The Rock from the Sky
- Downloads：6480
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-12 01:31:04
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Jon Klassen
- ISBN：1536215627
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
S
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I am glad the world is bizarre。 This book helps keep it so。
Tricia
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My LR4S review - https://www。lovereading4schools。co。uk。。。 My LR4S review - https://www。lovereading4schools。co。uk。。。 。。。more
Alissa Tsaparikos
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Signature Klassen wit and use of illustrations and now text make this another great laugh out loud read。 His work， clever to the point of simplicity， never fails to delight me。
Paola
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Beware！ Don'tl let your kids watch or read to much science-fiction: they might end up like Jon Klassen。Utterly absurd and absurdly funny， make me laugh out loud several times in the middle of the bookshop。 Beware！ Don'tl let your kids watch or read to much science-fiction: they might end up like Jon Klassen。Utterly absurd and absurdly funny， make me laugh out loud several times in the middle of the bookshop。 。。。more
Librariann
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A masterpiece of shifty eyes。
Hannah Thaggard
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Revolutionary。 A bright spot for literature but also humanity and myself and maybe even the Lord in heaven？？？？？ We just don’t know
Michele Knott
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Jon Klassen and his use of eyes is comedic genius。
Barbara
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It would be hard to top Jon Klassen's beloved This Is Not My Hat， one of my all-time favorite Caldecott Medalists， but this picture book just might have done that。 With digital and watercolor images filled with tints and tones， the book will have readers pondering friendship， fate， and the lucky and unlucky accidents that happen along the way。 In life sometimes it's hard to understand why good or bad things happen or why we barely miss having our very existence snuffed out。 The story is told in It would be hard to top Jon Klassen's beloved This Is Not My Hat， one of my all-time favorite Caldecott Medalists， but this picture book just might have done that。 With digital and watercolor images filled with tints and tones， the book will have readers pondering friendship， fate， and the lucky and unlucky accidents that happen along the way。 In life sometimes it's hard to understand why good or bad things happen or why we barely miss having our very existence snuffed out。 The story is told in five sections or vignettes: The Rock， The Fall， The Future， The Sunset， and No More Room。 In the first part of the main story， Turtle has this particular spot that he prefers， and when his friend Armadillo arrives， he suggests that he join him on that spot。 But Armadillo has a bad feeling about it， and he moves off to another spot。 Turtle is insistent that Armadillo join him， and when his friend seems to ignore him or the two can't communicate， he moves closer to Armadillo。 Just in the nick of time because a huge rock plummets from the sky， landing right where Turtle had been standing。 The second part of the book deals with Turtle's fall from the rock while climbing it and his insistence that he needs no help in getting back on his feet。 In the third story， Turtle and Armadillo project what the future might hold in store as plants grow around the rock， but there is also a destructive entity that threatens the new foliage。 In the fourth section， Armadillo and Snake are kicked back watching the sun go down and painting the sky extraordinary colors。 Turtle wants to join them， but he spends so much time asking questions that he misses the whole thing。 The book concludes with a final section that allows the story to come full circle。 Snake and Turtle have fallen asleep next to the first rock that fell from the sky， and Turtle feels left out。 First， he decides to leave and never come back， and when they don't react， he comes closer so that they can hear him。 But something dangerous is on his heels， and from their expressive eyes， they are sure that Turtle has unwittingly become the agent of their doom。 But then the unexpected happens， and life goes on。 Readers will fully applaud this ending， and then perhaps find themselves thinking about what might have happened had that rock not fallen at just the right place at just the right time。 Klassen somehow manages to speak volumes with minimal text and just the right positioning of his characters or the startled look in their eyes。 This picture book is another winner from this talented creator。 Anyone who has enjoyed his previous books will want to add this one to their collection。 。。。more
Edward Sullivan
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Jon Klassen's darkly comic， droll， deadpan storytelling is sort of like Samuel Beckett for young readers。 Jon Klassen's darkly comic， droll， deadpan storytelling is sort of like Samuel Beckett for young readers。 。。。more
Brooke
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The Rock from the Sky by Jon Klassen; review by Julie DanielsonGrade Level: K-3Lexile Level: BR160-985LIn this collection of five connected short stories， clocking in at over ninety pages and composed solely of dialogue， Klassen introduces readers to a turtle， an armadillo， and a snake—all in hats， of course。 And because this is a deeply strange set of stories， there is also an alien creature and the book title’s meteor。 As with I Want My Hat Back （rev。 11/11）， font colors are assigned to each c The Rock from the Sky by Jon Klassen; review by Julie DanielsonGrade Level: K-3Lexile Level: BR160-985LIn this collection of five connected short stories， clocking in at over ninety pages and composed solely of dialogue， Klassen introduces readers to a turtle， an armadillo， and a snake—all in hats， of course。 And because this is a deeply strange set of stories， there is also an alien creature and the book title’s meteor。 As with I Want My Hat Back （rev。 11/11）， font colors are assigned to each character， providing clues as to who is speaking。 The first story is all about a close call; the second， saving face; the third， a fantastical creature from the future （a gigantic eyeball on six towering legs that can shoot fire from its pupil）; the fourth， a failed attempt to appreciate beauty; and the fifth， hurt feelings。 Klassen masterfully builds suspense， particularly in the first story: readers know that a massive rock is falling from the sky， while characters continually change （precarious） position on the page。 （No worries: noanimals were harmed in the making of this book， though the same can’t be saidfor an orange flower and， eventually， the alien visitor。） Throughout， Klassen’s characteristically deadpan humor refuses to patronize readers; he lets them in on the joke， as always， by putting them one step ahead of the protagonists。 Smart， funny， and offbeat， this is quintessential Klassen。 。。。more
Eva Nebbia
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I loved this so much。 So funny and charming， as always。
Katie
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Jon Klassen books always deliver on so many levels and this is another hit！ This dark comedy set in chapters is one that you need to read the text and read the pictures。 Some of those pictures were hilarious！ Loved the side-eye！ This is a book I will enjoy sharing with students and rereading over and over！
Dawn Rutherford
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I'm not entirely sure what to make of this book。 I appreciate the art and the tension in the book， but am （as always with Klassen） a bit ill at ease with the plot。 I feel he has carved out his own genre in picture books， which I very much respect。 I'm very curious how kids would react to this stuff。 I'm not entirely sure what to make of this book。 I appreciate the art and the tension in the book， but am （as always with Klassen） a bit ill at ease with the plot。 I feel he has carved out his own genre in picture books， which I very much respect。 I'm very curious how kids would react to this stuff。 。。。more
Betsy
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I do not think I would want to be Jon Klassen。 Not because he isn’t a nice guy or anything。 He’s nice as they come。 But when he broke， he broke hard。 I Want My Hat Back was a sensation above and beyond the predictable。 One minute it’s just a cute book about a bear and his missing hat， and the next you’re seeing Dr。 Who memes referencing it on Buzzfeed。 Klassen’s style also became replicated far and wide。 I well remember an illustrator of my acquaintance grumbling that everyone was trying to make I do not think I would want to be Jon Klassen。 Not because he isn’t a nice guy or anything。 He’s nice as they come。 But when he broke， he broke hard。 I Want My Hat Back was a sensation above and beyond the predictable。 One minute it’s just a cute book about a bear and his missing hat， and the next you’re seeing Dr。 Who memes referencing it on Buzzfeed。 Klassen’s style also became replicated far and wide。 I well remember an illustrator of my acquaintance grumbling that everyone was trying to make their books look like Jon Klassen now。 Klassen wrote three picture books about animals and their hats and has since spent the rest of his time illustrating books by a variety of cool authors。 So I think it would be hard to be Mr。 Klassen。 If you're him people probably think they know what you’re going to do next。 Perhaps that’s why I was so excited to see his art for Amy Timberlake’s Skunk and Badger， which （amongst other things） showed animals SMILING for crying out loud。 In light of that sea change， The Rock From the Sky might feel like a step back into familiar territory。 Here we have animals and hats and mysterious goings on。 But read it cover to cover and you’re just swept up in a book that cultivates a singular sense of comic timing and tone policing that never falters or strays。 It is， in fact， his best book to date。 Period。Five chapters illustrate the small adventures of three behatted creatures: A turtle， an armadillo， and a silent snake。 In the first story， the turtle is very fond of a spot， but the armadillo has a bad feeling about it。 In the second story， turtle has fallen but refuses to concede that it may need help。 In the third story， the armadillo and turtle imagine what the future might be like， but this goes in an unexpected direction。 In the fourth， the armadillo and snake are enjoying the sunset 。 。 。 until they aren’t。 Finally， in the last story， turtle is peeved that there’s no space to sleep beside the rock and decides to make its friends feel bad about that fact。 On their surface， they don’t sound like much。 Taken together， they’re sublime。Every Jon Klassen book is a play。 Or， more precisely， a play on plays。 The mistake comes in trying to identify what kinds of stage productions they are， which is precisely what I’m going to do here。 I Want My Hat Back？ A school play， with characters breaking the fourth wall in precisely the same way a child would break the fourth wall if they saw their parents sitting in the darkened audience， watching。 This Is Not My Hat？ Shadow puppet theater。 We Found a Hat？ Not sure。 A movie musical with a balletic dream sequence？ I’m still deciding。 But The Rock From the Sky？ Pure Ionesco mixed with Beckett （I was half waiting for the words “they do not move” to show up at some point）， only it makes sense and has time travel and aliens stomping around。 Some day， mark my words， a director will take each one of these books that Klassen has both authored and illustrated， and either turn them into a series of animated short films utilizing a wide variety of styles and tones， or a stage a play that encompasses all these different styles as different scenes。 And why not？ If picture books have been breaking down the fourth wall for years， why not break out the experimental theatrical performances？ But see， that’s the thing about Klassen and the fourth wall。 It’s commonplace for book characters to talk to their child readers these days。 Thanks to Grover， The Pigeon， Press Here， and more， children are told precisely what to do with each one of those books。 Touch this！ Press that！ Klassen never tells you what to do。 He never tells you what to think。 His characters look right at you but you’re not being encouraged to react directly to them。 Instead， those eyes are encouraging you to do the exact opposite: to watch them react as a series of ridiculous events are （or are not） thrust upon them。 Even when you know that tragedy is imminent， you don’t feel inclined to call out and warn anyone。 Does anyone warn the coyote when his plan to catch the roadrunner is about to result in a bad physical end？ So you read this book luxuriating in how it puts you， the reader， into this place of uncertainty。 Something terrible could happen at any moment。 Isn’t it delicious？Which brings us to the meticulous utilization of dread in children’s literature。 Or， since this is kids we’re talking about， anticipation。 Anyone who has ever read the book Fortunately by Remy Charlip to a large group of children knows perfectly well that half the fun of that book is the possibility that you are about to see your hero impaled on a pitchfork or torn to shreds by sharks or flattened by a fall。 Klassen is working off of much the same feeling。 In the first story you know that a rock is falling。 It’s in the title。 You really can’t get any clearer than that。 So the question is less IF the rock is going to hit than WHEN it’s going to hit。 Or， for that matter， who。 And by some miracle， if a rock falls it feels surprising。 And you laugh both out of relief （on behalf of the characters） and when you see their expressions。 Such as they are。In a little press packet that came with my copy of this book （which stole the phrase “deadpan gem” away from me， so that I cannot use it in this review， curse the marketing team's eloquent hide） Klassen talks a little about why he gave his animals hats （“The characters wear little bowler hats （though the snake has a beret for reasons I’ve not explained to myself）”） and how he has spent some time giving them a nice big sky。 What he doesn’t talk about is the facial expressions。 I don’t think you’d go out of your way to say that Klassen was the most emotive illustrator out there。 You’re not going to get some Chuck Jones-esque on-camera mugging from these characters。 In a way， Klassen is the Buster Keaton of the picture book world。 But that said， I found these to be MUCH more expressive figures than Klassen had ever tried before。 How so？ Their eyes。 With just the deftest touch， Klassen will widen or narrow the eyes on his characters and the gesture will tell whole novels。 I’m thinking of anytime a rock falls or， my personal favorite， when the turtle refuses help in turning over and says to the sleeping armadillo “I am never tired。” Its expression， as it glares into the distance with equal parts stubbornness and determination， is worth the price of the book alone。 It is also， as it just so happens， a book that may be impossible to encapsulate well in a review。 Let me put it this way then: Would you like to read a book that will make you laugh and your kids laugh， and all of you are laughing for real， no one faking it， and enjoying this book for the exact same reasons？ Because what we have here is a bit of a unicorn。 It’s a book that is amusing to children and adults in precisely the same way。 It straddles ages and even， I’d suggest， different kinds of senses of humor。 Add in the fact that it’s beautiful to look at （yes， kudos on those skies， Jon）， a tiny bit poignant， and contains funny hats and I’d say it’s a winner to its core。 The kind of book that comes out of the blue and just hits you with its charm。 For ages 4 and up。 。。。more
Sarah
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EARC provided by Edelweiss PlusJon Klassen's work is so much fun to share with students。 This is a bit longer in length， but it will still be a great read aloud choice。 EARC provided by Edelweiss PlusJon Klassen's work is so much fun to share with students。 This is a bit longer in length， but it will still be a great read aloud choice。 。。。more
Tabrizia
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Thank you Edelweiss and Candlewick Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review。This was an hilarious picture book that can be enjoyed by both children and adults， especially adults。 They'll have a hard time not laughing out loud at situations in the story！ Thank you Edelweiss and Candlewick Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review。This was an hilarious picture book that can be enjoyed by both children and adults， especially adults。 They'll have a hard time not laughing out loud at situations in the story！ 。。。more
Andrew
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Turtle and Armadillo leave one （very large） stone unturned when it falls from the sky， right in Turtle's favorite hangout spot。 It's a good thing he meandered out of the way in time！ This inspires their simple discussions of the ever-changing landscape， including the potential ominous cryptid creatures that might make their way into their environment。。。 even ones that give malicious stares strong enough to spit fire。 I'm not sure it's possible to perfectly sum up a Klassen book-- it's truly some Turtle and Armadillo leave one （very large） stone unturned when it falls from the sky， right in Turtle's favorite hangout spot。 It's a good thing he meandered out of the way in time！ This inspires their simple discussions of the ever-changing landscape， including the potential ominous cryptid creatures that might make their way into their environment。。。 even ones that give malicious stares strong enough to spit fire。 I'm not sure it's possible to perfectly sum up a Klassen book-- it's truly something one needs to themselves experience to fully appreciate。 That being said， you can be sure that readers young and old will marvel and cackle over the gorgeous， simplistic， and often outlandish worlds that Klassen brings to life！ 。。。more
Kristina Jean Lareau
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Feels like a dark comedy version of the Stone Sat Still。
Pam
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I received an electronic ARC from Candlewick through Edelweiss+。I appreciate Klassen's art and stories but this one fell flat for me。 It was a bit too unclear for young readers。 Turtle has its spot and does not want to move。 He invites Armadillo to join him but Armadillo has bad vibes about staying there。 He finds his own spot。 They discuss this and then Snake joins in as well。 Suddenly （though readers are given huge hints in the illustrations）， a rock falls from the sky and lands on Turtle's sp I received an electronic ARC from Candlewick through Edelweiss+。I appreciate Klassen's art and stories but this one fell flat for me。 It was a bit too unclear for young readers。 Turtle has its spot and does not want to move。 He invites Armadillo to join him but Armadillo has bad vibes about staying there。 He finds his own spot。 They discuss this and then Snake joins in as well。 Suddenly （though readers are given huge hints in the illustrations）， a rock falls from the sky and lands on Turtle's spot。 Fortunately， everyone was okay。 They move on through the book to envisioning the future and stagnating where they are。The illustrations are amazing as usual but the plot isn't as humorous nor as insightful as I've come to expect in Klassen's work。 。。。more
Jenn Adams
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I always want to like Klassen's books。 I enjoy the idea of the deadpan humor。 But I just never love them in practice。 Interested to see how kids like this format as a next step up from his traditional picture books （similar to Mo Willem's pigeon fans moving on to Elephant and Piggie books）。Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest review。 I always want to like Klassen's books。 I enjoy the idea of the deadpan humor。 But I just never love them in practice。 Interested to see how kids like this format as a next step up from his traditional picture books （similar to Mo Willem's pigeon fans moving on to Elephant and Piggie books）。Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Erin
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Fantastic set of vignettes about animals （who all have their own hats！） who see a huge rock fall from the sky。 In true Klassen style， outrageously hilarious things happen。Good for preschool and older kid storytimes。
Ness
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What a delightful book from start to finish！ The artwork is beautiful， and I laughed out loud multiple times。 The ending was completely unexpected。 I could see this being great for littles and older kids， too; it’s so funny and so quirky that it would be great with middle school students， too。
Andréa
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