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The Emperor of Absurdia
 
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The Emperor of Absurdia (Hardcover)

by Chris Riddell (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
RRP: £10.99
Price: £7.69 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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The Emperor of Absurdia + The Great Dragon Rescue + The Magic Bed
Price For All Three: £17.87

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 32 pages
  • Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books; illustrated edition edition (31 Aug 2006)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1405050616
  • ISBN-13: 978-1405050616
  • Product Dimensions: 30.2 x 23.8 x 1 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 245,692 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #75 in  Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators > Q-R > Riddell, Chris

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Product Description

Product Description
Skyfish nibble umbrella trees, pointy birds steal scarves to line their pointy nests, and dinner is served before lunch. It's an absurd world, yet it all makes perfect sense as conceived by the unique imagination of Chris Riddell. Young children will be enchanted by this entertaining story of dragon hunts and hairy wardrobe monsters, and absorbed by the extraordinarily rich and detailed illustrations.

About the Author
Chris Riddell is an accomplished artist and political cartoonist for the Observer, who has enjoyed great acclaim for his books for children. His books have won a number of major prizes including the 2001 and 2004 Kate Greenaway Medals, and his previous work for Macmillan includes MUDDLE EARTH (0 330 42628 1) and the BLOBHEADS series, with Paul Stewart. Chris lives in Brighton with his family.

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Emperor of Absurdia
71% buy the item featured on this page:
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Customer Reviews

6 Reviews
5 star:
 (4)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful flight of fantasy, with a twist in the tale.., 3 Mar 2007
By struts (Stockholm, Sweden) - See all my reviews
I bought this book on the strength of its nomination for the 2006 Nestlé Children's Book Prize (it ended up winning a silver medal) and it did not disappoint. It has since become one of Alice's (3 years) all-time favourites.

It evokes a topsy-turvy fantasy world where Alice in Wonderland absurdity meets Dr. Zeuss-like strange-but-cuddly creatures. The whole thing springs to life through the beautifully detailed illustrations, the style of which will be familiar to Observer readers as Chris Riddell is the political cartoonist there. The text is both imaginative and well crafted for its target age-group, with a rhythm that Alice loves and just enough repetition to indulge her lust for anticipating the next line. "...into the arms of the wardrobe monster" is now a stock phrase in our house.

The ending has a nice little twist which will put a smile on the face of the adult storytellers, although it's a bit subtle for Alice just yet. I look forward to the day when she 'discovers' it, but in the meantime there is plenty here for her to enjoy.

Childrens' tastes are notoriously fickle (as well they should be) but she just keeps asking for this book and it is now one of the most requested ever bedtime reads.

Very warmly recommended.
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5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars What a gorgeous book!, 30 April 2007
By ELH Browning "Esther-Lou" (Kingston Bagpuize, Oxon) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)      
The illustrations in this book set it apart from the crowd - they are detailed and bright with a light, enchanted quality. The story is simple -the small and child-like Emperor of Absurdia tumbles out of bed into a wonderfully odd world with sky fish and umbrella trees, for example. There's a wardrobe master who helps him get dressed in an eclectic combination of clothes and then off he goes on a snuggly scarf hunt, all reminiscent of the ritual in small children's home where the child is dressed before the search for the favourite toy begins.
The emperor has a great time chasing a little dragon through the extremes of Absurdia into a deep dark cave - and then a giant dragon emerges. My children smile at 'Help! An emperor hunt!' as the Emperor does a quick about turn, fortunately reaching safety.
Back in bed the Emperor sinks into weird dreams... and the reader is brought back to reality, seeing a small boy in his bed room surrounded by toys etc that look exceptionally like the characters of Absurdia. The idea of using characters from a child's room to populate a wonderful other world is not original but this book is beautifully done from beginning to end with a fast adventure story, friendly monsters and lovely vocabulary, and a good twist at the end. A winner.
If you like the style of this then try `Something Else' by the same illustrator or Mick Inkpen's Blue Nose Island series.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The Emperor of Absurdia, 5 Dec 2008
This review is from: The Emperor of Absurdia (Paperback)
I love Chris Riddell's illustrations, they're just 'in your brain imagination', like reality in your brain'. For everyone who is an Emperor in their own world. Myself, my 38 yr old husband, my 5 yr old and 3 yr old love this book. It's an essential on the book shelf, worth any reasonable price.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, but too random
The illustrations in this are lovely; brightly coloured, clear and intricate. The storyline is familiar, but I recently enjoyed "A Boy Wants a Dinosaur" more, which has the same... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Dr. R. Spooner

2.0 out of 5 stars disappointing
Nicely illustrated, but not a patch on the Maurice Sendak trilogy 'Where the Wild Things Are', 'In the Night Kitchen', and 'Outisde, Over There' from which it appears to have... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Fish Cake

5.0 out of 5 stars beautiful
A beautiful book with magical drawings and a wondeful story
if you like this you will also love Horatio Happened
Published on 26 Sep 2006 by ros

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