The Way Back Home by Oliver Jeffers - Revision history

Sue at 13:29, 14 May 2018

2018-05-14T13:29:09Z

Kieran at 12:51, 12 April 2018

2018-04-12T12:51:09Z

Sue at 10:47, 21 April 2015

2015-04-21T10:47:36Z

Sue at 12:58, 3 February 2015

2015-02-03T12:58:56Z

Sue at 11:46, 2 December 2012

2012-12-02T11:46:52Z

Keith at 09:56, 7 November 2009

2009-11-07T09:56:25Z

Keith: 1 revision

2009-10-24T17:45:32Z

1 revision

Keith at 19:12, 26 March 2009

2009-03-26T19:12:37Z

New review

{{infoboxsort
|sort=Way Back Home
|title=The Way Back Home
|author=Oliver Jeffers
|reviewer=Magda Healey
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Captivating, distinctive artwork of the highest quality and a decent story make this picture book definitely worth a look, worth a read and, if it's your thing, worth buying too.
|rating=4.5
|buy=Maybe
|borrow=Yes
|format=Hardback
|pages=32
|publisher=Harper Collins Children's Books
|date=3 Sep 2007
|isbn=978-0007182282
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0007182287</amazonuk>
|amazonus=<amazonus>0399250743</amazonus>
}}
Oliver Jeffers has achieved pretty universal acclaim in the world of picture
books: critical acclaim, rewards and popularity with readers. ''The Way Back Home'' returns to his character called simply Boy, known from his [[How to Catch a Star]] and [[Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers|Lost and Found]]. This time Boy finds an aeroplane in the cupboard and decides to give it a ride. After running out of petrol, he finds himself stuck on the moon with an alien who had just crash landed there too. They make friends and together they find a way to help each other get out of the scrape.

The story is OK: nothing special in itself, but a nice, simple tale with a bit of moral and a great sweep of "everything is possible" so typical of children's imagination. But of course the story comes to life and reaches a completely different level thanks to the wonderful artwork that has became Jeffers' trademark.

It's delicate, mesmerising and sophisticated, cartoony and simple, almost minimalist, but also utterly magical; subtle and rich. It works perfectly with the story, and lifts it from a simple tale to a dreamlike quality that will captivate not only children but many an adult too.

I particularly liked all the double-spreads with sky, sea, space and
mountains: mostly large spaces filled with colour and the contrastingly small characters doing whatever they were doing according to a logic of a children's fantasy or a dream.

I am generally a word-oriented reader, and thus I would give this book 4 stars, those who buy their picture books more for pictures, it would be probably a 4.5 if not 5 star example. Definitely worth a look, worth a read and, if it's your thing, worth buying too, for all pre-schoolers aged 2.5 to about 4.

Thanks to HarperCollins for sending this to the BookBag.

If this book appeals to you then you might also enjoy [[Shine Moon Shine]] by [[:Category:David Conway|David Conway]].

{{amazontext|amazon=0007182287}}

{{commenthead}}

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{infoboxsort
+{{infobox2
 |sort=Way Back Home
 |title=The Way Back Home
@@ Line 13: / Line 13: @@
 |date=September 2007
 |isbn=978-0007182282
-|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0007182325</amazonuk>
+|aznuk=0007182325
-|amazonus=<amazonus>0399250743</amazonus>
+|aznus=0399250743
 }}
 Oliver Jeffers has achieved pretty universal acclaim in the world of picture

@@ Line 18: / Line 18: @@
 }}
 Oliver Jeffers has achieved pretty universal acclaim in the world of picture
-books: critical acclaim, rewards and popularity with readers. ''The Way Back Home'' returns to his character called simply Boy, known from his [[How to Catch a Star]] and [[Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers|Lost and Found]]. This time Boy finds an aeroplane in the cupboard and decides to give it a ride. After running out of petrol, he finds himself stuck on the moon with an alien who had just crash landed there too. They make friends and together they find a way to help each other get out of the scrape.
+books: critical acclaim, rewards and popularity with readers. ''The Way Back Home'' returns to his character called simply Boy, known from his ''How to Catch a Star'' and [[Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers|Lost and Found]]. This time Boy finds an aeroplane in the cupboard and decides to give it a ride. After running out of petrol, he finds himself stuck on the moon with an alien who had just crash landed there too. They make friends and together they find a way to help each other get out of the scrape.
 The story is OK: nothing special in itself, but a nice, simple tale with a bit of moral and a great sweep of "everything is possible" so typical of children's imagination. But of course the story comes to life and reaches a completely different level thanks to the wonderful artwork that has became Jeffers' trademark.

@@ Line 13: / Line 13: @@
 |date=September 2007
 |isbn=978-0007182282
-|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0007182287</amazonuk>
+|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0007182325</amazonuk>
 |amazonus=<amazonus>0399250743</amazonus>
 }}
@@ Line 32: / Line 32: @@
 If this book appeals to you then you might also enjoy [[Shine Moon Shine]] by [[:Category:David Conway|David Conway]].
-{{amazontext|amazon=0007182287}}
+{{amazontext|amazon=0007182325}}
 {{amazonUStext|amazon=0399250743}}
 {{commenthead}}

@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 |buy=Maybe
 |borrow=Yes
 |pages=32
 |publisher=Harper Collins Children's Books
@@ Line 34: / Line 33: @@
 {{amazontext|amazon=0007182287}}
 {{commenthead}}

← Older revision	Revision as of 17:45, 24 October 2009
(No difference)