{"product_id":"the-rock-from-the-sky-isbn-9781536215625","title":"The Rock from the Sky","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe instant #1 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestseller!\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eLook up! From the Caldecott Medal–winning creator of the hat trilogy\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003ecomes a new deadpan gem.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere is a spot.  \u003cbr\u003eIt is a good spot.\u003cbr\u003eIt is the perfect spot to stand.\u003cbr\u003eThere is no reason to ever leave.\u003cbr\u003eBut somewhere above there is also a rock.\u003cbr\u003eA rock from the sky.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHere comes \u003ci\u003eThe Rock from the Sky\u003c\/i\u003e, a hilarious meditation on the workings of friendship, fate, shared futuristic visions, and that funny feeling you get that there’s something off somewhere, but you just can’t put your finger on it. Merging broad visual suspense with wry wit, celebrated picture book creator Jon Klassen gives us a wholly original comedy for the ages.My son and I have probably \u003cb\u003eread this over a hundred times\u003c\/b\u003e, and I don’t know who’s laughed more, me or him.\u003cbr\u003e– Matt de la Peña, award-winning author of \u003ci\u003eLast Stop on Market Street\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith its muted, desolate landscapes, 'The Rock From the Sky' is\u003cb\u003e hilariously dark\u003c\/b\u003e, especially about social relations. . . . Though this delicately deadpan book evokes children’s tales of love and companionship, \u003cb\u003eits message isn’t remotely warm or fuzzy. That’s beautiful\u003c\/b\u003e. If Samuel Beckett had written a kids’ book, this might be it.\u003cbr\u003e—The New York Times Book Review\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA savant of deadpan storytelling, Klassen offers a long-form picture book that is \u003cb\u003ehigh in suspense and humor\u003c\/b\u003e. Using the wonderful technique of color-­coding the sparse and cheeky dialogue so readers know instinctively who is speaking, this book feels every bit as theatrical as the Hat trilogy. Klassen’s recognizable art style, featuring muted hues and speckled watercolors, utilizes sparse landscapes and open skies to keep the reader’s full attention on the story’s quirky characters, while carefully placed, wordless spreads heighten both tension and humor or bring resolution. His ability to create so much dark humor with so few words and to \u003cb\u003einfuse his critters with such a depth of personality\u003c\/b\u003e is part of why Klassen’s work is so beloved, as this new addition promises to be.\u003cbr\u003e—Booklist Online (starred review)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn this collection of five connected short stories, clocking in at over ninety pages and composed solely of dialogue, Klassen introduces readers to a turtle, an armadillo, and a snake—all in hats, of course. . .Throughout, Klassen’s characteristically deadpan humor refuses to patronize readers; he lets them in on the joke, as always, putting them one step ahead of the protagonists. \u003cb\u003eSmart, funny, and offbeat\u003c\/b\u003e, this is quintessential Klassen.\u003cbr\u003e—The Horn Book (starred review)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe most gratifying feature of this new offering by Caldecott Medalist Klassen is that there’s so much of it—96 pages of dark, Beckett-caliber comedy. . .In this \u003cb\u003epleasurable \u003c\/b\u003evolume that’s just right for uncertain times, Klassen proves himself a top-notch student of the way that conscious beings seek to take charge of their own realities—efforts that nearly always fail and, in this world, are sometimes punctuated by falling rocks.\u003cbr\u003e—Publishers Weekly (starred review)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIf Samuel Beckett had written an early reader, it might look something like this one. . . Klassen’s animals react to their seemingly absurd—but never tragic—universe with characteristically subtle, humorous postures and eye maneuvers. The \u003cb\u003eweirdness \u003c\/b\u003eof it all exerts its own attractive force, drawing readers back to it to wonder and ponder. . .\u003ci\u003eWaiting for Godot\u003c\/i\u003e imagined for the playground population’s sensibilities.\u003cbr\u003e—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKlassen at his droll best, in five short chapters that are \u003cb\u003eoutstanding examples of pacing, less-is-more illustration, and comedic timing\u003c\/b\u003e. . . Wacky, witty fun, this could be used to introduce a unit on humor, all done in classic Klassen digital and watercolor tones and shapes. . . Laugh-out-loud funny; children will be predicting, warning, and laughing their way through any reading and multiple rereadings of this tour de force from a master of the picture book form.\u003cbr\u003e—School Library Journal (starred review)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe art is fascinatingly cinematic in a flip-book kind of way, using the static nature of the simple scenes and repeated compositions to set off the drama of small gestures, changes of position, and eye shifts; of course, this being Klassen, all three animals sport natty headgear, ranging from bijou bowlers to a lovely little beret for the snake. The \u003cb\u003esly humor and touch of sci-fi\u003c\/b\u003e will make this a winner for reluctant later-stage readers as well as beginning readers developing their stamina, and it’ll be a great conspiratorial co-read with adults or sibs.\u003cbr\u003e—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMr. Klassen’s \u003cb\u003edeadpan humor\u003c\/b\u003e—in picture books such as ‘I Want My Hat Back’ (2011) and ‘We Found a Hat’ (2016)—has an existential bleakness that elementary-school-age kids for some reason find incredibly funny. For this audience, Mr. Klassen has outdone himself with ‘The Rock from the Sky’. . . Mr. Klassen’s storytelling seems simple, but it’s not: There’s all kinds of metaphysical mischief happening here. So much so that, after reading ‘The Rock from the Sky,’ even adults may be tempted to start looking around them in that shifty, Jon Klassen-ian way.\u003cbr\u003e—The Wall Street Journal\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe writer and illustrator Jon Klassen has become something of a star following the trilogy that started with I Want My Hat Back, his spare, dry style offering a darkly different take on life for young readers while inspiring internet memes and even tattoos for the oldies. All will surely love his latest, The Rock from the Sky (Walker), a picture book in five vignettes with a \u003cb\u003edistinct, absurdist flavour \u003c\/b\u003eand Klassen’s trademark muted palette.\u003cbr\u003e—The Guardian\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFedoras, berets and unblinking eyes reveal more emotion, action and character than you might think possible. In these 96 pages Klassen writes about hubris, despair, existential angst, envy, inflexibility and friendship. But it's funny! \u003cb\u003eChildren will adore these stories. And adults, I suspect, will adore them, too\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e—The Star Tribune\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUsing his signature \u003cb\u003edeadpan humor and charming illustrations\u003c\/b\u003e, the Caldecott-winning creator of the \u003ci\u003eHat Trilogy\u003c\/i\u003e brings us a new story. Friendship, fate, and premonition collide in this hilarious and suspenseful picture book.\u003cbr\u003e—Brightly\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eOne of the most singular works of literature I’ve ever encountered\u003c\/b\u003e. . . . The rhythms of the book are that of Beckett’s masterpiece Endgame, re-jigged for kids but not dumbed-down.\u003cbr\u003e—Gawker\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKlassen’s new book, The Rock from the Sky, turns this eternal struggle — toward, and away from, other people — into an epic that I’m not ashamed, as an adult, to have studied for possible tips.\u003cbr\u003e—The Los Angeles Review of Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA perennial favorite of the children’s book set, Jon Klassen is both author and illustrator. His books, like \u003ci\u003eThis Is Not My Hat\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eWe Found A Hat\u003c\/i\u003e, blend humor and nihilism in a way that delights both kids and adults. \u003ci\u003eThe Rock From The Sky\u003c\/i\u003e is no different. A story of how sometimes the perfect spot to stand isn’t that perfect at all—and how you never really know what will happen—\u003ci\u003eThe Rock From The Sky\u003c\/i\u003e is a \u003cb\u003ewry and suspenseful \u003c\/b\u003ebook that will charm even the most cynical readers.\u003cbr\u003e—The A.V. Club\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Rock from the Sky refuses to be anything other than what it is – an utterly gripping mix of surreal intensity and edge-of-your-seat mundanity. Almost nothing happens yet everything happens. And it’s funny! The result is one of the most \u003cb\u003eunforgettable \u003c\/b\u003ereading experiences of the year.\u003cbr\u003e—100 Scope Notes\u003cb\u003eJon Klassen \u003c\/b\u003eis the author-illustrator of \u003ci\u003eI Want My Hat Back\u003c\/i\u003e,\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003ean E. B. White Read-Aloud Award winner and\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003ea Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Book; \u003ci\u003eThis Is Not My Hat\u003c\/i\u003e,\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003ewinner of the Caldecott Medal and the Kate Greenaway Medal; and \u003ci\u003eWe Found a Hat\u003c\/i\u003e. He is also the illustrator of two Caldecott Honor Books, \u003ci\u003eSam and Dave Dig a Hole \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eExtra Yarn\u003c\/i\u003e,\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eboth written by Mac Barnett. Jon Klassen lives in Los Angeles.","brand":"Candlewick","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46300666167525,"sku":"NP9781536215625","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781536215625.jpg?v=1767741275","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-rock-from-the-sky-isbn-9781536215625","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}