#984 of 1001 · April 11, 2023

Come and witness a tragedy for the ages, as recounted in Charles Mikolaycak’s Orpheus. Here is a tale full of love, loss, and grief, originating as an Ancient Greek myth, but with a soul that speaks to us across time. Orpheus, a talented musician is wed to his beloved Euridyce, but their happiness is soon spoiled by her untimely death. The devastated young man travels down to the Underworld to beg for her release; the spirit of his fiancée is permitted to follow him, but if he looks at her before they reach the land of the living she will be lost to him forever. As they walk up toward the light, temptation proves too great: Orpheus looks over his shoulder, and Euridyce is whisked back into death. His dreams of a happy life lying in ruins, the ill-fated lover wanders the earth. Eventually, he comes across a pack of revelers, who do not understand why he will not play them a joyous tune. Their anger whips them up into a frenzy, and they tear him limb from limb. Mikolaycak weaves lines from Monteverdi’s 1607 opera L’Orfeo into his poignant text. His illustrations are executed in colored pencil, watercolor, and acrylic on diazo prints made from pencil drawings. #life #death #love #book #books #childrensbooks #beautifulbook #beautifulbooks #beautifulbookcover #beautifulbookcovers #picturebook #picturebooks #picturebookillustration #picturebookillustrations #picturebookart #classicchildrensbooks #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks