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The Skull
The Skull: A Tyrolean Folktale | Jon Klassen
25 posts | 26 read | 15 to read
Caldecott Medalist and #1 New York Times best-selling author-illustrator Jon Klassen delivers a deliciously macabre treat for folktale fans. Jon Klassen's signature wry humor takes a turn for the ghostly in this thrilling retelling of a traditional Tyrolean folktale. In a big abandoned house, on a barren hill, lives a skull. A brave girl named Otilla has escaped from terrible danger and run away, and when she finds herself lost in the dark forest, the lonely house beckons. Her host, the skull, is afraid of something too, something that comes every night. Can brave Otilla save them both? Steeped in shadows and threaded with subtle wit--with rich, monochromatic artwork and an illuminating author's note--The Skull is as empowering as it is mysterious and foreboding.
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bibliothecarivs
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mrp27
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#spookoweeen #31by31

Inching closer to my 31 hour goal. Enjoyed this spooky read. Loved the illustrations.

Catsandbooks Awesome! 👏🏼 🧡🖤 4w
TheSpineView Fantastic! 4w
24 likes1 stack add2 comments
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SayersLover
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Been wanting to read this for a year now, and I finally made it happen just in time for Halloween. Such a great story, and just creepy enough for kiddos. I love the illustrations too. This is the kind of tale to retell by a fire outdoors! 💀

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WildAlaskaBibliophile
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Very cute story; I highly recommend this quick read to anyone. 💀💗 #skull #wickedwhispers @eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Looks cute! 💀 🖤 1mo
Eggs My choice too #GreatMinds 1mo
Seabreeze_Reader I thought this illustrated book was both macabre and cute. 💀👧 1mo
31 likes1 stack add4 comments
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Eggs
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The story, the art, the wry humor-An excellent read
for the spooky season, without being too creepy for the younger humans.

#Skull
#WickedWhispers

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Looks cute 💀 1mo
Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks it‘s adorable 🥰 1mo
56 likes2 comments
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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
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Pickpick

Ahh folktales, they go from kinda sweet to kinda dark in the blink of an eye - and I love that about them!

Gorgeous illustrations as you‘d expect from Jon Klassen and a story that I‘ll definitely be thinking about for awhile. May we all be blessed with an Ottila as a friend and not foe.

Great authors note at the end about how he came across the folk tale originally and how folk tales change over time.

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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
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“Then she took the bone pieces and threw them into the flames. She poured her tea into the tea cup and drank it as she watched the pieces burn to ash.”

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Eggs
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Pickpick

The story, the art, the wry humor👏🏻👌🏼 An excellent read for the spooky season, without being too creepy for the younger humans💀

#ReadAway2024

@DieAReader @Andrew65 @GHABI4ROSES

DieAReader 🥳Fantastic!! 2mo
Eggs @DieAReader 🥰🤗 2mo
59 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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Littlewolf1
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Pickpick

4.3⭐️ man this children‘s book got dark quick. Definitely my style. Very Gothic fantasy vibes but in a children‘s story. This little girl that befriends a skull is one for the ages. She‘s that friend you call when you have to hide a body… I‘m just saying. It was a fun little read help me catch up on my reading goal.

21 likes1 stack add
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booklover3258
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Pickpick

My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:

https://youtu.be/M9IeySwNsFI

Enjoy!

RebL This was a huge pick for middle graders who participated in a mock Caldecott with me. 9mo
42 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Caryl
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I can‘t stop thinking about this one. The story! The art! The insights in the Author‘s Note! I absolutely loved it. ❤️

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CogsOfEncouragement
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A teacher recommended this picture book on TikTok and I was able to grab it from CloudLibrary. I don‘t know what I expected, but not this. It is a retelling of a folktale and I‘m still thinking about the message of the original versus this retelling.

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Airykah13
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#31by31 - 30min - 5pts
#20in4 - 30min - 5pts
Horror - 20pts
Word Search - 5 words - 50pts
Participation - 1pt

Total: 81pts

#teamwhoyagonnacall #scarathlon

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LibrarianRyan
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4 ⭐We‘re used to getting picture box from John Klassen. This year he does a little longer story and gives us the Skull. This was originally a folktale of a certain sect of Austrian people. There is a small person running away from something into the woods. They come across the house, and in the house, there is the skull who needs protecting from the rest of the skeleton. This is a folktale in the true tradition of folktales.

LibrarianRyan It doesn‘t have the happy everything magical ending that you would see with something Disney has gotten a hold of. If this was Cinderella, toes would be coming off. But in this case, it‘s the Skull. The artwork is amazing which is what anybody expects from Klassen and the story is just on the right side of dark for spooky scary times, without being horror or too dark for young children. I loved everything about this, and in the author‘s note at 13mo
LibrarianRyan the end, John even talks about how he originally wrote the story and where his mind took him to the book that was published. This book is bound to be a classic just like the rest of his picture books that I‘ll be heading down to my nieces and nephews for a long time to time.

13mo
Gissy Lovely spooky cover. Want to read this one. 13mo
44 likes1 stack add3 comments
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Robotswithpersonality
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Pickpick

Just as lovely as I hoped it would be. Also: don't mess with Otilla. I'd say this is as close as you can get to a story for all ages that features a skull, though there may be nightmare potential for very young children. Really appreciated the Author's Note, for discussing the source material, and its characterization of folk tales.

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Robotswithpersonality
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Dawn light. I love how Klassen manages to bring something cozy to the dark image.

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Cuilin
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I got to be the school librarian yesterday so in between classes I read this delightful spooky book.

Dream jobs - librarian ✅

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Larkken
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I adore klassen‘s illustrations: they're slightly dark, and rich, and atmospheric. So, I loved this short, picture-book version of what Klassen remembered from reading a Tyrolean folktale. Skulls, but make it cosy, please! 💀🖤☕️ #scarathlon book 9 (? 🧐 I need to check my notes!) team #spookyghostclub

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TieDyeDude
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Pickpick

A beautifully atmospheric book. I wouldn't quite call it a graphic novel, more of a mature picture book. I liked that the illustrations expanded the story rather than just portraying the words. The afterword from the author was a great story itself and added a whole other layer to the book. Well worth your time.

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Soubhiville
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Pickpick

I‘m not sure whether this is meant to be a kids book or more of an illustrated for adults story… it‘s an adaptation of a fairytale, though the author admits he changed the story a good deal. I thought it was cute, a bit dark for kids, but fairytales do tend to be don‘t they?

Sietje is annoyed I asked her to pose with a book again 😆

CBee That look though 😂😂😂 14mo
Megabooks Cute but annoyed for sure! 💜😁 14mo
ShelleyBooksie Adorable pic 14mo
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Aimeesue Klassen 🖤🖤🖤 (edited) 14mo
Desha She‘s soooo cute! 🐶 14mo
Hooked_on_books Look to those ears! “I‘ll pose because I love you, Mom, but I‘m not happy about it!” What a sweetie. 😍 14mo
batsy Her face! ❤️ 14mo
93 likes7 comments
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Mgruidae
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Pickpick

Otilla gets things done! The skull just wants to live its best life! Sweet and creepy children‘s book. The illustrations are lovely.

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underground_bks
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Pickpick

Cozy horror for little kids! This sweetly unsettling, whimsically creepy, warmly chilling picture book is inspired by an old Tyrolean fairy tale about a girl who runs away from home and befriends a skull, itself fleeing a skeleton, in an ancient castle in a deep dark wood. Like the old, old fairy tales, the narrative simplicity here leaves you with more questions than answers, inviting you to savor the spooky and make friends with mystery.

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jlhammar
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Pickpick

This new picture book, a folktale retelling, is a delight! Creepy, cozy, adorable.

81 likes3 stack adds
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GirlNamedJesse
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Otilla is pretty badass. I definitely like Klassen‘s version better than the original. Also, secretly glad that librarians were part of re-finding the original tale. 💀

jlhammar Looking forward to this! Love that cover. I was just reading this interesting LitHub article yesterday:
https://lithub.com/let-the-kids-get-weird-the-adult-problem-with-childrens-books...
1y
17 likes1 comment