South by Daniel Duncan (Abrams Kids)

We watched the story of ‘South‘ unfurl courtesy of Daniel Duncan‘s twitter feed.

The cover alone immediately drew us in and we were keen to learn more. Duncan’s wise and wistful tale certainly did not disappoint.

In this all-encompassing and emotive tale of friendship, togetherness and ultimately letting go, no stone is left unturned in this fable.

As a burly fisherman sets sail alone in his fishing boat on the icy seas, he is thrown together with an injured bird.

Over the course of their watery adventure, the two become friends and the fisherman nurtures the bird back to health.

Duncan‘s alluring spreads envelope the storyline to perfection and his earthy palette provides an apt backdrop to this tale.

His eye for detail is conveyed throughout the whole book, from the end papers, to the braided rope on the edges of the cover to the open-ended story that runs in the background. (A collection of pictures allude to a melancholy reason for the fisherman being a lone traveller.)

In this rich narrative we witness the forging of new friendships, an unexpected adventure & eventually the parting of ways.