A young boy, bewitched by his father's passion to fly; a desperate craving that absorbs his every waking minute, finds himself entranced by the dream. When his father goes to war and does not return it seems the spell is broken.
Much later, the boy, now a young man, finds himself drawn once more to his father's drawings and failed experiments. Finally able to make his father's dream a reality, he flies.
A young boy, bewitched by his father's passion to fly; a desperate craving that absorbs his every waking minute, finds himself entranced by the dream. When his father goes to war and does not return it seems the spell is broken.
Much later, the boy, now a young man, finds himself drawn once more to his father's drawings and failed experiments. Finally able to make his father's dream a reality, he flies.
A beautiful exploration into the relationship between a father and son from award-winning illustrator Grahame Baker-Smith.
Grahame Baker-Smith (Author, Illustrator)
Grahame Baker-Smith is a self-taught award-winning
illustrator from Oxford who completed his training at Berkshire
School of Art. He has worked in illustration for twenty years and
in 2011 won the Greenaway Medal for his inspiring tale of
fatherhood, FARTHER. He has illustrated numerous other picture
books for Templar, including The Rhythm of the Rain which won the
English 4-11 Picture Book Awards and the Greenaway shortlisted Leon
and the Place Between.
The worthy winner of the Kate Greenaway Award, announced yesterday,
is this stunning and highly imaginative picture book ... Full of
magical imagery and big themes, it's a delight through and
through.
*The Daily Mail*
'A sumptuous and eye-catching book from the outside, which doesn't
disappoint when opened to reveal a stunningly illustrated and very
touching story.'
*Autumn Highlights, Bookseller Children’s Buyers Guide*
'G B-S is an award-winning British illustrator and author who has a
passion for collage ... he combines photoshopped images, artwork
and photography to create whimsical and detailed illustrations ...
they are multi-layered and stunning. Deserves a place on any
bookshelf.'
*M Arts and Culture*
'Highly recommended. A wonderful and memorable book that could
become a future classic. This is a picture book that deserves a
place on the shelves of all libraries.'
*Readplus, Australian blog*
'With just one glance at this cover I was hooked. It's
illustrations are pure and magical, an intriguing mix of realism
and fantasy. Words are stunning - a tale that will touch all
hearts.'
*Kids Book Review, Australian blog*
'This is a multi-layered magical picture book that will be read and
looked over again and again. There is so much to think about. This
intelligent picture book has an abundance of spirituality and
imagination. It has very wide appeal in terms of age-range. Grahame
Baker-Smith has given us a stunning book that soars high.'
*Write Away*
'Cleverly symbolic, underscoring immediately the conflict between
reality and fantasy - a beautiful book... we are drawn into a world
of impossible dreams, dreams that while beautifully described and
hauntingly evocative are tinged with a deep despair.'
*Books for Keeps*
'The style of illustration in this book, a mix of artwork,
photographs in a collage come together to create a most unusual
picture book which explores the relationship between father and son
in a particularly poetic and elegant way'
*Librarymice.com*
'a beautiful, lyrical book which will make you think ... A very
powerful read'
*Librarymice.com*
'This is a clever picture book with a dream-like quality. It is
beautifully designed with a wealth of detail, conveying dark
emotions, storms of war and weather, and a powerful sense of loss
and bereavement.'
*The CILIP Kate Greenway Medal Shortlist 2011: Judges’
Comments*
'Not only are the illustrations whimsical and creative and
beautiful, the story is wonderfully touching'
*Myfavouritebooks.blogspot*
'unusual, thought provoking, moving and beautifully
illustrated'
*Angels and Urchins*
'Graham's clever use of photographs, collage and illustration make
his style completely original and unique. A picture book to
treasure'
*Lovereading4Kids*
'This is a stunning book which we've read time and time again'
*Clover Hill Book Reviews*
'Illustrations create a surreal and sophisticated landscape that
complements the measured cadence of the first-person
narration.'
*Kirkus Reviews*
FArTHER is a simple yet huge tale, beautifully told. It touches
upon the bonds between father and son, the tensions between freedom
and responsibility, between reality and dreams. It also briefly,
and powerfully, touches upon loss and legacies of unexpected kinds.
In essence, it's a visually and thematically rich book, with echoes
of, and references to classic Greek mythology. It warrants several
readings and close observation as the imagery is layered and there
is much to be gained from poring over its carefully built
details.
*Teaching English Magazine*
Gr 3-5-The narrator reminisces about his father's dream to make a flying machine. The man works ceaselessly on the project without success, stopping to play with his son only when the longing to "claim the sky" abates periodically. That longing is silenced forever, however, when the father goes off to war and never returns. Years pass, and the son "[takes] up the old wings" left by his father and does succeed, soaring into the "vast blue sky" where he feels his father's presence. Eventually, he shares his dream with his own son. The digitally rendered illustrations offer great variety as they enrich the brief text. There are single pages and spreads, framed half sheets, and snapshotlike vignettes. The lacy filigree and feathers of the father's flying machine seem as elusive as his dream. The family's home stands high on a cliff overlooking the immense sea, and varying shades of blue throughout echo father's and son's longing for the sky. There are sepia tones as well and grays that eventually morph almost to black as father sets off to war. One striking illustration depicts the winged, laurel-wreathed father atop a column ready to soar much like Daedalus of old, a Greek temple in the background. This evocative story will surely elicit discussions about having dreams and the persistence necessary to accomplish difficult goals.-Marianne Saccardi, formerly at Norwalk Community College, CT (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
The worthy winner of the Kate Greenaway Award, announced yesterday,
is this stunning and highly imaginative picture book ... Full of
magical imagery and big themes, it's a delight through and through.
* The Daily Mail *
'A sumptuous and eye-catching book from the outside, which doesn't
disappoint when opened to reveal a stunningly illustrated and very
touching story.' * Autumn Highlights, Bookseller Children's Buyers
Guide *
'G B-S is an award-winning British illustrator and author who has a
passion for collage ... he combines photoshopped images, artwork
and photography to create whimsical and detailed illustrations ...
they are multi-layered and stunning. Deserves a place on any
bookshelf.' * M Arts and Culture *
'Highly recommended. A wonderful and memorable book that could
become a future classic. This is a picture book that deserves a
place on the shelves of all libraries.' * Readplus, Australian blog
*
'With just one glance at this cover I was hooked. It's
illustrations are pure and magical, an intriguing mix of realism
and fantasy. Words are stunning - a tale that will touch all
hearts.' * Kids Book Review, Australian blog *
'This is a multi-layered magical picture book that will be read and
looked over again and again. There is so much to think about. This
intelligent picture book has an abundance of spirituality and
imagination. It has very wide appeal in terms of age-range. Grahame
Baker-Smith has given us a stunning book that soars high.' * Write
Away *
'Cleverly symbolic, underscoring immediately the conflict between
reality and fantasy - a beautiful book... we are drawn into a world
of impossible dreams, dreams that while beautifully described and
hauntingly evocative are tinged with a deep despair.' * Books for
Keeps *
'The style of illustration in this book, a mix of artwork,
photographs in a collage come together to create a most unusual
picture book which explores the relationship between father and son
in a particularly poetic and elegant way' * Librarymice.com *
'a beautiful, lyrical book which will make you think ... A very
powerful read' * Librarymice.com *
'This is a clever picture book with a dream-like quality. It is
beautifully designed with a wealth of detail, conveying dark
emotions, storms of war and weather, and a powerful sense of loss
and bereavement.' * The CILIP Kate Greenway Medal Shortlist 2011:
Judges' Comments *
'Not only are the illustrations whimsical and creative and
beautiful, the story is wonderfully touching' *
Myfavouritebooks.blogspot *
'unusual, thought provoking, moving and beautifully illustrated' *
Angels and Urchins *
'Graham's clever use of photographs, collage and illustration make
his style completely original and unique. A picture book to
treasure' * Lovereading4Kids *
'This is a stunning book which we've read time and time again' *
Clover Hill Book Reviews *
'Illustrations create a surreal and sophisticated landscape that
complements the measured cadence of the first-person narration.' *
Kirkus Reviews *
FArTHER is a simple yet huge tale, beautifully told. It touches
upon the bonds between father and son, the tensions between freedom
and responsibility, between reality and dreams. It also briefly,
and powerfully, touches upon loss and legacies of unexpected kinds.
In essence, it's a visually and thematically rich book, with echoes
of, and references to classic Greek mythology. It warrants several
readings and close observation as the imagery is layered and there
is much to be gained from poring over its carefully built details.
-- Martin Galway * Teaching English Magazine *
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