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Godfather Death

Author Sally Nicholls

Illustrated by Júlia Sardà

Hardcover

$19.99 US

Penguin Young Readers | Viking Books for Young Readers

7.38"W x 9.75"H x 0.42"D (18.7 x 24.8 x 1.1 cm) | 12 oz (350 g) | 24 per carton

On sale Aug 13, 2024 | 48 Pages | 9780593692103

Age 4-8 years | Preschool - 3

Reading Level: Fountas & Pinnell U

Sales rights: US, Canada, Open Mkt

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Children's Books > Children's Picture Books

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A soul-stirring reimagined Grimm tale by award-winning author Sally Nicholls and hauntingly illustrated by Júlia Sardà that will spellbind and thrill readers of all ages.

When a poor fisherman chooses Death to be godfather to his son, he’s certain he’s made a good choice—for surely there’s no man more honest than Death? At the christening, Death gives the fisherman a gift that seems at first to be the key to the family’s fortune, but when greed overcomes the fisherman, he learns that nobody can truly cheat Death...

Raves for Godfather Death

★ “[A] prickly, haunting story...Throughout, gracefully stylized vignettes and elaborate borders in autumn hues by Sardà present a distinctive concoction of humor and anxiety. It echoes suspenseful, folkloric prose that grapples with truth and human frailty." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ “A lesser-known Brothers Grimm tale finds new life… Deft writing and entrancing art prove once more why the old stories are worth retelling.” —Kirkus, starred review

★ “[A] deliciously haunting story…Nicholls makes some fantastic alterations, and Sardà’s illustrations are masterful, adding further new details. Autumnal hues and highly detailed woodblock style vignettes and full-page spreads carry the story forward as much as the text. Sardà brilliantly evokes medieval illuminated manuscripts, nineteenth-century folklore, and a lush, immersive timelessness that echoes the inevitability of death… Readers will likely be both deeply moved by the fisherman’s original pure intentions and highly satisfied by his ultimate comeuppance.” —BCCB, starred review

"From the wonderfully measured text to the gorgeously retro images, this is a shivery treat." —Parade.com

SALLY NICHOLLS grew up in Stockton-on-Tees, and after school, travelled the world, working for a period at a Red Cross hospital in Japan. Sally's first novel, Ways to Live Forever, won the Waterstones Children's Book Prize and she has been shortlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize and the Costa Children's Book Award. She lives in Oxford. View titles by Sally Nicholls

Júlia Sardà View titles by Júlia Sardà

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