The Storyteller's Handbook

Neil Gaiman sets the stage for Hurst's imagination-sparking collection of illustrations with his introduction, which describes an old man single-mindedly drawing the fragments of earthly wisdom gleaned during his life--the implication being that those drawings comprise the book the reader holds.Fifty-two double-page, dream-touched scenes fill the book with a beguiling mix of whimsy, surreal elements, fantastical touches, and realistic details, all finely rendered in black pen with crosshatching and strategic splashes of watercolor.Each spread stands on its own, holding a hundred stories and possibilities in its wordless details.A pair of koalas float through the air in a large leaf; luminous jellyfish drift near a hot-air balloon in outer space; a giant tabby obstructs a city street as it naps.With every page turn, the reader can become the storyteller and invent a tale for each image or simply soak up the illustration's wondrous details.This gives the book larger-than-usual reach, from prereaders admiring the artwork to elementary students using the illustrations as writing prompts.Imagination-stoking sentiments are interspersed to encourage youngsters in their storytelling pursuits.