#467 of 1001 · November 10, 2021

This magical adventure story is a narrative and visual treat: Lilith Norman and Maxim Svetlanov’s Aphanasy. The merchants of the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod have heard stories of the faraway land of India, both wondrous and fearsome. One old merchant volunteers to send his son, a young man named Aphanasy, to make the journey. Aphanasy and his crew sail off through treacherous waters past mermaids, witches, and monstrous birds. They escape imprisonment in the dungeons of a Persian sultan, navigate a desert full of sand devils, and finally reach India, where they trade peacefully with the Maharaja and set sail for home. Norman’s text, based on an original story by Svetlana Svetlanova, dazzles with dangerous twists and turns before coming to a serene finish. The saturated red, green, and blue figures of Svetlanov’s dazzling art are framed with eye-poppingly intricate borders and accented with gleaming gold. #ship #russia #russian #persian #india #adventure #magic #book #books #childrensbooks #beautifulbook #beautifulbooks #picturebook #picturebooks #picturebookillustration #picturebookart #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks