The Book of Gold

K-Gr 2—Try as they might, Isaac Gutenberg's parents could not interest him in anything, particularly not books or the New York Public Library, not even the iconic lions. It is an antiques shopkeeper who transforms his boredom by recounting the legend of "The Book of Gold": "Somewhere in the world there is one very special book that's just waiting to be discovered…and when it is opened, it turns to solid gold. This is all the motivation Isaac needs to begin the quest that would take him to his twilight years, leading to many opened books, questions, answers, travel, and, ultimately, a full circle as he passes the legend on to another bored child in the library. Staake's round-headed, diverse caricatures start their sepia-hued story in 1930s Brooklyn. Digitally composed panels and compositions of varying sizes eventually blossom into full color as books enrich Isaac's world; they turn golden at the conclusion. White text on black backgrounds provides unity throughout. As with William Joyce's The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, it is the caliber of the artistry that elevates what could have been just another book about books (a crowded shelf), because, of course, it is the delightful dance of words and images in a riveting narrative that creates young bibliophiles, not attempts to persuade.