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Dan Santat is a New York Times best-selling author and illustrator. His picture book, The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend, won the 2015 Caldecott Medal for distinguished illustration. He also wrote The Guild of Geniuses and created the Disney Channel animated series The Replacements. He lives in Southern California with his wife, two children and various pets.
Highly Commended in the UKLA Book Awards 2019 | Anyone familiar with the story of poor old Humpty Dumpty will be intrigued by Dan Santat’s story of what happens after that fall. In his version the king’s men do manage to put Humpy together again but the cracks are still there, and not just on the outside: a shadow of his former self, Humpty is too afraid to climb back up onto the wall where he used to love to sit and watch the birds. At last though he finds a way to enjoy the skies again and in a surprise ending flies away himself. A powerful story of recovery and overcoming fear this will resonate with all readers. The illustrations are full of clever jokes but portray Humpty’s emotional state perfectly while the sequence that sees him soar away on golden wings is glorious.
The boredom of a long car journey turns into a massive adventure through time and space in this outstanding picture book. A boy is travelling with his parents to see his grandma and the journey seems to be taking forever, hours feel like days. Suddenly – is he dreaming? – we’re travelling back through time, ages whizzing past the window, right back to the age of the dinosaurs. You need to turn the book upside down at this point, and turn the pages from right to left. Turn the book right way round again and we zoom into the future, arriving decades too late for grandma’s party. Clever, inventive and totally original, this is both a hugely enjoyable romp and a meditation on the nature of time. ~ Andrea Reece
Imaginary friends are a rich source for writers and ‘unimaginary friend’ Beekle’s story is rather special. A pudgy little blob of white, he waits to be picked with the other imaginary friends, but he’s still there alone after they’ve all gone. So he does the unimaginable and sets off alone to find his friend himself. The voyage is frightening, but beautiful, the real world grey; a muted place where no-one stops to hear the music. Only in a children’s playground does it light up and it’s near there that Beekle finds the friend he’s been waiting for, and learns that she’s been waiting for him too. The text is short, Santat’s detailed, fantastical pictures carry most of the story. The uplifting message about finding the courage to make your own way will resonate with children and adults alike. ~ Andrea Reece
Imaginary friends are a rich source for writers and ‘unimaginary friend’ Beekle’s story is rather special. A pudgy little blob of white, he waits to be picked with the other imaginary friends, but he’s still there alone after they’ve all gone. So he does the unimaginable and sets off alone to find his friend himself. The voyage is frightening, but beautiful, the real world grey; a muted place where no-one stops to hear the music. Only in a children’s playground does it light up and it’s near there that Beekle finds the friend he’s been waiting for, and learns that she’s been waiting for him too. The text is short, Santat’s detailed, fantastical pictures carry most of the story. The uplifting message about finding the courage to make your own way will resonate with children and adults alike. ~ Andrea Reece
