Cintia's Kingdom: The Search for the Red-Robed Mage

The Land of Chintians: The Great Forest

International Hans Christian Andersen Award and Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award Nominated Illustrator
Anne Brouillard's work, a recollection of childhood fantasies,
opens up a mysterious adventure in a whimsical land.
2017 French Prix Sorcières Nominee
◎ Editor's Recommendations
★ A book by Anne Brouillard, an illustrator nominated for the International Hans Christian Andersen Award and the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award.
Anne Brouillard published her first picture book in 1990, and since then, her works have been nominated for various awards: Bologna Ragazzi Award, Biennial of Illustrations Bratislava, Montreuil Children's Book Fair in France, Prix Sorcières in France... In 2020, she was nominated for the prestigious international Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award and the Hans Christian Andersen Award.
"The Land of Synnthia: In Search of the Red-Robed Magician" is a story she created in her 27th year in children's literature. The characters in the story have appeared in her previous works, and they are reunited in a fantastical way in this wondrous universe. The forests, streams, cabins, and boulders in the book are all recreations of what she saw and heard in Sweden during her childhood. Synnthia is also the name of the land she imagined as a child, and she has drawn a meticulously logical topographical map, national regional map, and aerial map for this world, shaping a rigorous worldview for it... This book stems from her distant childhood, as well as her nearly thirty years of experience as a children's book creator and her life experiences. Many of the characters in the book, to varying degrees, bear her own shadow.
★ A mysterious adventure in a Scandinavian-style land, opening a portal between fantasy and reality.
Kirio the black dog, who resembles a cousin of Moomin, the red-robed magician, Mirror Cat and Mysterious Cat, the aviator stirring small clouds with a cream whisk, the moss babies that cause heavy rain, the forest labyrinth, trees with eyes... all these are shrouded in the mysterious atmosphere of a Scandinavian-style land. Veronica, a human girl who loves adventure, Mr. Aesop in the laboratory, steaming hot coffee, instruments catching signals, hand-cranked elevators, speeding trains, comfortable small villas... all these are indistinguishable from our daily lives.
Two seemingly incompatible universes are miraculously linked together through the author's meticulously hand-drawn map of Synnthia, map of the Great Forest, local newspapers, and detailed realistic environmental descriptions, making the fantastical land of Synnthia and the stories that unfold there increasingly real and honest. It's as if the next moment you're strolling through the forest, you might just stumble upon a moss baby.
★ Unraveling the mysteries of the Land of Synnthia, encountering courage, confidence, and true friendship.
A series of mysterious events seem to have taken over the Land of Synnthia. Since spring, Kirio the black dog and Veronica's friend, the red-robed magician Vali Chez, have been missing. Strangers are frequently seen in the laboratory garden, and what about the caravan or travel trailer parked on the haystack in the center of the Great Forest? Kirio, who just wants a peaceful life, and Veronica, who is passionate about adventure, an odd pair, finally decide to set out to find their friend and venture into the Great Forest, where trees have eyes and bushes whisper. Passing through Ant Hill, they descend into the Marsh Valley, with backpacks on, and the mysteries grow increasingly numerous...
★ A form between a picture book, a chapter book, and a comic, offering readers more reading possibilities.
This book is different from ordinary picture books or comic books. The author is not constrained by form, connecting text and images in a freer way. It is neither a picture book nor a comic, but also both a picture book and a comic. Readers can quickly enter the story plot through comic-style paneling, experiencing the inner world of the characters, and also pause in front of cross-sectional spreads to admire the fantastical scenery of Synnthia, feeling as if they are truly in Synnthia.
★ The Journey Through the 11 Nations of Synnthia, with more sequels to look forward to.
"The Land of Synnthia: In Search of the Red-Robed Magician" is the first volume in "The Land of Synnthia" series. It takes place in the Land of Still Lake, located in a coastal corner of Synnthia. Synnthia is vast and difficult to find on an ordinary map. It consists of 11 regions: the Land of Ice and Snow, the Far-Off Land, the Lost Land, the Wet Land, the Blue Mountain Land, the Land of Still Lake, the Land of a Thousand Islands, the Land of Castles, the Land of Humanoids, the Desert Land, and the Sunken Land.
The second volume of the Synnthia series takes place on a cruise ship bound for the Land of a Thousand Islands. In between, the protagonists of the story also experience a thrilling adventure in the Sunken Land. Please look forward to it in 2021!
◎ Synopsis
Kirio the black dog is worried. He is waiting for the return of the red-robed magician, Vali Chez, whom he hasn't heard from since spring. According to the birds, a caravan has been found deep in the Great Forest... Kirio persuades Veronica to go with him to see what happened.
The two venture deep into the Great Forest and have some astonishing encounters: lizard-toads in a cabin, the mysterious cat going to the Flight Festival, horseback riding... and those moss babies, they're taking a train!
Synnthia is vast and difficult to find on an ordinary map. It consists of 11 regions: the Land of Ice and Snow, the Far-Off Land, the Lost Land
◎ Media Reviews
A very beautiful book, which I am now reading with my 7-year-old son. The illustrations are superb, and the story is also beautiful, with a little bit of tension (heart-pounding) throughout, but it ends well. We dream of a sequel! This book, he will love to read by himself later! - French Amazon reader review
A beautifully excellent story that my 5-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son both love. An adventure filled with charming scenery, a captivating story, and exquisite drawings. Even I wait for the sequel every night... Superb!!! - French Amazon reader review
It's hard to resist such a beautiful book, with its comic book-style inserts and a rigorous map at the beginning that draws us into this imagined world. One thinks of Tolkien's world or The Wind in the Willows. For children aged 8-10, it's a pleasant and fun reading and discovery journey. I particularly like some of the documentary-style details, such as the simple sketches of backpacks or the newspaper layouts. - Babelio website reader review
This book by Anne Brouillard is undoubtedly her most beautiful and accomplished work. In this first volume of the series, the author explores an imagined world consisting of 11 countries - Synnthia, effortlessly drawing us into her universe with astonishing strokes. Her characters, whether human, animal, or dream creatures, are immediately endearing, reminding us of the heroes of our childhood, those who could plan excursions without forgetting anything, who could venture into the Great Forest without fear, meet strangers, help or distract their exploration. Anne Brouillard's imagination is full of sweetness and tenderness, but also a lot of humor and absurdity, which is typical of childhood. - Babelio website reader review

2020-12-01

天津人民出版社

the new wave

80

9787201164656