol en een stok. Een magische bol, waarin het meisje op reis gaat, avonturen beleeft.
Ze ontmoet zeemonsters die haar de stralende bol willen afnemen. Ze ziet een paleis. Werkelijk? Een paleis waarin een boekenconferentie gehouden wordt door jonge olifanten! Wat een domper, het is gesloten. Net nu ze bij de deur van een bibliotheek staat dat als een paleis is voor haar.
De sleutel tot de wereld vol boeken lijkt ze in haar hand te hebben. Kan ze op verkenning in de haar gewenste wereld?
Ze verdwijnt in verhalen naar plaatsen en figuren die eerder onbereikbaar waren. Met een dosis magie en fantasie. Woesj... Een sleutel kan iets openmaken. Haar wereld lijkt anders, krijgt meer kleur.
Een bijzonder prentenboek in zowel tekening als kleur. Duidelijke vervagende afbeeldingen afgewisseld met fantasievolle expressieve vormen. Een verhaal waardoor nagedacht kan worden over wat voor jou de sleutel kan zijn tot een mooiere wereld, een fijnere dag. Een boodschap die erin is verwerkt, is zondermeer dat in boeken een wereld voor je opengaat. Een wereld vol magie en fantasie die je ook alleen kunt beleven.
De oorspronkelijke titel 'My key' sluit nog beter bij het verhaal aan dan de vertaalde in het Nederlands.
Een prentenboek dat beslist niet alleen voor de jongste lezers inzetbaar is. Het is niet heel eenvoudig. Juist ook voor de bovenbouw een mooi thema om te bespreken of zelfs in creatieve vakken mee aan de slag te gaan. Hoe geef jij jouw wereld kleur?
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews