Antje Damm

This unusual book for children is translated from the German. It tells the story of an anxious older woman, Elise, who is fearful of just about everything and will not leave her house. She cleans obsessively, so is quite flummoxed when something flies in through her window one day. It is a paper airplane, and she immediately throws it into the fire.

The next morning, a little boy, Emil, comes to her door asking if she has his airplane.

Then he wanted to use the bathroom, look around, ask show more questions about everything, and have Elise read a storybook to him. He even wanted her to play with him! She fed him when he was hungry, and he ended up spending the whole day with Elise. When he left, “Elise knew exactly what she wanted to do.” And so she makes a paper airplane. At the end, there are bright circles on Elise’s cheeks, and her house, previously shown in variations of gray, is bathed in primary colors.

The author/illustrator uses 3-dimensional images, mixed-media, and a palette that tells the story in tones as well as in words. Elise’s drab, monotone life blazes into bright colors with Emil’s visit. Most creatively, Elise and Emil are both shown as cut-outs.

Evaluation: This is a lovely story of intergenerational friendship. Children may have some questions they can discuss with parents: How does Elise get food if she doesn’t go out? How does she get household supplies? What changes has Emil brought to Elise? Will Emil come back? show less

Elise é uma mulher muito medrosa. Tem medo de aranha, medo de gente e até medo de árvore. Por isso vive sozinha e sozinha pretende ficar. Mas, quando menos espera, um aviãozinho de papel entra por uma janela, atrapalhando sua paz diária. No dia seguinte, certa visita bate em sua porta. E Elise não sabe o que fazer! Será que ela deve receber um estranho - e abrir um espaço como esse em sua vida? Ou deve ignorar e manter tudo da mesma forma? Nesta narrativa, fica claro como, às vezes, show more basta abrir uma porta para que grandes transformações aconteçam em nossas vidas. show less

Everything you see can be something else. The photos in the book show children that all kinds of ordinary objects can be turned into animals if they are looked at in the right way. The only limit is what the imagination can think up.

This book is about asking questions: What makes you laugh? As children read the questions and look at the pictures each of them will have different answers to give and things to ask. It is an invitation for parents and children alike to open their minds.