The Book of Gold

July 17, 2017
Isaac Gutenberg’s parents want him to read, so they bring their disinterested son to the New York Public Library. He’s unimpressed. Later that day, an elderly shopkeeper tells him about a book that turns to gold when it’s opened: “You’ll need patience and fortitude to find The Book of Gold!” Isaac sets out in a frenzy to find the precious book and get rich, but his search slows as he discovers that the books he’s tossing aside can answer all sorts of questions. Staake (Beachy and Me) places Isaac in a series of magnificent architectural spaces teeming with detail, including many inside and outside the famous library (whose two lions, Isaac eventually discovers, are called Patience and Fortitude). Sepia-toned illustrations reflect the book’s initial 1930s setting, giving way to color as Isaac awakens to the potential of books over the course of many decades. The pitch for reading is a little heavy-handed, and the information Isaac finds (“He learned who invented pizza. He saw diagrams showing how heavy ships could float”) isn’t supplied—readers will have to seek out those answers themselves. Ages 4–8. Agent: Gillian MacKenzie, Gillian MacKenzie Agency.

June 1, 2017
A lifelong quest slowly transforms a stolidly incurious Brooklyn lad into an educated, well-traveled geezer.A dedicated nonreader, young Isaac Gutenberg turns up his nose at the tantalizing facts his book-loving parents dangle before him until a mysterious little old lady tells him about a legendary volume that not only contains the answers to every question ever asked, but when opened "turns to solid gold." As years pass and Isaac eagerly riffles through every book he finds, his unalloyed greed changes to curiosity: "Why don't the pyramids have windows?" "Who invented pizza?" "How did the number eight get its name?" After scouring the world's book shelves, he ultimately comes to realize that the search itself has given him "a long life filled with wonder." Bronze-toned, retro-style views of New York, India, and other locales are bookended between 1935 and present-day visits to idealized but recognizable versions of the New York Public Library's Main Reading Room. There (in an act that would in real life get him ejected if not arrested), old Isaac sidles up to an unattended young patron to pass on the glittering legend. Isaac and most of the other figures are white, but Staake diversifies the skin tones of street crowds and readers in the overseas and later scenes. More sentimental even than Staake's earlier My Pet Book (2014), but the shiny metaphor is well-intentioned and the nod to libraries is well-taken. (Picture book. 6-8)

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December 1, 2017

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. VERDICT While this title will especially appeal to adult book aficionados (and New Yorkers), Staake's depth of visual detail, child-friendly style, and the originality of his questions will attract discriminating children as well. Pure gold.-Wendy Lukehart, District of Columbia Public Library

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