The Paper Kingdom
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The Paper Kingdom
Written for young children, lushly illustrated, and crowned with a life lesson children and adults alike will appreciate, The Paper Kingdom is based on the author's own childhood experience and conveys social critique in a playful tale. Between the lines of lighthearted, simply scultped prose is a weighty poignancy: Both child and parents wish to protect each other, the parents by using their imaginations to transform a bleak reality into a magical kingdom to cheer their child, and the child by poking holes in that fantasy with increasingly indignant questions. The deeper resonance of this apparently simple story is that the child has awakened to a disturbing reality despite the parents' efforts to soften the blow. Within the fantasy, the caring parents inspire their child to grow up to create a better "kingdom," and child and parents both provoke readers to consider that our actions matter, that we are connected whether we acknowledge those connections or not, and that a little thoughtfulness goes a long way.
Product Description An office at night is reimagined as a fantastical kingdom of paper complete with friendly dragons in this own voices picture book. When the babysitter is unable to come, Daniel is woken out of bed and joins his parents as they head downtown for their jobs as nighttime office cleaners. But the story is about more than brooms, mops, and vacuums. Mama and Papa turn the deserted office building into a magnificent kingdom filled with paper. Then they weave a fantasy of dragons and kings to further engage their reluctant companion--and even encourage him to one day be the king of a paper kingdom. The Paper Kingdom expresses the joy and spirit of a loving family who turn a routine and ordinary experience into something much grander. Magical art by Pascal Campion shows both the real world and the fantasy through the eyes of the young narrator. Review ★ "A beautiful, must-read tribute to hardworking families and the magic they create." -- Kirkus, starred review ★ " Enchanting and powerful." - Booklist, starred review ★ " In this entrancing picture book, a boy has to join his parents at work when the babysitter cancels. Helena Ku Rhee crafts a layered, loving picture book tribute to family and the sacrifices that parents make for their children's future... Pascal Campion's blurry lines and the watercolor-like shadows that follow the characters bring to mind the parallel world of kings and queens." -- Shelf Awareness, starred review "[A] meaningful portrayal of one working-classexperience and an image of a loving, hardworking family." - Publisher's Weekly An Indie Bestseller! * American Booksellers Association Indie Next Selection * About the Author Helena Ku Rhee grew up in Los Angeles, but has also lived in various parts of the U.S., Asia and Europe. She has a soft spot for small, stout animals and loves to travel far and wide across this beautiful planet, counting among her favorite journeys a camping trip in the Sahara Desert, a swim with elephants in Thailand and a horseback-riding tour of Easter Island. Helena works at a movie studio by day, and dreams up story ideas in her spare time. She currently lives in Los Angeles. Visit her at helenakrhee.com/books and follow her on Instagram (@Helenakurhee) or Twitter @HelenaRhee Pascal Campion is a prolific French-American illustrator and visual development artist whose clients include: DreamWorks Animation, Paramount Pictures, Disney Feature, Disney Toons, Cartoon Network, Hulu, and PBS. Working in the animation industry for over 15 years, he has steadily posted over 3,000 images of personal work to his "Sketches of the Day" project since 2005. He lives and works in Los Angeles, CA. Follow him on Instagram (@pascalcampionart) or Twitter @pascalcampion
