Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You: Movie Tie-in Edition (The Spiderwick Chronicles) [Hardcover]

Tony DiTerlizzi (Author, Illustrator), Holly Black (Author)

Book Description

Release date: January 1, 2008 | Age Range: 9 and up | Series: The Spiderwick Chronicles

It all began with a strange, mysterious correspondence left for authors Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black at a small New England bookstore. Written by three siblings, the letter told of their great-great-uncle Arthur Spiderwick and an unfinished tome filled with eyewitness accounts of creatures otherwise thought to be the stuff of legend. In the #1 New York Times bestselling serial the Spiderwick Chronicles, readers were enthralled by the account of the those siblings, Jared, Simon, and Mallory Grace, as they battled dwarves, goblins, elves, and a diabolical ogre in their efforts to hold on to their uncle Spiderwick,s life work. Now, through the combined efforts of the Grace children and authors Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black, Simon & Schuster is thrilled to present that work to you!

Beginning with a thoughtful and informative introduction, progressing through six exhaustive sections featuring thirty-one faerie species, and culminating with an addendum that includes observations supplied by Jared Grace, this long-awaited compendium to the worldwide Spiderwick phenomenon delivers enough information to satisfy even the most demanding faerie enthusiast. Not only will readers learn the habits and habitats of the fourteen fantastical creatures featured in the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestselling chapter books, but they will be delighted and astonished by an additional seventeen creatures. Also included are dozens of snippets from Arthur Spiderwick,s personal journal as well as cameos from a few series favorites.

With so much to offer, this book is destined to be pored over for generations to come!

www.spiderwick.com

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Spiderwick fans will adore this gorgeous guidebook to the fantastical creatures featured in Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi's spectacular series. The superdeluxe, lavishly illustrated "field guide" features 142 information-packed pages, 41 full-color plates, 6 spectacular gatefolds, 6 watercolor landscapes, scores of black-and-white and color sketches, and enough information to satisfy even the most demanding faerie enthusiast. Not only will readers learn all about the 14 fantastical creatures featured in the series, but they'll be delighted and astonished by an additional 15 creatures featured in this elaborate volume--including mermaids, gargoyles, and more. And if that weren't enough, we've included dozens of snippets from Arthur Spiderwick's personal journal--information that links the Guide specifically to the Spiderwick Chronicles--as well as cameos from a few of the series' favorite characters.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6–This field guide purports to be a copy of Arthur Spiderwicks sketches and investigations into the beings and beasties of the Invisible World–the brownies, boggarts, kelpies, and other creatures that populate the stories. The beautiful illustrations in gouache and pencil, seemingly modeled after Audubons work in Birds of America, are printed as if they were real century-old artworks that have left their shadowy imprints on the opposite pages. The descriptions are bits of Spiderwicks hard-learned lore, many apparently in his own handwriting, that make the art all the richer. Fantasy readers will love immersing themselves in the lore of the hidden–those things that only they, and people who are like them, can see. Field Guide will be pored over by anyone, of any age, who believes in sprites, phookas, and nixies.–Walter Minkel, New York Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 122 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers; Film tie-in edition edition (January 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416960953
• ISBN-13: 978-1416960959
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 0.7 x 11.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (95 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #25,200 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful! October 17, 2005

By Dawn Maurice

Format:Hardcover

The artwork in this book is absolutely incredible! Every page is a delight for the eyes and no doubt will be treasured by lucky children everywhere for years to come! Gorgeous work-you couldn't possibly be disappointed in this book!!

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome pictures June 4, 2007

By M. Bennett VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

I love this book! I can look through it over and over again and never get tired of the beautiful illustrations. This illustrated book ties into the Spiderwick Chronicles books. It is the actual field guide that they talk about in this series that all of the fantasy creatures are trying to get ahold of. It is not supposed to be in human hands. No telling what the humans would do if they knew their secrets!

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A remarkable guide that is both beautiful to look at and full of valuable information November 17, 2005

By KidsReads

Format:Hardcover

Do you hear something knocking on the walls of your house at night? Do you keep losing bobby pins, pencils, or spools of thread? Have you woken up to find that all the laces of your shoes are tied together and that your dog has a large bald spot on its head? If you answered "yes" to any or all of these questions, then there can be no doubt that you have a member of the faerie world living in your home. Is it a boggart, a brownie, or a knocker? What do these mysterious creatures look like?

Within the pages of this remarkable guide you will find the answers to these and many other questions. Without a doubt this is one of the most comprehensive and fascinating books of its kind. Co-authors Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi have taken pages from Arthur Spiderwick's famous Guide and used them to create a book that is beautiful to look at and full of valuable and useful information. Where else will you learn how to stay on the right side of a brownie, and how else will you know that the gargoyles you see on buildings may in fact be alive?

Packed with luscious color illustrations and numerous pencil sketches, this book is a must for fans of The Spiderwick Chronicles. Readers of all ages will get lost in the pages (some of which fold out to reveal beautiful illustrations) and in no time will be convinced that they indeed are looking at the life's work of Arthur Spiderwick, which thankfully has been reproduced here by the talented duo of Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi.

--- Reviewed by Marya Jansen-Gruber, editor of Through The Looking Glass Children's Book Review (http://www.lookingglassreview.com)
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