The Jacket
The Jacket
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Written by Kirsten Hall
Illustrated by Dasha Tolstikova
A New York Times Notable Children’s Book of 2014
The Jacket is about a book that gets more than it ever dared to hope for or even dream about. The Jacket is a book that needs to be a book. It's a book that pays tribute, in word and form, to all that a book is and can be. Once upon a time there was a girl who had a dog named Egg Cream. This girl loved her dog, but she also loved her special book. And Book loved her. But how about Book and Egg Cream? Could they coexist as the girl's two favorite things in the whole wide world?
ISBN: 978-1-59270-168-1
7.75" (W) x 9.63" (H) • 48 pages • HCJ
Grade Level: 2
Interest Level: Pre-K-4
Lexile Level: 550
Guided Reading Level: K
AWARDS AND REVIEWS
A New York Times Notable Children’s Book of 2014
A Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Book of 2015
A Huffington Post Honorable Mention for "Most Charming" Picture Book of 2014
"This book is a revelation, seamlessly blending the cleverness of its conceit with the virtues of captivating storytelling...It's as poignant as it is smart. The beauty of Tolstikova's pastel-tinged illustrations, whose manner changes from page to page and suggests both childlike simplicity and a quiet mastery of modernist color and design, shows there's more to a book than its concept." —Mark Levine, The New York Times
"The book itself is part of the story. The jacket that the girl makes at the end of the book is identical to the jacket of the physical book. This fact makes for a fun read aloud...But The Jacket is much more than just a clever gimmick. There are big themes aplenty here: love, friendship, fear. All are handled with subtlety, making for a story with emotional depth...A book to love." —Travis Jonker, 100 Scope Notes
"The mixed-media illustrations do a beautiful job of capturing such things as the interior of a bookstore, the girl's love for both her companions...Book's understanding of the girl's love for her dog is a particularly poignant inclusion, both textually and visually. the idea's originality and the child-friendly instructions at the end of Book's tale make this a novel gift pick for the juvenile bibliophile." —Kirkus Reviews
"Literary agent Hall debuts with a lovely story that tenderly showcases the relationship between a girl and a book while giving readers the chance to form a very similar relationship, thanks to a neat bit of book design. Debut talent Tolstikova's mixed-media artwork reveals a knack for emotional range." —Publishers Weekly
"In the unusual, wonderful, and magically meta picture-book The Jacket, writer Kirsten Hall and illustrator Dasha Tolstikova explore the beauty and terror of falling in love with a book from the perspective of the book itself." —Maria Popova, Brain Pickings
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