Every page of Ben Hatke’s new book has a visual delight to make you wonder and dream. The first page has a sleeping kitty made up of patchwork. Is it made of cloth? Is it as soft as it looks? The second page has a giant walking turtle with a house, complete with wrap-around porch, on its back. Where is it going? Where did it come from? Who lives in the house? Can I go visit?
And those are just the title pages!
Ben Hatke, best known for his Zita the Spacegirl
Julia has settled on the coast, somewhere, with her big house on the back of a turtle, but it’s too quiet. So she makes a sign in her workshop to put outside the front door: “Julia’s house for Lost Creatures”. Very soon she has plenty of magical guests who need a home. But they are not being the most respectful of roommates, and Julia goes back into her workshop to make a new sign with some basic rules for living in harmony with a most eclectic group. It’s a book about making a home, and how to work together to create a family.
Every knock, scritch, and bang on Julia’s door is an opportunity to ask your child, “Who could that be? What kind of creature will come next?” From the very sad troll who had his bridge torn down, to the floating ghost who enjoys a game of checkers, these strays are strange—but lovable.
Julia’s House for Lost Creatures goes beyond the text with a world rich in visuals to inspire your child to perhaps create their own set of lost creatures…
GeekMom was given a copy for review purposes.
It came in the mail yesterday, and my son and I read it last night. I love, love, love this book!