Friday, May 31, 2013

Summer Fantasy Reading: Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide


Summer is here, and one of my favorite hot weather pastimes is to relax in the hammock with a cold drink and a knitting project, or some easy fantasy fiction. A book that is particularly suiting these beginning hot days of the season is a lovely coffee table book, Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide.

The pen & ink and watercolor images are beautiful works of art. Viewing the delightful creatures is like taking  my imagination to a carnival, with each new visual ride topping the next. I tip my hat to the vivid imagination of Holly Black and illustrative talents of Tony DeTerlizzi. I haven't read the Spiderwick Chronicles, but the series is certainly on my list to learn what these amazing critters might do beyond my imagination!

This visual delight is arranged scrapbook style with handwritten annotations from Arthur Spiderwick around the sketches. It's great fun to find that some of those illustrations fold out from top or side. Courtesy of barnesandnoble.com, here are two samples to tempt you.


Description of the book:
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.
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Marsha A. Moore is a writer of fantasy romance. The magic of art and nature spark life into her writing. Read her ENCHANTED BOOKSTORE LEGENDS for adventurous epic fantasy romance: Book One, SEEKING A SCRIBE, Book Two, HERITAGE AVENGED, Book Three, LOST VOLUMES, and Book Four, STAUROLITE.. For a FREE ebook download, read her historic fantasy, LE CIRQUE DE MAGIE, available at Amazon and Smashwords.

2 comments:

Rosi said...

This book looks positively delicious. Thanks for the review.

Marsha A. Moore said...

You're very welcome, Rosi! It is truly delicious.

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