Originally published in Argentina as El Brujo, el horrible y el libro rojo de los hechizos, this delightful fairy-tale from author/illustrator Pablo Bernasconi follows the story of Chancery, the big, blue, ugly assistant to the wizard Leitmeritz, who longs to be more attractive, and doesn't understand why his employer - a kind-hearted soul who seems willing to aid everyone else in the locale - won't help him to change his appearance. When Leitmeritz is called away, to the side of the unicorn Blanik, Chancery seizes the opportunity to look through his Red Book of Spells, and to ask it to make him handsome. Unfortunately, Leitmeritz wasn't kidding, when he said that the book was intended for wizards alone, as Chancery discovers when all the words and artwork fly off the pages! Hurriedly stuffing them back in, he seriously disrupts the magic of the volume, as becomes apparent when Leitmeritz returns, and spell after spell goes wrong. Will Chancery have the courage to confess his transgression? And will he ever find a way to change his appearance...?

An engaging story, one which immediately draws the reader into its fantastical world (I loved the opening line, about the seventeen thousand, two hundred and nine stairs that lead to Leitmeritz's castle!), The Wizard, the Ugly, and the Book of Shame is also a visual treat, with gorgeous collage artwork that accentuates the magical events of the story. I particularly liked the depiction of the wizard, with his carrot nose and eyeball-eyes - somehow, he looks enchanting, rather than clown-like - as well as the page in which the toad is transformed into many different colors. The message here - that magic can't be relied upon for everything, and that how we see and present ourselves to the world can be just as important as how we actually look (perhaps even that how we look is a function of these things) - is an important one, but never overwhelms the story, which can also be read as an entertaining "magician's apprentice" type tale. Highly recommended, to all young fairy-tale fans, and to anyone who enjoys creative collage art. I think I will be tracking down this author/artist's Captain Arsenio: Inventions and (Mis)adventures in Flight! ( )

I'm not sure the story worked for me in the way it meant to but the pictures ad beautiful and unique and the tale readable. I believe children would like the book not just adults like me. ( )

I'm not sure the story worked for me in the way it meant to but the pictures ad beautiful and unique and the tale readable. I believe children would like the book not just adults like me. ( )

A good october book for a great "scary" story for young students.

Leimeritz is a powerful wizard and he has the powere to do anything with his magic book of spells.His assistant Chancery is not at all handsome and he wants to be so one day after the wizard leaves to help someone else, Chancery wishes to be handsome and everything is chaotic after that.

This was a fun book to read because it had different cause and effects and its also a good moral book.