Name: Hortense and the Shadow
ISBN: 9780241321355

Natalia O’Hara

"Through the dark and wolfish woods, through the white and silent snow, lived a small girl called Hortense. Though kind and brave, she was sad as an owl because of one thing . . . Hortense hated her shadow." A beautifully illustrated dark fairy tale that will remind you of the fables you read as a child. A treasure not to be missed.

Hortense and the Shadow

Natalia O'Hara

"A haunting, original fairy tale from two dazzling debut picture book talents, in the spirit of Neil Gaiman and Carson Ellis. Hortense is a kind and brave girl, but she is sad--even angry--that her shadow follows her everywhere she goes. She hates her shadow, and thinks her shadow must hate her too. But one cold, dark night, when bandits surprise her in the woods, Hortense discovers that her shadow is the very thing she needs most. This stunningly illustrated story stirs the soul with its compelling, subtle exploration of self-esteem, self-identity, and finding inner strength"--Provided by publisher.

Becky

3.5 stars

5 stars for the artwork!

I'm still not totally certain of how to review picture books and this is my first picture book I've read as an adult outside of some good old Dr Seuss (it's the rhymes, guys, who can resist a rhyme?

I think the art in this book was amazing. Like truly stunning, I just wanted to marvel at the pictures as I read it. The dedication to the drawings shone through and I know picture books use the pictures to aid the story and it totally made the story so much better and any child (any adult) would have wanted to look at them.

I found the story to be short and simple and strangely sweet. Hortense hated her shadow and seeing the lengths she went to to lose it was extreme. It was sweet, though, and totally the kind of book you can see reading to children. I'd really read it more for the pictures than the story, though.

Hortense and the Shadow

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