The circles in the sky

Title:

Author:

Mountford, Karl James, author, illustrator.

Summary:

"One morning, Fox is drawn toward the forest. There, in a clearing, he sees something small and silent, perhaps forgotten. It's a bird, lying as still as can be. Fox is confused, upset, and angry. Is the bird broken? Why doesn't it move or sing, no matter what Fox does? His curious antics are spied by a little moth, who shares a comforting thought about the circles in the sky -- that the sun, even after it sets, is reflected by the moon and the stars, reminding us of its light." -- Provided by publisher.

Edition:

First US edition.

Physical Description:

1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 29 cm

Genre:

Picture books.

Subject Term:

Forest animals -- Juvenile fiction.

Death -- Juvenile fiction.

Memory -- Juvenile fiction.

Geographic Term:

Sun -- Juvenile fiction.

Publisher:

Candlewick Studio, an imprint of Candlewick Press,

Publication Date:

2022

ISBN:

9781536224986

Publication Information:

Somerville, Massachusets : Candlewick Studio, an imprint of Candlewick Press, 2022.

Call Number:

P MOUNTFORD

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003656686	New Picture Books	MOUNTFORD	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

With luminous illustrations, this original folktale about the discovery of a lifeless bird offers a sympathetic exploration of grief, loss, and hope.

One morning, Fox is drawn toward the forest. There, in a clearing, he sees something small and silent, perhaps forgotten. It's a bird, lying as still as can be. Fox is confused, upset, and angry. Is the bird broken? Why doesn't it move or sing, no matter what Fox does? His curious antics are spied by a little moth, who shares a comforting thought about the circles in the sky--that the sun, even after it sets, is reflected by the moon and the stars, reminding us of its light. In an author-illustrator debut, Karl James Mountford pairs a text at once lyrical and humorous, meditative and down-to-earth with glorious, multilayered artwork that will take your breath away. Told with sensitivity and an enchanting visual style, this story of the ineffable nature of death and life has the feel of a universal folktale for modern times.

Author Notes

Karl James Mountford is an illustrator who works in both traditional and digital media. He illustrated the picture books Maurice the Unbeastly by Amy Dixon and The Curious Case of the Missing Mammoth by Ellie Hattie as well as book covers and chapter illustrations for adult titles. He lives and works in Wales, where his sketchbooks rarely get a day off.

Reviews (1)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Drawn out of his den by strange birdsong, Fox finds a group of crows gathered around a lone bird lying on the ground. In crisp digital spreads, Mountford (The Moonlight Zoo) renders the black bird's claws drawn up awkwardly, its eyes staring at nothing. Not yet understanding death, Fox doesn't know what's wrong; he lacks precise vocabulary for the sun and the moon, too, calling them simply "circles in the sky." A moth who knows more about the natural world's cycles tries to explain death using the nightly disappearance of the sun as a metaphor. "Are you saying Bird will be back tomorrow?!" Fox asks, with hope. Moth backpedals. "JUST TELL ME THE TRUTH," Fox shouts, in a moment of raw emotionality. "Bird is dead," Moth admits. Suddenly, things become clear: "Fox didn't know that word well, but he felt it." In a deeply affecting sequence, the two mourn together. Stylized visual elements--geometric borders that work as hills, circles for heavenly bodies, and seemingly buried skeletons whose faint presence appears alongside the living creatures' own--offer layers of reality echoed by intuitively pitched lines that capture youth's first encounter with death's finality, and with the experience of saying goodbye. Ages 3--7. (Sept.)