• Booklist Reviews : Booklist Reviews 2016 July #1
  *Starred Review* "I am a child of books," a little girl declares. "I come from a world of stories." And so begins this enchanting tale of a little girl sailing away on a sea made, literally, of words—as are many other things in her bookcentric world. Words are fashioned into the shapes of mountains, a monster, a dark cave, and more as the girl is joined by a boy on an adventure that dramatically demonstrates the freedom of imagination. Jeffers and Winston's first collaboration is a celebration of the child's world, illustrated in sumptuous double-page spreads featuring explosions of images borrowed from unforgettable sources: there's Little Red Riding Hood, there's the Cheshire Cat, there's Mr. Toad in his shiny motorcar, and there are the children themselves, standing upon a spinning globe. At first glance, this beautiful book looks simple, but that is deceptive. Every one of its elements—the haunting prose poem executed in hand-lettered words; the pictures done in watercolor, pencil, and digital collage; and the objects built from words borrowed from classic stories—all work together toward a richly harmonious whole. An irresistible invitation to read.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Jeffers is pushing himself artistically by pairing with fine-artist Winston, and his many fans ought to take notice. Copyright 2014 Booklist Reviews.

Oliver Jeffers is the author-illustrator of many books for children, including Once Upon an Alphabet, which won a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, and Lost and Found, which was a Nestlé Children’s Book Prize Gold Medal winner. He is also the illustrator of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Day the Crayons Quit and its follow-up, The Day the Crayons Came Home, both written by Drew Daywalt. Oliver Jeffers lives in Brooklyn.

Sam Winston is a fine artist whose work has been featured in many special collections worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles, the Tate Galleries in London, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. He works and lives in London.