The King and the Sea - Hardcover

Heinz Janisch is an Austrian children's book writer who has been published in over a dozen languages. He has received the Austrian State Prize, the Austrian Children's Literature Prize, and the Bologna Ragazzi Award.

Wolf Erlbruch is a celebrated and inimitable German author and illustrator. He has received many awards, including the 2006 Hans Christian Andersen Medal for Illustration and the 2017 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award.

"What does it mean to have power, to be a king? Not much, finds a small, stout fellow in a robe and crown. Janisch (Why Is the Snow White?) imagines the king in a series of encounters with the sea, the rain, a dog, a trumpet, and many more in 21 fragmentary stories. Erlbruch (Duck, Death, and the Tulip) draws the king with soft, crayoned lines; his stumpy profile recalls Crockett Johnson's cigar-chomping fairy, Barnaby. The king finds the natural world unimpressed with him. 'Buzz off,' he tells a bee. 'Don't you know I'm the king?' 'And I'm the queen,' the bee retorts, stinging him on the nose. The king isn't a bully, though; he's often open to negotiation, open-mindedness, and contemplation. He sees, as the stories draw to a close, that his place in the world has little to do with his crown, and he learns a bit about the essential nature of each of his counterparts as well. With something of the philosophical bent of The Little Prince, this is a treasure box of curious ideas for a thoughtful child."―starred, Publishers Weekly

"In 21 very short stories told on as many spreads, a little king wearing a gold crown examines what it means to be a king, interacting with one subject in each simply titled story. In 'The King and the Cloud,' he urges the cloud to linger over his kingdom with its green hills and loamy soil, but the cloud moves on. He does handstands and headstands to impress a squirrel, and he loses his temper when a disobedient dog will not sit, lie, or come at his command. When he tells a bee to buzz off because he is the king, she tells him she is the queen and stings him on his nose. 'What are you good for,' he asks a star who disappears briefly and then lights up the night sky. When the sky gives him a blanket of snow, he gazes in wonder at the dazzling landscape and says 'Thank you.' The first and last stories are about the kind and the sea. In the first he waves, and in the last he leaves his crown on the sand and leaps joyfully into the water. The economy of the stories is matched by the masterful use of white space and the placement of collage images. Together they offer a thoughtful look at the king finding his place in his little world. VERDICT This collection of quiet, open-minded stories is a solid choice for most libraries."―School Library Journal

"The titular king, a smallish character made of paper and featuring crayoned features and crown, converses with many creatures and inanimate objects in a series of double-page 'chapters,' each title beginning, 'The King and....' Humorous yet elegant collages perfectly complement tiny tales that will sometimes elicit conversation, sometimes a knowing smile or an outright laugh, and occasionally a shrug of incomprehension. There is no violence or even unpleasantness, save one bee sting. Reading the book from beginning to end produces the satisfaction of bonding with the very human king as he engages in learning and in bettering himself. His conversations often begin from the double traits of pride and ignorance, then end with his humble acceptance of an improved interpretation of the world. The least subtle tale is the funny 'The King and the Dog,' during which the red-faced king shouts a series of commands―including 'Stop! Fetch! Heel!'―to a calm, intransigent pup across the gutter. 'I am the king!' is part of the tirade. The final sentence: 'Then he ran off after the dog.' The youngest readers will love the king's blissful, sleeping countenance after his losing battle against sleep. Occasionally the king finds his own capability, as when he lights a candle to solve an impasse with the night. This gem's childlike warmth, whimsy, and wisdom bring to mind The Little Prince."―starred, Kirkus Reviews