Base, Graeme Books

Eleventh Hour

Graeme Base

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 59 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Reading The Eleventh Hour is like running a marathon: one finishes exhausted but satisfied. Graeme Base, creator of the popular Animalia, has crafted another intricately wrought, gorgeously illustrated picture book, this time a mystery in verse. When Horace the Elephant decides to throw himself a party for his 11th birthday, he never suspects a crime will be committed by lunchtime. Who has stolen the birthday feast? As with any good mystery, everyone is guilty until proven innocent. The proof lies in the myriad clues embedded in each glorious illustration. Young sleuths will delight in decoding the complex messages that pop up in unexpected places.

Graeme Base used the buildings he saw during his travels through Africa, Asia, and Europe to design and decorate Horace's fantastic house. Astute readers may recognize Roman cathedrals, Scottish palaces, and stone carvings from India. Best of all, secreted in these walls are cryptic messages in Egyptian hieroglyphics, anagrams, and even Morse code to challenge the perceptive and deductive abilities of any reader "of tender years or long in tooth." The Eleventh Hour is a brilliant, rigorous, creative romp that no child (or adult) should miss. (All Ages)

Animalia

Graeme Base

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 72 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Not For Kids 1 out of 5 stars.
2 of 9 people found this review helpful.

As a teacher, I find this book to be horrible for children. I agree with others who have commented about the violence, disturbing images, and the "darkness" within this book. I would not use it for my own young children and am taking it out of my 7th grade classroom.

Editorial Review:

What's this elaborate illustration? "Horrible Hairy Hogs Hurrying Homewards on Heavily Harnessed Horses," of course. Graeme Base's astonishingly creative oeuvre begins with Animalia, the 1993 alphabet book that challenges the standard idea of how long reading a book for small kids ought to take. Animalia, like many of Base's books, is a vast puzzle, built with entrancing pictures that unfold into layers and layers of objects--all matched to each page's corresponding letter. Base leaves us stunned and amazed, painting reflections into the oddest surfaces and driving the urge to page-turn. This wonderful picture book works for 2-year-olds, 5-year-olds, and adults alike--something few other alphabet books can manage. --Andrew Bartlett

The Water Hole

Graeme Base

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 35 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Who can resist the allure of the hidden wilderness water hole? Certainly not one rhino. Not two tigers. Nor three toucans. Pretty soon the delicious pool is drawing moose, catfish, pandas, tortoises... and more than 100 other critters from Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and beyond. But is it our imagination or is that rhino-sized water hole dwindling to a mere shadow of its former self, a puddle not fit for eight ladybugs, let alone 10 kangaroos? As the seasons change across the world, and the animals get thirstier, the water supply diminishes. Eventually, even the flowery-shirted frog that has stoically lingered through the drought packs his suitcase and takes off. The only hope now is a drop of rain on the parched earth...

With his usual elaborate detail, Graeme Base, mad genius behind Animalia, The Eleventh Hour: A Curious Mystery, and other wild and wonderful titles, presents a one-of-a-kind counting book. Naturally, Base would never be content to stick with a simple 1 through 10 format. Readers of all ages will linger over each spread, first counting the highlighted animals and giggling at the translation of their grunts and growls (the moose's "Moo, moo, mooooooiii!" means "Hey, get your hoof out of my ear!"). Then it's time to check out the diminishing size of the die-cut hole in the pond. And finally, readers will want to find each of the 10 additional animals cleverly hidden in every illustration, based on the silhouetted creatures in the border. A safari on paper--with an environmental and mathematical education thrown in for good measure. (Ages 4 to 8) --Emilie Coulter

Uno's Garden

Graeme Base

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Art + Arithmetic + Environmental Awareness=Graeme Base’s latest masterpiece

From the creator of the international best-sellers Animalia, The Water Hole, and Jungle Drums

Once again, beloved author Graeme Base introduces readers to a new world. And again, he interweaves the story with hidden images and mathematical problems (and solutions!), creating a book that can be read over and over, and at different levels for different ages.

When Uno arrives in the forest one beautiful day, there are many fascinating and extraordinary animals there to greet him—and one entirely unexceptional Snortlepig. Uno loves the forest so much, he decides to live there. But, in time, a little village grows up around his house. Then a town, then a city . . . and soon Uno realizes that the animals and plants have begun to disappear.

Uno’s Garden is a moving and timely tale about how we all unknowingly affect the environment around us, just by being there—and how we can always learn from our mistakes and find ways of doing things better. It's an illuminating blend of storybook, puzzle book, and math book.

Jungle Drums

Graeme Base

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Best-seller Graeme Base is back with an all-new story filled with hidden pictures on every page!

Little Ngiri is the Smallest Warthog in Africa. Tired of being teased by his bigger brothers and sisters, he wishes things could be different. When Old Nyumbu the Wildebeest gives Ngiri a set of magic drums, he is sure his wish is about to come true. But all the animals of the jungle are in for a BIG surprise as Ngiri's wish is granted in a most unexpected way. In the end, the gentle message that inner beauty and change is more important than outer beauty rings true. In true Graeme Base style, there is an added surprise at the end of the book. Everything seems to be normal in the jungle, but look closely and you will see that none of the animals or the other creatures watching from the trees are quite the way they were when the book began. Look even closer, and you will also find Old Nyumbu the Wildebeest hidden somewhere on every spread. Jungle Drums is a book to be read over and over again. AUTHOR BIO: Graeme Base, while working on Jungle Drums, journeyed with his family to Tanzania, Africa, where they camped in the Serengeti among giraffes, elephants, zebras, and of course warthogs. The trip helped Graeme bring the characters and landscape of the book to life. Graeme lives in Melbourne, Australia, with his artist wife, Robyn, and their three children.

The Discovery of Dragons: New Research Revealed

Graeme Base

Amazon Price: $11.17 List Price: $19.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Abrams Books for Young Readers Amazon Marketplace: 47 new & used starting at $5.34

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Bestseller Graeme Base offers a new edition of the book that helped start the dragon craze

Includes newly discovered American dragons!

Fans of Graeme Base—and dragon lovers—will be thrilled to discover this brand-new edition of the classic book of serpentology, The Discovery of Dragons, first published in 1996. Now it includes a special section on “New World” dragons, before now unknown.

Was Bjorn of Bromme one of the greatest explorers of the Viking Age or just a simple-minded, lice-infested barbarian with a passion for beach volleyball? Could Soong Mei Ying, a thirteenth-century teenager, really have discovered the Asiatic dragons or did she just need a good excuse to leave home? Did Dr. E. F. Liebermann perish after discovering the Common Green Draak, also known as the “Awful Gurgler,” or was he suffering from a severe bout of jungle madness? And does Francisco de Nuevo still live today, working as an extra on Canadian television, after discovering the secret of eternal youth in 1532?

The answers to these questions and more will not be found within the pages of this book—but there are a lot of great big dragons

“All my life I have been pursued by dragons. These fearsome beasts have been a constant source of inspiration and aggravation ever since I was a kid in school.” —Graeme Base

“Astute readers will note that there have been absolutely no changes made to the original text of the book. This is due to the fact that it was completely perfect in every way. However, those same readers will be delighted and amazed by the addition of a brand-new chapter introducing a previously uncatalogued class of Dragons: the New World Dragons.

“It is important to note that the failure to include these exceptionally interesting and fully authenticated Dragons in the first edition of the book was the result of shoddy editorial work by persons unnamed and was in no way the fault of the author who knew all along that there were lots of other Dragons out there but did not want to cause a fuss at Snoisses and BielttØg Inc. by pointing out the error.” —Prof. Rowland W. Greasebeam, B.Sc. (Serp.), F.R.Aud. (Melb.), Editor, Melbourne

Praise for The Discovery of Dragons

“Stunning paintings, witty letters, maps, and a running cartoon strip are sure to delight.” —Booklist

“Stunning illustrations of the fiery beasts.”—The Boston Herald

“Illustrations showcase the kind of intricate detail for which Base is so well known . . . There’s much to enjoy here, and much to propel readers to seek out every last drop.” —Publishers Weekly

The Sign of the Seahorse: A Tale of Greed and High Adventure in Two Acts (Picture Puffin)

Graeme Base

Amazon Price: $8.99 List Price: $8.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Puffin Amazon Marketplace: 36 new & used starting at $2.99

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 23 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Excellent book! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Excellent book...magnificent illustrations! Excellent story but a little too lengthy for a small child. Would recommend for children 5-10 years old.

Great Story 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The person who received this book enjoyed the "good over evil" premise and the beautiful illustrations.

This is a FANTASTIC book for kids!!! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This is easily my favorite kids book of all time. The entire story is written in rhyme, and the charcters are great! The artwork is incredible, from the Combat Lobster 46903 down to the "two largely unnoticed shrimp on every page". Kids of all ages will enjoy this book, its a keeper.

A wonderful book for all ages! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

We are big Graeme Base fans in our house, and this is our favorite of his books. Recently my 18 year old (feeling nostalgic as he leaves for college in the fall) asked me if I could find The Sign of the Seahorse. He wanted to use the Groper character for an AP Art class assignment. Then he sat down to read it. It hasn't left his room since, so I had to get another copy for my younger son and myself.

How many people can do amazing illustrations and rhyming verse really well? Graeme Base pulls it off. The kids get the general idea of the story from the verse and the intricate illustrations. Adults get chuckles out of parts of the story that the kids don't pick up on like "The Groper owned the
place next door, a sleazy, run-down bar, Where low-life Slugs and Wentletraps made bootleg caviar, He'd bought a lot of property in last October's crash, And ran the sort of businesses where clients paid in cash."

The subtitle of this book is "A Tale of Greed and High Adventure in Two Acts." Not only are all of the characters listed in the front, as in a play, but the Acts are broken down into Scenes. It is a (G rated) romance, a tale of a battle between the good guys and the bad guys, and a lesson in ecology, all rolled into one, without it being preachy or cutesy. I highly recommend this book for the whole family.

Editorial Review:

Romance, mystery, and intrigue revolve around the Seahorse Cafe, where the beautiful Pearl Trout falls in love with Corporal Bert the Soldiercrab. But Reeftown is in danger, and soon Pearl, Bert, and Pearl's brother Finneus must journey through the ocean depths to find the source of the deadly poison that is destroying the coral reef. Full color.

The Water Hole

Graeme Base

Amazon Price: $8.99 List Price: $8.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Puffin Amazon Marketplace: 53 new & used starting at $2.84

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Wonderful! 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

Our two year old son LOVES, LOVES, LOVES this book, which teaches not only numbers but also about animals and their different and unique habitats. He has the whole book memorized, including the dedication "For Bob". The artwork is spectacular, the story is simple but engaging, and this book is appropriate for the youngest toddlers to early readers. It is not a board book and is beautifully illustrated, so it is a wonderful book for parents to read before bedtime. We are ordering another one because ours has had a hard life from overuse!

Editorial Review:

In the tradition of his best-selling alphabet book, Animalia, author and illustrator Graeme Base takes young readers on an exhilarating journey of discovery with an ingenious fusion of counting book, puzzle book, storybook, and art book. From the plains of Africa and the jungles of the Amazon to the woodlands of North America and the deserts of outback Australia, the animals come together to drink from the water hole. But their water supply is diminishing. What’s going on? Each sumptuous landscape illustration conceals hidden animal pictures for readers to find as they count the animals that visit the water hole and try to solve the mystery: will the animals come back or is their water source gone forever?

Worst Band in the Universe

Graeme Base

List Price: $19.95 By: Harry N. Abrams Amazon Marketplace: 93 new & used starting at $0.01

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Australian author and illustrator Graeme Base's books are all musical, but The Worst Band in the Universe (with its accompanying 25-minute CD) clearly trumpets the loudest... in a Blippian sort of way. Like The Eleventh Hour, The Sign of the Seahorse, and Animalia, Worst Band takes place in a nonhuman context, this time in a dystopian planetary system far from Earth.

The premise is this: Sprocc, expert at the guitarlike splingtwanger, has the creative itch to write songs. But alas, his planet, Blipp, has strict creative rules about music. All songs must come directly from tradition, so Sprocc's desire to "call the tune... or else forsake the stage" leads to his exile from Blipp and a variety of galactic run-ins with authority. This includes the "Worst Band in the Universe" contest which, of course, is actually a best band contest that takes him deeper into dismal realms. Sprocc sharpens his musical delivery, hooks up with another long-time Blipp exile, and eventually the planet is freed from the rigorous creative restrictions with a mix of innovation and tradition.

In the tangle of rhyming couplets and fantastical illustrations is plenty of food for thought. On a purely musical level, The Worst Band in the Universe is an instructive volume, complete with a CD of Blippian music. It's a profound creation, conjured so that its ingredients will reward scrutiny. (Ages 7 and older) --Andrew Bartlett

Jabberwocky

Lewis Carroll

List Price: $16.95 By: Harry N. Abrams Amazon Marketplace: 10 new & used starting at $11.50

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Twas brillig, and the slithy toves... 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.

I LOVE this poem by Lewis Carroll. It is extremely well written and inspires the imagination to soar to new heights. I am a big fan of illustrator Graeme Base. His bright and colorful creatures makes this Lewis Carroll classic a MUST for anyone.

most excellent 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

This is my 2 year old's favorite book. We have read it so many time that he almost has the whole poem memorized!! The illustrations are wonderful for adults and children. I find new things in the pages almost every night. I highly reccomend it.

wonderful matchup of text and illustrator 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

Graeme Base has lent a thrilling vision to Lewis Carroll's poem, illustrating the complete poem with seven dioramas -- lush, layered cutouts that are an interesting departure from pop-ups and lift-the-flap books.

It is not the only possible imagery, but it is very entertaining, well engineered and, in my opinion, faithful to the spirit of the text's author.

This book is totally sweet! 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

The illustrations are just as amazing as the words.

Word of warning, don't read this in animated tones to very small children. I accidentally made two year old twin girls start crying inconsolably at "And as in oofish thought he stood, a Jabberwok with EYES OF FLAME!" I hope I didn't traumatize them.

Editorial Review:

The author/illustrator of the bestselling Animalia interprets Lewis's famed "Jabberwocky" from Through the Looking Glass. Full color.