Pandora

Title:

Pandora

Author:

Turnbull, Victoria, author, illustrator.

Summary:

"Pandora the fox lives alone in a junk yard. She's depressed and has no contact with the outside world. Then, she rescues a blue bird. As she nurses him back to health, the bird collects seeds and trinkets for her. One day, the bird grows strong enough to fly away, but the garden seeds he brought begin to transform Pandora's landscape"-- Provided by publisher.

Audience:

Preschool

500 Lexile

General Note:

Originally published in the United Kingdom by Frances Lincoln Children's Books in 2016.

Physical Description:

1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 29 cm

Genre:

Picture books.

Subject Term:

Foxes -- Juvenile fiction.

Birds -- Juvenile fiction.

Loneliness -- Juvenile fiction.

Publisher:

Clarion Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt,

Publication Date:

2017

ISBN:

9780544947337

Publication Information:

Boston ; New York : Clarion Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, [2017]

Call Number:

P TURNBUL

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003259200	Picture Books	TURNBUL	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Pandora lives alone, in a world of broken things. She makes herself a handsome home, but no one ever comes to visit. Then one day something falls from the sky

. . . a bird with a broken wing.

Little by little, Pandora helps the bird grow stronger. Little by little, the bird helps Pandora feel less lonely. The bird begins to fly again, and always comes back--bringing seeds and flowers and other small gifts. But then one day, it flies away and doesn't return. Pandora is heartbroken.

Until things begin to grow . . .

Here is a stunningly illustrated celebration of connection and renewal.

Author Notes

Victoria Turnbull is an emerging star in the U.K. picture book world, winner of the British Association of Illustrators New Talent Award and a Kate Greenaway Medal nominee. She lives in East London, England. www.victurnbull.com

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

PreS-Gr 1-Pandora, an anthropomorphic fox, finds slivers of beauty in a wasteland of discarded objects. From piles of detritus, she ferrets out treasures-a teddy bear, a van Gogh painting-repairs broken objects, and fills her house, a rickety cottage on stilts, with them. Her solitary existence is interrupted when an injured bird drops from the sky. Pandora nurses the bird, and as he becomes stronger, he flies off on brief trips, coming back with presents of flowers, leaves, and twigs. When the bird fails to return one day, a bereft Pandora is alone again-but everything is about to change. Through inspired composition and a varying palette (the brightness of the fox's cozy home contrasts with the beige of the eerie landscape), this simple tale captures the joy of friendship and the anguish of loneliness. The rich, soft watercolor and colored pencil artwork tempers the harsh setting and has a classic storybook feel. The elegant, spare prose allows the visuals to take center stage and will leave readers asking questions about the origins of this strange, seemingly postapocalyptic world. Though she may have inherited a dreary world, Pandora's attempts to revitalize it will inspire readers who may be discouraged with humankind's negative effect on the planet. VERDICT Bound to generate discussion among adults and children alike, this quietly stirring offering can be read on multiple levels: as a love letter to friendship, a warning against careless treatment of the environment, or as a testament to the power of hope. Best shared one-on-one.-Mahnaz Dar, School Library Journal © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publisher's Weekly Review

In a landscape of rolling hills cloaked in a gentle haze, Pandora lives off civilization's debris. She's a lonely fox who has built herself a house atop a mound of old furniture, discarded toys, and other castoffs, all drawn in mesmerizing detail. Like the solitary hero of Marianne Dubuc's The Lion and the Bird, she's taken by surprise when a delicate bird falls out of the sky and into her care. A spread shows her fast asleep on the floor next to the bird's makeshift nest in a cardboard box, her brushy tail curled protectively over it. Pandora nurses the bird back to health-it brings her twigs and flowers, "gifts from faraway lands"-but one day it doesn't return, and she's bereft. While she sleeps, something miraculous happens. Sprouting into life, the bird's nest grows into an otherworldly garden, covering her room and her house with flowers and foliage-a reflection, perhaps, of the love that has grown in her heart. The bird's return is another miracle. As an artist, Turnbull (The Sea Tiger) has two crucial gifts: the power of imagination and the ability to make emotions visible. Ages 4-7. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.