The Rock from the Sky

Product Information

The exploration of minimalistic conflict, challenges of divided and disjointed communication and the potential harms that it can amplify and create, and crucially the retooling of the overarching apocalyptic themes to cement the main narratives of joy, trust and harmonious cohabitation within constantly changing landscapes are what once again bring Jon Klassen a class above the rest in this genre. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. In a little press packet that came with my copy of this book (which stole the phrase “deadpan gem” away from me, so that I cannot use it in this review, curse the marketing team's eloquent hide) Klassen talks a little about why he gave his animals hats (“The characters wear little bowler hats (though the snake has a beret for reasons I’ve not explained to myself)”) and how he has spent some time giving them a nice big sky. Montage like illustrations fit well with this simple tale of adaptation in a time of inevitable change - that is coming fast.

WALKER BOOKS TEACHERS’ NOTES

Perhaps that’s why I was so excited to see his art for Amy Timberlake’s Skunk and Badger, which (amongst other things) showed animals SMILING for crying out loud. Five chapters illustrate the small adventures of three behatted creatures: A turtle, an armadillo, and a silent snake. Klassen’s stripped-down aesthetic, the typeface is spare, with only a shift in color to reveal who’s speaking. It’s not a book I can see all children enjoying but if you have a child that likes unusual reads that are dotted with humour then this would be perfect for them. But then the rock lands, and then the feeling of the second story—just the implication of what time has been like between those two spreads—I was super interested in that.All will surely love his latest, The Rock from the Sky (Walker), a picture book in five vignettes with a distinct, absurdist flavour and Klassen’s trademark muted palette. Klassen at his droll best, in five short chapters that are outstanding examples of pacing, less-is-more illustration, and comedic timing. A story of how sometimes the perfect spot to stand isn’t that perfect at all—and how you never really know what will happen— The Rock From The Sky is a wry and suspenseful book that will charm even the most cynical readers.

Jon Klassen Meets Samuel Beckett in a Hilariously Dark

Brown’s illustrations keep the backgrounds and details simple so readers focus on Jasper’s every emotion, writ large on his expressive face.My initial impression, with some puzzlement, was that the rock from the sky was a meteor, such as the one that may have made the dinosaurs extinct, or the one they are talking about maybe, though not likely any time soon, and maybe not, going to hit our planet. It’s like that part in The Shining when the little boy and the caretaker are in the kitchen and the caretaker is talking about all the food they have, but then at the same time, in the shining way, silently, he’s asking the boy, Do you want some ice cream? Jon’s extreme distillation of storytelling perfectly encircled with the subtleties of illustration make this an illustrated book of the highest calibre.

The Rock from the Sky by Jon Klassen | Waterstones

Dad: I thoroughly enjoyed this book as an adult and may have to borrow it from my son to take into my class! So much so that, after reading “The Rock From the Sky,” even adults may be tempted to start looking around them in that shifty, Jon Klassen-ian way. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. Despite his “I’m a big rabbit” assertion, that glow creeps him out, so he stuffs them in the hamper and dons Plain White. I., is enjoying some quiet time until a persistent yellow canary named Vee asks him to help find her missing friends.As my kids get older, they have mostly dropped out of the reading, but I still have anywhere from 2-4 readers with me this year. It is a priority for CBC to create products that are accessible to all in Canada including people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive challenges. There was some trimming, which Liz is always great at, so much so that I always forget what I had before, but structurally I think it was there. What are you supposed to do when this giant rock falls and you have no explanation for it anytime soon… but it’s in our yard now? The most gratifying feature of this new offering by Caldecott Medalist Klassen is that there’s so much of it—96 pages of dark, Beckett-caliber comedy.

The Rock from the Sky by Klassen, Jon - AbeBooks 9781406395570 - The Rock from the Sky by Klassen, Jon - AbeBooks

Unfortunately however, 'Rock from the Sky' is just not for me - not as clever or as insiteful as perhaps it wants to be, Klassen's book left me with an absence of wry smiles or arched raised eyebrows in respect of its allegedly dark musings on friendship. With its muted, desolate landscapes, 'The Rock From the Sky' is hilariously dark, especially about social relations.Klassen’s storytelling seems simple, but it’s not: There’s all kinds of metaphysical mischief happening here. Readers are presented with a delicious quandary here: Is what we begin to see in the pictures happening, or are the friends imagining it? His long list of prestigious honours includes the American Caldecott Medal and CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal (both for This Is Not My Hat, which he wrote and illustrated), as well as the Governor General's Literary Award for children's literature — illustration for Cats' Night Out written by Caroline Stutson.