Call number
J GRAPHIC NOVEL VAN
Collection
Genres
Publication
Levine Querido (2020), Edition: Illustrated, 96 pages
Description
"Without a word, and with Escher-like precision, Van den Ende presents one little paper boat's journey across the ocean, past reefs and between icebergs, through schools of fish, swaying water plants, and terrifying sea monsters. The little boat is all alone, and while its aloneness gives it the chance to wonder at the fairy-tale world above and below the waves uninterrupted, that also means it must save itself when storms approach. And so it does. We hope that readers young and old will find the strength and inspiration that we did in this quietly powerful story about growing, learning, and life's ups and downs."--Publisher description.
Media reviews
For (sophisticated) readers of seven-plus, there's yet another journey in Peter van den Ende's The Wanderer (Pushkin), a wordless picture book filled with intricate, transporting, textured monochrome detail. A paper boat sets out to sea on a voyage encountering every kind of fearsome, beautiful
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marine creature, as well as ships, starlight and threatening strangers, in its quest to find safe harbour. This is a book to get lost in. Show Less
The technical aspect of the work is mind-boggling, especially the masterly crosshatching. Staring at the images, I couldn’t stop imagining Van den Ende, pen in hand, drawing each line, one after the other, creating work that seems to defy the passage of time, and all known resources of patience
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and imagination. Imagine Shaun Tan having an aquatic love child with Edward Gorey, from a family tree that includes Tim Burton, Salvador Dalí and Jacques Cousteau, and you’ll begin to get the idea … but not quite. Show Less
In this mind-blowing debut, Belgian author Van den Ende presents over 60 intricately rendered drawings, depicting everything from Escher-esque schools of fish to vast expanses of ocean and sky. . . . Marvelously engrossing—a triumph
Dutch artist Van den Ende follows a mysterious paper boat on a surreal, at times oppressive-feeling journey across the world’s oceans. Wordless, closely worked black-and-white spreads conjure an alternative Earth whose reefs hold strange life-forms.
In ‘The Wanderer’, his debut, Peter Van den Ende presents a wordless spectacle of pure imagination.
User reviews
LibraryThing member nbmars
This wordless book about the journey of a paper boat around the world will fascinate both children and adults. There are 96 pages of black-and-white pen-and-ink drawings that have been accurately described by a Kirkus review as mind-blowing.
As the boat travels over and under the oceans we see
Evaluation: This magical odyssey for an audience of all ages is full of wonder and delight.
As the boat travels over and under the oceans we see
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otherworldly landscapes and habitats both below the depths, on land nearby, and overhead in the night skies. Some of the drawings are realistic, but most are fanciful, showing the product of a prodigious imagination. There are coral beds, fairy-like jellyfish, and deep-sea divers, but also fish-men and underwater horses and elephants and creatures unnamable. The pictures are packed with detail, and will provide hours of entertainment.Evaluation: This magical odyssey for an audience of all ages is full of wonder and delight.
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LibraryThing member Morcys
This book is the epitome of the art of drawing; giving it less than five stars rating would be disrespectful.
Awards
USBBY Outstanding International Book (Grades 6-8 — 2021)
Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration (Nominee — 2022)
Pages
96
ISBN
1646140176 / 9781646140176