Yan Nascimbene

It's okay if want to call me a sucker for books about people who love books, because I totally am. This book was a lot of fun. The boy wants a castle in the grand old style, but all he has to build it are a multitude of books that his father has collected as he attempts to write great poetry. His father is so single-minded in his quest that he doesn't notice the construction occurring in the backyard. In the end, his father is frustrated by his inability to write the perfect poem and comes show more out of his trance only to discover that his son's great construction has collapsed in a rainstorm thanks to his unwittingly weakening the structure to find the perfect word in his book walls. They have a great moment where they come to realize that they can both achieve their goals by working together and appreciating each other more. Great book. show less

Picked this up at a rummage sale today on the strength of the cover illustration. I'm so glad I did. The story is spare, not quite tipping over into melancholy, but certainly dreamy and sad and lonely. The illustrations are flat gorgeous, they have a turn-of-the last century feel to them. The dual protagonists are both only children with rich interior lives. The ending made my eyes leak a little.

I thought that this book was very heart-warming. It's about two lonely children who live on opposite sides of the world. The little boy lives in Paris and the little girl lives in California. Both live a very boring and lonely life. Their parents are always at work and neither one has any friends. The two children meet at a baseball game in California when the boy gets sent to camp. Many years later, once they have grown up, they meet and get married. It's such a wonderful thought to think show more that your soul mate lives on the other side of the world, and if fate exists, one day you will unite and live as one. I would like to hope that they got married in September. Every woman can only fantasize to tell such a magnificent "How we met" story, such as that of our characters. show less

Ben wants to build a castle out of his father's poetry books, and I'm wondering why I didn't think of that sooner. The lesson here is about working together, and I love the illustrations. They're so bright and colorful. The expressions on Ben and his father's faces show lots of emotions. It was a heartwarming book and I would highly recommend it. Kids could make a pillow fort instead, but making a fortress would be a fun activity.