Once There Was

by Corinne Demas (Author) Gemma Capdevila (Illustrator)

Reading Level: K − 1st Grade

Corinne Demas's Once There Was is a simple, modern fable about dreaming of being something else, transformations, and the interconnectedness of all things, featuring whimsical full-color illustrations by Gemma Capdevila.

In this magical, modern fairy tale, a girl dreams she is a princess. A princess dreams she is a horse. A horse dreams she is a tree, a tree a mountain, a mountain a moon, a moon a sea, a sea a girl. This contemplative story plays on timely themes of aspiration and self-reflection but leaves room for interpretation, giving the book the potential to become a timeless classic.

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$17.99

Kirkus

A magical tale that comes full circle, urging readers to dream big.

Publishers Weekly

In this tale that highlights the world's natural beauty, a girl with light skin and flowing brown locks embarks on a flight of fancy, dreaming a series of interconnected scenarios in Demas's cumulative-style fairy tale. Each segment of the outing begins with the titular phrase and indicates a progression from the child into the natural world. A girl who resides in a seaside cottage dreams she's a princess "in a golden gown/ who lived in a castle/ in a misty forest." The princess then dreams of being a horse, the horse dreams of being a tree, the tree dreams of being a mountain, and eventually a sea dreams that she is a little girl, circling back to the protagonist. Capdevila's wispy landscapes nail the book's ethereal mood while capturing awe-inspiring wilderness details including whales, snow-capped mountains, and crisp evergreens. The graceful blend of text and image offers readers a mind-expanding escape. Ages 5-7. (May)

Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"Spare, descriptive text is accompanied by rich, strikingly detailed watercolorlike illustrations. A magical tale that comes full circle, urging readers to dream big."—Kirkus Reviews
Corinne Demas
Corinne Demas is the author of collections of short stories, novels, a memoir, poetry, plays, and numerous books for children, including The Perfect Tree, published by Cameron Kids. She lives with her family in western Massachusetts.
Gemma Capdevila is a fine artist and illustrator. Her magical work is inspired by the natural world, the ocean, and the forest. She lives in Barcelona.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781951836658
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Harry N. Abrams
Publication date
May 02, 2023
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV039050 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Emotions & Feelings
JUV051000 - Juvenile Fiction | Imagination & Play
JUV012030 - Juvenile Fiction | Fairy Tales & Folklore | General
Library of Congress categories
Picture books
Imagination
Magic
JUVENILE FICTION / Fairy Tales & Folklore / G
JUVENILE FICTION / Social Themes / Emotions &

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