Kings of the Castle

Reviewed by: Connie Smith - Breakwater School, Portland, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: October 10, 2017

Review

"Kings of the Castle," is a colorful, imaginative picture book with unusual, creative creatures. It is slightly reminiscent of "Where the Wild Things Are." George, a monster, wants to build a sand castle that will be the envy of any other monster. When an unknown creature arises from the sea, George tries hard to befriend the sea creature, but soon discovers that they are unable to communicate. As George is about to give up on making a new friend, George's faithful companion, Boris, carries a stick to the sea creature. The sea creature proceeds to draw a picture of himself (Nepo) and George in the sand. Deciding that perhaps they can be friends after all, George and Nepo build a sand castle together and declare themselves kings of the castle, throughout the night until dawn, when the sea reclaims the castle. In the end, George and Nepo learn that although sea castles can be destroyed, some things CAN last forever - like friendship. This book would be appropriate when discussing the importance of making lasting friendships and perhaps when reading "monster" books! The illustrations are lovely, soft, and engaging.

Overall Book Score: very good