Ember and the Island of Lost Creatures by Jason Pamment

Abstract

Reviewed by: Ember and the Island of Lost Creatures by Jason Pamment Danica Ronquillo Pamment, Jason Ember and the Island of Lost Creatures; written and illus. by Jason Pamment. HarperAlley, 2023 [288p] Paper ed. ISBN 9780063065208 $15.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780063065222 $10.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R* Gr. 3-6 All Ember has ever wanted is to fit in, but that’s hard to do as a small boy living alone in a city of giants. He thinks his luck is changing when he meets a sea turtle named Lua, who takes him to a strange island with a school for little creatures, but even there he has troubles. The first day of school greets him with cruel classmates, and living conditions inside a broken ship are terrible. It also doesn’t help that an ominous sea creature lurks deep in the ocean, stealing Ember’s possessions and possibly threatening the island. In this early reader graphic novel, Pamment’s balance [End Page 334] of horizontal and vertical panels and perspectives fills up the negative space to create a huge, wondrous world of small creatures overcoming their own challenges. The blurred foregrounds with layers of clouds, mist, and rain allow the transparent lighting and lens flares to glimmer on the pages, contrasting with dark caves and brilliant electrifying blues when Ember journeys deep into the ocean. Readers will connect closely with Ember via the journal entries he creates to document and share his personal feelings, both about the strange island and the other characters who have their own obstacles to work through. Young readers will likely relate to Ember’s experience that the world can feel big and scary, but with friends from unexpected places, one can navigate through it all and discover who they want to be in. Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois