Back of Book:
As a child, Clive Staples Lewis imagined many things . . .
heroic animals
and knights in armor
and a faraway land called Boxen.
He even thought of a new name for himself—at four years old, he decided he was more of a Jack.
As he grew up, though, Jack found that the real world was not as just as the one in his imagination. No magic could heal the sick or stop a war, and a bully’s words could pierce as sharply as a sword. So Jack withdrew into books and eventually became a well-known author for adults.
But he never forgot the epic tales of his boyhood, and one day a young girl’s question about an old family wardrobe inspired him to write a children’s story about a world hidden beyond its fur coats . . . a world of fauns and queens and a lion named Aslan.
A world of battles between good and evil, where people learned courage and love and forgiveness.
A magical realm called Narnia.
And the books he would write about this kingdom would change his life and that of children the world over.
My Review:
I received a copy of this picture book from author Lina Maslo in exchange for an honest review.
I have fond memories of my grandma reading The Chronicles of Narnia books to me as a girl. I fell in love with the magical land and the characters and the morals in the stories. Lina Maslo created a beautiful nonfiction narrative about the life and writing of C.S. Lewis. The text follows Jack from his childhood to his later life as a beloved author. Readers have swept away into how Jack took the trials he faced when he was young and weaved them into his stories creating something that children and adults could relate to. Even though his stories faced criticism, Jack continued to write from his heart. The illustrations capture the historical period beautifully readers are drawn into the magic that Lewis wrote. The back of the book shares more information about C.S. Lewis, his writing, and the legacy he left behind. This a stunning biography and one that should be in all classroom and home libraries.
Ages 6 and up
48 Pages
picturebooks4learning 