The
story takes place after birdwatching enthusiast Humpty, falls from a high wall
and soon after he has been put back together again by the king’s men.
Set in a contemporary city, the illustrations show Humpty walking out of the Kings County Hospital covered in plasters.
Set in a contemporary city, the illustrations show Humpty walking out of the Kings County Hospital covered in plasters.
And
though Humpty is back in one piece, the trauma of the fall has made him fear
heights, so much so, he’d rather sleep on the floor than the top of his bunk
bed.
But
Humpty is not ready to give up on his love of birds and builds a paper one. His
paper creation works so well that it flies up to a great height and lands on
the other side of the dreaded wall.
Humpty
decides to face his fears and climb the wall, even though he is terrified. The
ending is absolutely gorgeous and clever.
The
illustrations beautifully complement the sparse text and are at times emotive
and other times funny. I liked the page where Humpty walks glumly past the
cereal aisle where bright, enticing cereals named ‘Bowl-o-Cookes’ and ‘Just Marshmallow’ are high up out of reach and the bland sad-looking cereals such as
‘Grown-up food’ and ‘Leaves’ are stacked at the bottom shelf. Children will
have fun reading the names on all the cereal boxes.
Inspired
by his wife’s struggles with depression and her road to recovery, the author
captures the feeling of anxiety and tells a story of hope.
Title: After the
Fall, How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again
Author: Dan Santat
Illustrator: Dan Santat
Publisher: Lothian Children’s Books, $16.99
Publication
Date: 26 June 2018
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780734418319
For
ages: 4+
Type: Picture Book
