Sophia, the Alchemist's Dog [Hardcover]

Shelley Jackson (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2002

The king's alchemist has only two weeks -- and then his royal master is coming to the laboratory, expecting to see that the poor man has turned lead into gold. The king loves gold.

Sophia, the alchemist's dog, loves her master, the man who, day and night, despondently ponders and dreams and draws and doodles panicky thoughts about gold on piles and piles of paper.

He is tormenting himself for he can learn nothing, from anywhere, about the magic expected of him. And he is neglecting his friend Sophia who misses her fine walks and misses the man's loving company.

So it is that Sophia, for reasons any dog will understand, sets up a laboratory of her own under the table while her master woofs and paws the pillow nearby in his unhappy sleep. What Sophia discovers about alchemy is unforeseen, a miracle that amazes us to this very day.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Sophia's artistic master is good at some things he draws intriguing interpretations of his dreams, for instance, and he can "stir two bad smells together and make a third completely different smell" but as the king's alchemist, he's a flop. And with the king's visit pending, the poor fellow has been neglecting his pet as he tries desperately to find the formula to turn lead into gold. Sophia, who is as smart as she is loyal, eventually takes matters into her own paws and sets up a laboratory of her own under the table. Her efforts are successful, but the real surprise in this tale is what the king spots as treasure; suffice it to say that the alchemist's job is changed to "painter to the king." Jackson's (The Old Woman and the Wave) tale is somewhat scattered. For example, subplots featuring an imp and an angel may be inspired by late-medieval work but feel tangential. On the other hand, the writing is descriptive ("a finger-joint of candle"). The busy spreads incorporate acrylic paintings, rendered in a palette of terra-cottas and ochers spiked with blues and greens, sepia-like vignettes, and atmospheric, detailed sketches "by" the alchemist. As in the text, there's often too much to take in. Ages 5-8. (Sept.)
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 1-3. In this splendidly spun fairy tale, the king's alchemist is in big trouble, and his doting dachshund Sophia is worried. Although her talented master is capable of producing many interesting things in his workshop--bad smells, for example--he simply cannot make gold from lead. When the king decides to pay the alchemist a visit, both dog and man panic. Feverish dreams haunt the would-be alchemist, who each morning sketches and paints his tormented visions and tries to analyze the "handwriting of the universe" in search of recipes for gold. Alas, he does not discover the precious formula in time for the royal visitation. But the king is delighted with the alchemist's visionary artwork, and he dubs the artist "painter of the king." Sophia does not have to reveal the gold she has made as a backup. Jackson's artwork shines in this eye-catching picture book that features a delightfully original blend of expressive acrylic paintings, pen-and-ink drawings, and Leonardo da Vinci-style sketches and scribbles. Text and art: lively and lovely. Karin Snelson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum/Richard Jackson Books; 1 edition (September 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689842791
• ISBN-13: 978-0689842795
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 9.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,339,456 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Shelley Jackson has written and illustrated several books for children, including The Old Woman and the Wave (DK Children, 1998) and Sophia, the Alchemist's Dog (Atheneum/Richard Jackson Books, 2002). Her most recent book, The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County by Janice Harrington (FSG, 2007), received several awards and starred reviews. Shelley's books for adults include The Melancholy of Anatomy (Anchor Books, 2002) and Half Life (HarperCollins, 2006). She is well known for her pioneering cross-genre experiments such as her groundbreaking hypertext novel, Patchwork Girl, and her ongoing Skin Project, a novella published exclusively in the form of tattoos on the skin of volunteers, one word at a time. She lives in Brooklyn, New York. To learn more, please visit her website: http://ineradicablestain.com/

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars required reading, June 27, 2007

By 

Christopher Locke (Boulder, CO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sophia, the Alchemist's Dog (Hardcover)

This delightful book is required reading for all training analysts at The C.G. Jung Institute at Zürich and Küsnacht. Don't be deceived into thinking this is a simple "children's book" -- it subtly encodes the Gnostic Gospel of Magdalene, cleverly interwoven with the 13 dreams reported by Wolfgang Pauli that led Jung to his theory of synchronicity. Highly recommended, especially for intuitive ectomorphs in advanced postdoctoral programs.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Historical fiction, May 3, 2004

By 

Erika Mitchell (E. Calais, VT USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sophia, the Alchemist's Dog (Hardcover)

Sophia the dog belongs to the king's alchemist. The alchemist has the task of changing lead into gold. He gets so focused on the task that he begins to neglect Sophia. She is so worried about him that she takes things into her own paws. Fortunately for the alchemist, the king turns out to be a very reasonable man. The book is informative and not at all scary. The story is rather long, however, with about 1300 words, so it may be more interesting for older kids.

5.0 out of 5 stars Satisfied Customer, August 23, 2010

By 

Karen L. Knopf - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sophia, the Alchemist's Dog (Hardcover)

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