From master storyteller Kate DiCamillo comes an original fairy tale, enchantingly illustrated, in which five puppets confront circumstances beyond their control with patience, cunning and high spirits.
Once, there was a king. And a wolf. And a girl with a shepherd’s crook. And a boy with a bow and arrow. And also, there was an owl… They were puppets, and they were waiting for a story to begin.
In this new work of short fiction by twice winner of the Newbery Medal Kate DiCamillo, exquisitely illustrated in black and white by Governor General Literary Award Finalist Julie Morstad, five puppets who find themselves together in an abandoned trunk are carried off into the adventure of a lifetime.
Even if you don’t recognise DiCamillo by name, you almost certainly know her work: she’s the brilliant mind behind some of the world’s most-loved children’s tales, including The Tale of Despereaux and Because of Winn-Dixie. You can always count on DiCamillo to strike the perfect balance between exciting, character-driven plots, and explorations into profoundly moving themes.
The Puppets of Spelhorst is a small book with a huge heart. It traces the remarkable journey of a troupe of puppets, each on their own path to realising their unique dreams and aspirations, and yet inextricably linked to one another by the power of story.
Through the eyes of this diverse group of unforgettable characters, we embark on a moving, life-altering adventure. This is a story that demonstrates the power we each have to shape our own experiences into stories within stories, with our choices forming the mutable narratives of our lives. Somehow, DiCamillo manages to take a deep exploration of the balance between destiny and agency, and make it perfectly engaging and accessible for kids.
Julie Morstad’s illustrations add to the deep, allegorical atmosphere of this work. Timeless and expressive, they would not look out of place in an early edition of a Grimm’s fairytale collection, inviting readers to further immerse themselves into the world of imagination that DiCamillo has created.
We recently asked some children and their caregivers to review The Puppets of Spelhorst as part of our early reader Preview campaign. One caregiver described how their child immediately started organising their own puppetry performance after reading it – this is clearly the kind of book that sparks a creative fire in young readers.
The Puppets of Spelhorst is a special book that will ignite the imagination of its readers. It’s a heartbreaking and heartwarming story for adults and children alike – one that will make a beautiful shared reading experience, and enthrall independent readers ages 7+.
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