Customer Reviews

Mystery Bottle (Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Award)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I would recommend this book for grades K to 2. All children would like to receive a package with a mysterious bottle that would transport them over oceans and mountains to some place far away. This could have a strong appeal for those children that have family members not close by.

I'm half Persian and my daughter is really close to her Baba Bozorg. I have wanted to find a way for her to understand some of his history since it fades with each generation. The closest thing I had found was Grandfather's Journey by Allan Say, which is absolutely fantastic, but about a Japanese family.

Mystery Bottle is a sweet story of love between a child and his/her grandparent. It is beautifully illustrated, includes a little Farsi (although I wish it had more) and some very Iranian items (dolmas, musical instruments, rugs, etc) that are good launching points for talking about what Baba Bozorg's life was like in Iran, etc.

Highly recommended. My daughter wants to read this book all the time.

Mystery Bottle is a delight...bright, colorful, and intricately
detailed, Balouch's whimsical collages bring to mind the
playful skill of Maira Kalman and Simms Taback. The story
is just as good, and will certainly hook the young reader
who loves a bit of mystery with his or her pictures.
(Parents and grandparents will also appreciate the quiet
lessons to be learned about family and love.) Magical!

This is a wonderful book for kids of all ages. It is rich both visually and conceptually. The story has layers of meaning that will appeal to everyone. A boy receives a brown paper parcel with a mysterious bottle in it, and is magically transported to a far-away land, and reunited with his grandfather, whom he has rarely seen. Young children will delight in the magic of the journey, while older children may begin to understand the deeper concept of struggling to maintain family relationships across geographic and political boundries.

As for the illustrations, they are just stunning. The style is playful but not simple; the color sense is subtle and unique. Millions of tiny details are layered over maplike tableaux. making it fun for children to pore over the pictures and discover all of the interesting little details.

It's nice to see a new children's picture book and story that doesn't rehash the same old stuff. Well done!