Window - by Marion Arbona (Hardcover)

About the Book

"A young girl is walking home from school in a big city. As she gazes up at window after window in the buildings on her route - all different shapes and sizes - she imagines the most fantastic goings-on behind each one, which we can see by opening the gatefold. A tropical jungle. A whale in a bathtub. Vampires playing badminton. Her fantasies know no bounds. Until, behind the very last window, we discover the girl back home in her own room, where the toys surrounding her look strangely familiar."--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

In this interactive, one-of-a-kind wordless picture book, extraordinary things are happening behind the windows of the city.

A young girl is walking home from school in a big city. As she gazes up at window after window in the buildings on her route -- each one a different shape and size -- she imagines what might be going on behind them. By opening the gatefold, readers will come upon the most fantastical scenes. An indoor jungle. A whale in a bathtub. Vampires playing badminton. The girl's imagination knows no bounds. Until, behind the very last window, we find the girl back home in her own room, where the toys surrounding her look strangely familiar.

This highly original wordless picture book by Marion Arbona is a celebration of curiosity and imagination that is sure to inspire a sense of wonder in readers of all ages. There are thirteen windows to open in all, and each scene is intricately drawn in black and white and packed with level upon level of extraordinary details to explore: a gathering of gnomes, a deep-sea diver among glowing underwater creatures, a collection of masks, cars that drive up the walls. In a clever touch, each window contains a clue to what's behind it -- for example, a plant on the ledge of the window that opens to the jungle, and a window shaped like a porthole that reveals the whale in a bathtub. With so much going on, this book will entice even the youngest children to pore over the pages for close reading, promoting observation skills and visual literacy.

Review Quotes

Arbona is a great talent, and Window is a fabulous book.--CM Magazine

Arbona's teeming scenes should inspire both close observation and new compositions by young readers/artists.--Kirkus Reviews, starred review

It's wonderfully clever and entirely black and white. Black and white AND wordless AND full of gatefolds? Who knew classy could ever be this fun?--Elizabeth Bird for School Library Journal

Window ... makes Alice's Wonderland look like bland suburbia.--Quill & Quire, starred review

About the Author

Marion Arbona is the award-winning illustrator of numerous children's books. She lives in Montreal, Quebec.