Blanket & Bear, a Remarkable Pair - Hardcover

L. J. R. Kelly was born in London, England, and comes from a family filled with other writers—including his sister, mother, father, aunts and grandfather. He is the vice-chairman of the literary estate of his grandfather, Roald Dahl. He studied politics at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, and writing at Dartmouth College. He lives and writes in the hills of New Hampshire. Visit him at www.LJRKelly.com.
 Yoko Tanaka is a graduate of the Art Center College in Pasadena, California and has illustrated several books for children, including the New York Times bestseller, The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo. Yoko lives in London, England. You can visit Yoko at www.yokotanaka.com.

There are countless picture books about misplaced toys, but this one reveals a little-known secret: where toys go when they’re lost. A boy and a bear and a blanket are inseparable, ever since the boy’s birth—until one day, bear and blanket are left behind on a ship. The boy is beside himself, but the bear and blanket, in a dreamlike sequence, sail off to “an island / of lost blankets and bears, / living in retirement, / without worries or cares.” Although the bear king tells the duo to forget the boy, they don’t listen, setting off to search, presumably for many years. When they find him, he’s older and doing just fine. This is a poignant story of growing up and letting go (think The Velveteen Rabbit), both for boys and toys. The rhyming text feels somewhat at odds with the magical quality of the soft acrylic illustrations, which are nostalgic in feel and at their best when it’s just bear and blanket on the page. Still, it’s reassuring, isn’t it? To imagine an old friend surrounded by pals? Preschool-Grade 1. --Ann Kelley