> Skip to content
  • Published: 10 November 2020
  • ISBN: 9781662650017
  • Imprint: Astra Publishing House
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 32
  • RRP: $49.99

The Magic Bookcase




Hans Christian Andersen Medalist Robert Ingpen brings classic stories to life in a collection that
serves as his magnum opus to the imagination.

Hans Christian Andersen Medalist Robert Ingpen brings classic stories to life in a collection that serves as his magnum opus to the imagination.

Featured in New York Times Book Review "8 Picture Books About Books"

World-renowned illustrator Robert Ingpen begins his magical journey through the world of classic children's stories with a mural he worked on for years, inspired by the great storybook characters. The original mural is more than 20 feet long, but Mr. Ingpen knew he had to find a way to turn that work into a book in its own right. This book contains some of his favorite quotations from the stories that inspired him, as well as an eye-popping fold-out centerpiece with a reproduction of the full mural. This book is an eye-popping illustrated celebration of the power of imagination.

  • Published: 10 November 2020
  • ISBN: 9781662650017
  • Imprint: Astra Publishing House
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 32
  • RRP: $49.99

About the author

Robert Ingpen

Robert Ingpen has illustrated more than a hundred books for children and adults in his forty-year career. He is the only Australian to have been awarded the highest honour in the children’s book world – the Hans Christian Andersen Medal – for his lasting contribution to literature. In 1989, he was awarded the Dromkeen Medal, for his commitment to the appreciation and development of literature for young people. He is one of Australia’s best-loved artists and illustrators.

Also by Robert Ingpen

See all

Praise for The Magic Bookcase

Praise for The Dreamkeeper:
"Written in the form of a letter to his granddaughter, Ingpen's fanciful picture book chronicles an imaginary being who "catches the creatures of our dreams when they escape to reality" and returns them to a place called the Dreamtree.
In less able hands, such a premise could rapidly decline into New Age-ish nonsense; instead, myth and lore collide to create a promising fantasy. Mystical, dreamlike and occasionally nightmarish, Ingpen's detailed illustrations blend pencil sketches and watercolors to flesh out the imagery evoked in his hand-lettered text. He shows the elaborate traps used by the Dreamkeeper; the shoes with the special backwards soles to mystify those who would try and track him; the charms, tokens and lures that are his stock in trade--even the solar-powered remote control used by his goblin assistant to "unwind invisibility." Sharp-eyed readers will recognize some familiar faces among the inhabitants of the Dreamtree--the Frog Prince, Long John Silver and the White Rabbit, among others. A most unusual book, with the
same sort of appeal as Wil Huygen's Gnomes." --Publishers Weekly

"This book is one of those fascinating combinations of story and catalog. Just a perfect gift book for that child who's a little bit dreamy and a little bit scientific." --Elizabeth Bird, School Library Journal

penguin pop image
penguin pop image