The Emperor of Absurdia

by Chris Riddell

Put on your jingle-jangle socks, and prepare for adventure, with a picture book from the Edge Chronicles' Chris Riddell Welcome to a strange and wonderful land where nothing is quite what it seems. Trees are birds, umbrellas are trees, and the sky is thick with snoring fish. Join one small boy as he tumbles out of bed into a crazy dreamland of wardrobe monsters, dragons, and amazing adventure. This gloriously rich and beautiful picture book comes from a uniquely talented artist at the height of his powers. With a story to enchant the youngest reader, and pictures to gasp and pore over whatever your age, it is an extraordinary achievement and one to savor.

Genres: Picture Books, Fantasy, Childrens, Adventure, Dragons, Fiction, Animals

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Chris Riddell was born in Cape Town, South Africa, where his father was an Anglican priest and a member of the ANC. The family moved to England in 1963, when Riddell was one year old, and he spent his childhood in a number of different locations, as his father moved between parishes. Both of Riddell's parents continued to be active in the anti-apartheid movement.

Chris Riddell is an internationally acclaimed writer and illustrator whose many awards include the Nestlé Gold Award and two Kate Greenaway Medals—the most prestigious prize for illustration in the UK. He is the creator of more than one hundred books for all ages, including the immensely popular series the Edge Chronicles and his latest chapter book series, starring the irrepressible Ottoline Brown, which School Library Journal called "exceptional." Chris lives in Brighton, England, with his wife and three children where he invents his amazing characters in a very tidy shed in his yard.

Reviews

[John of Canada · Rating 4 out of 5]

The front and back inside covers are worth the price of admission.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the boy-emperor of Absurdia awakens to the sounds of sky fish nibbling on umbrella trees, he falls out of bed, and into the arms of his Wardrobe Monster. Unfortunately, although his woolly hat, crumply coat, and jingle-jangle socks are soon located, the emperor's snuggly scarf is nowhere to be found! So begins this delightfully bizarre adventure, in which the young emperor ranges over the aptly named land of Absurdia, questing after his scarf, and barely escaping from the clutches of a mother dragon. Exhausted after a busy day, the emperor goes to sleep, awakening... but that's another story!

A delightfully imaginative romp through a dreamlike landscape, The Emperor of Absurdia is the kind of surreal adventure that will appeal to young Seuss lovers. Chris Riddell - who contributed his fabulous illustrations to Paul Stewart's fantasy series, The Edge Chronicles - is at his creepy best here. Expressive, bizarre, and somehow just right, his artwork manages to be simultaneously endearing and disturbing. This is one picture-book that young fans of the bizarre - or of Riddell - will not want to miss!

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Completely bizarre, just like some dreams. This book was a lot of fun. I especially liked the page that shows the “Emperor” leaving the cave with the big and baby dragons following and the text on the last page with text. Very funny! I simultaneously liked and disliked the illustrations; I finally came down on the side of feeling positively about them because they certainly fit the story well.

I do think that I’ve seen the whole dream thing done better but I’m not remembering in which specific books.

[Sanja_Sanjalica · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story and the illustrations are a perfect match..such a fun picture book.

[B-zee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lucu, dan seperti biasa gambar khas Riddell, ditambah, ini full colour. Seperti judulnya, ceritanya absurd, tapi imajinasinya menyenangkan.

Numpang baca di BBW, pingin beli tapi harga belum masuk budget.

[Wardah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absurd seperti judulnya. Ilustrasi bagus, imajinasi ceritanya luar biasa! Sukak!

[AkelaRa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Надзвичайно талановиті картини улюбленого ілюстратору

[Sam Bloom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chris Riddell has a really cool style as an artist; ultra-expressive characters, very cartoonish, a flair for the bizarre. And we're talking REALLY bizarre. His novel "Ottoline and the Yellow Cat" was one of the weirdest books for kids I read last year. "Emperor of Absurdia" has some really cool imagery; the Wardrobe Monster looks vaguely like the Yeti, sky fish float in the air near the umbrella trees, and lunch consists of an egg that cracks open to reveal... a baby dragon. At the end we realize that it was all a dream and that the strange creatures from Absurdia are stuffed animals and other assorted debris spread across the "Emperor's" room.

[Joanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Chris Riddell’s illustrations and would love this book based solely on those, but the Dr. Seuss-like good-natured goofiness and absurdity really seals the deal on this story. The expressions on the sky fish as they nibble the umbrella trees, the bouncy mountains and pillow hills, and of course the soft and huggy Wardrobe Monster are just too much fun.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

'The Emperor of Absurdia' is a wonderful book with some magical illustrations complementing a charming story about a young boy emperor trying to live in his fantasy realm.

Absolutely recommended for young children as the story and illustrations are sure to linger in their fertile imagination for a long time.

[Clemmie Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

From sky fish nibbling at umbrella trees, a huggable wardrobe monster, a toddler emperor to bouncy mountains, this is a book full of absurdities and adventure. The Emperor of Absurdia goes about his daily life, getting changed, eating breakfast, chasing dragons and hugging his monster friend. I thoroughly enjoyed it. From the first page you feel like you're entering into the mind of a dreaming child, with endless possibilities and inconsistencies, allowing you to escape from normality for just a little while. It feels whimsical and dream-like with similarities to Dr. Seuss and portrayals of Alice in Wonderland.

[Jaimie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute little book, but didn't quite hit the mark for me. Riddell's concept of an absolutely absurd adventure that in reality is all a dream works perfectly to let his illustrative imagination run wild, but storyline wise it wasn't all that engaging. I hate to say it, but maybe he should stick to illuminating other people's words visually, as that is where he really excels!

[Heydi Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic helping of imagination and creative apparel. This story is sure to keep little ones' attention and be asked for repeatedly.

Would pair well with New Socks by Bob Shea, Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown and Little Owl's Orange Scarf by Tatyana Feeney.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Riddell's work and imagination so very much. The story is a simple one, about a small child's dream adventures through a Seussian world. Moments that could be scary aren't really, because the art is so completely charming.

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun picture book with amazing illustrations (of course!!). Silly concept but would be good for a Key Stage 1 afternoon or morning carpet read. Also has some good examples of alliteration for children to observe.

[Gabby · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book of the craziness of dreams and the reality of the world. The question you are left with is this world the dream. The artwork alone including the covers inside makes this book worth purchasing.

[Zahirah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mix of picture book and graphic novel. At first I thought it's just the usual "kid having an adventure in a fantastical place" story that doesn't have any depth but the ending charmed me, thus the 4 stars. And the illustrations are amazing as usual.

[Kelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the illustrations!

[Christina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nice illustrations, but the story seemed so focused on creating an allegory of a toddler’s everyday life that the plot felt a bit too rambling.

[Lucije · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it, amazing illustrations, cute little story - I don't ask for more in a children's book.

[Dewi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kisah fantasi dalam mimpi sang pangeran kecil. Ilustrasinya jelas cakep banget.

[James Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book, with fantastic illustrations and an enjoyable story.

[Jenna Mills · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite fun

[Tor Seddon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dream like story, would be great for inspiring children’s imagination.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story time read that may well induce wild and fantastical dreams .... zzz

[Aimée · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sehr süß und verrückt

[Jessica Hadiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute short stories and accompanied with beautiful picture.

[Sean Connolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my favourite picture book as a child 🥺

[Nestor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Прикольна книга про те, як хлопчик у своєму сні довго шукав свій шалик. Він полював на дракон, а потім знайшов печеру дракона і звідти вже виглянув тато дракон.

[Tsundoku · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a charming children's book. The story is energetic and fun. The illustrations are engaging and I love that at the end you can see very clearly how the main character is using his surroundings to populate an imagined adventure around his room. I have had to read it many times and haven't tired of the story yet.