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Wednesday, 5 May 2021

Review: The Rock from the Sky

Jon Klassen is back! And he’s kind of outdone himself this time.

The Rock from the Sky is more than just a picture book. It’s a picture book extravaganza!

Really five books in one, The Rock from the Sky centres around our hat-wearing turtle friend. 

Turtle has a favourite spot to stand until a rock falls from the sky and ruins everything.

His world is forever changed, and each story is a continuation of life with the rock that fell from the sky. 

Along with (I want to say) Armadillo and Snake, Turtle falls from the rock, reflects on the future, misses the sunset and ponders moving to a new spot.

His stubbornness gets in the way in every story with hilarious and serendipitous impact. So on one hand you’re rooting for Turtle to change so that he stops missing out on things, but on the other hand you are cheering on his decisions because they tend to help him avoid catastrophe.

Written in Klassen’s dialogue-only style, with loads of laugh-out-loud raw humour, this is a hilarious read that is beyond fun to explore. It’s silly, funny, honest and real. A book that reflects on life from both a kid and adult perspective.

Klassen’s illustrations are, as always, stunning, with earthy colours and eyes full of expression. When it comes to faces in this book (and many other Klassen books), Klassen really only details the eyes. To be able to pack in the emotion he does into black and white dots is something truly magical.

If you’re a fan of Klassen’s work, you really need to add this one to your collection. And if you have never heard of his story telling genius before, The Rock from The Sky will have you hooked.

If you’re looking for silly, funny and fun in a picture book, this one is for you.

And for more Jon Klassen masterpieces, make sure you check out This is Not My Hat, We Found a Hat and I Want my Hat Back.

Title: The Rock from the Sky
Author/Illustrator: Jon Klassen
Publisher: Walker Books, $27.99
Publication Date: 21 April 2021
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781406395570
For ages:  3 - 6 
Type:  Picture Book