What do you think?
Rate this book
The Gargoyle
He's old, this gargoyle. Very old. Older than me. Older than anyone. He looks tired. If I had a seat, I would give it to him.
He shuffles past me and stands near the door and watches the city smushing past.
I think I hear him sigh. An echoey, achy, hollow sort of sigh, like the wind when it gusts down lanes and through tunnels and in and out of the big drains that stretch under the city.
This is the moving story of an old gargoyle, forced off his rooftop to make way for a new development in a barren cityscape, and the child who encounters him on an overcrowded train. When the gargoyle is ordered off the train, he leaves his suitcase behind. The child opens the case and unleashes the gargoyle's many memories of the city and its inhabitants. When the case crumbles, leaving nothing but a small seed, the child decides to find a place to bring the gargoyle, and the soul of the city, back.
An unforgettable story about conservation, ageing and legacies which will leave a forever imprint on your heart.
Praise for The Gargoyle:
'A sympathetically written and beautifully poignant story' Schooldaysmagazine.com
'Leaves a lasting impression of hope and kindness for our world and all its beings . . . Lyrically sensational . . . striking artwork . . . An exquisite legacy' Books+Publishing
'This is a heartfelt tale with lots of interesting ideas to unpack and at its core a simple plea for kindness and compassion' ReadPlus
'The Gargoyle is a picture book that deserves a place on every child's bookshelf. It is a book that will spark imagination and curiosity, as well as empathy and compassion' Better Reading
'A touching story about conservation, ageing, kindness and legacy' Readings, Best Picture Books of 2023
'An intriguing, moving story about the transformative powers of empathy' The Age
He shuffles past me and stands near the door and watches the city smushing past.
I think I hear him sigh. An echoey, achy, hollow sort of sigh, like the wind when it gusts down lanes and through tunnels and in and out of the big drains that stretch under the city.
This is the moving story of an old gargoyle, forced off his rooftop to make way for a new development in a barren cityscape, and the child who encounters him on an overcrowded train. When the gargoyle is ordered off the train, he leaves his suitcase behind. The child opens the case and unleashes the gargoyle's many memories of the city and its inhabitants. When the case crumbles, leaving nothing but a small seed, the child decides to find a place to bring the gargoyle, and the soul of the city, back.
An unforgettable story about conservation, ageing and legacies which will leave a forever imprint on your heart.
Praise for The Gargoyle:
'A sympathetically written and beautifully poignant story' Schooldaysmagazine.com
'Leaves a lasting impression of hope and kindness for our world and all its beings . . . Lyrically sensational . . . striking artwork . . . An exquisite legacy' Books+Publishing
'This is a heartfelt tale with lots of interesting ideas to unpack and at its core a simple plea for kindness and compassion' ReadPlus
'The Gargoyle is a picture book that deserves a place on every child's bookshelf. It is a book that will spark imagination and curiosity, as well as empathy and compassion' Better Reading
'A touching story about conservation, ageing, kindness and legacy' Readings, Best Picture Books of 2023
'An intriguing, moving story about the transformative powers of empathy' The Age
- GenresPicture BooksChildrens
39 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 28, 2023
14 people want to read
About the author
Zana Fraillon
23 books118 followersZana Fraillon is an internationally acclaimed, multi-award-winning author of books for children and young adults. Her work has been published in over 15 countries and is in development for both stage and screen. She has also had pieces published in The Big Issue, The Guardian, Island Magazine, Dark Mountain, Abridged and Sans.Press.
Zana has degrees in history and teaching and having completed her PhD exploring future ancestorship and everyday engagement with voices from our deep past, she is now officially a doctor of ghosts.
When Zana isn't reading or writing, she likes to explore the museums and hidden passageways scattered across her home city. They provide the same excitement as that moment before opening a new book - preparing to step into the unknown where a whole world of possibilities awaits.
Zana has degrees in history and teaching and having completed her PhD exploring future ancestorship and everyday engagement with voices from our deep past, she is now officially a doctor of ghosts.
When Zana isn't reading or writing, she likes to explore the museums and hidden passageways scattered across her home city. They provide the same excitement as that moment before opening a new book - preparing to step into the unknown where a whole world of possibilities awaits.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 21, 2023
Want to see more...
Bookstagram
Website
Thank you Hachette for this book in exchange for an honest review
Not only does The Gargoyle have these dark, gloomy and yet delicate illustrations by Ross Morgan but also a heartfelt and important story.
Society has this habit of forgetting and ignoring the old and focusing on what’s new and shiny. Honestly, if you think I’m wrong, next time you go to a big gathering or celebration, you watch as the elderly are usually forgetting in the corner, or even think about the last time you caught up with your elderly relatives. You can also see this with the destruction of older buildings to replace the new, which is why the Gargoyle was on the train. It comes with the reminder to look up and admire the history, appreciate what is old and try to preserve old things and their story.
Bookstagram
Website
Thank you Hachette for this book in exchange for an honest review
Not only does The Gargoyle have these dark, gloomy and yet delicate illustrations by Ross Morgan but also a heartfelt and important story.
Society has this habit of forgetting and ignoring the old and focusing on what’s new and shiny. Honestly, if you think I’m wrong, next time you go to a big gathering or celebration, you watch as the elderly are usually forgetting in the corner, or even think about the last time you caught up with your elderly relatives. You can also see this with the destruction of older buildings to replace the new, which is why the Gargoyle was on the train. It comes with the reminder to look up and admire the history, appreciate what is old and try to preserve old things and their story.
January 10, 2024
An ancient gargoyle stands on the platform looking wretched. He has been forcibly removed from his rooftop by developers. Now he has nowhere to go. He drags a suitcase with him. As he struggles to join a crowded train, no one pays him any attention - except a young boy who is perplexed by his presence but also by the indifferent behaviour of the other passengers.
What a stunning picture book- Uniquely provocative. I found myself reading and rereading this beautiful text, savouring Zana Fraillon's simple yet lyrical text. Zana Fraillon has chosen to construct a narrative which explores the themes of ageism; disregard for architectural heritage as powerful legacies of the past in modern cityscapes ; and also empathy as a tool for positive change and hope for the future.
Illustrator, Ross Morgan’s visual storytelling brings an extraordinary richness and depth to the characters and the narrative. I can just imaging the kids poring over the text noticing hidden but really significant details such as the "Demolition in Progress" sign in the subway and the topiary gargoyle in the final double page spread.
A perfect text for teaching the English textual concepts of Characterisation and also Theme.
What a stunning picture book- Uniquely provocative. I found myself reading and rereading this beautiful text, savouring Zana Fraillon's simple yet lyrical text. Zana Fraillon has chosen to construct a narrative which explores the themes of ageism; disregard for architectural heritage as powerful legacies of the past in modern cityscapes ; and also empathy as a tool for positive change and hope for the future.
Illustrator, Ross Morgan’s visual storytelling brings an extraordinary richness and depth to the characters and the narrative. I can just imaging the kids poring over the text noticing hidden but really significant details such as the "Demolition in Progress" sign in the subway and the topiary gargoyle in the final double page spread.
A perfect text for teaching the English textual concepts of Characterisation and also Theme.
June 29, 2023
Quite an intriguing story. It provoked endless questions and tangents of reflection.
I think it offers so many opportunities to utilise from a teacher's perspective. There are so many points on which to reflect and discuss.
Particularly, in recognition of the emotions and actions of the various characters. Why does this character look this way, act this way, what is their motivation at various moments. What would happen if they act differently to their path in this story.
Then, there are the memories, a lifetime of stories to consider. They would make great opportunity for students to write evolutions of the story explaining the emotion attached and why and how they had been collected. What happens now they are no longer contained? The image offers even more memories too. There is so much to explore.
Finally the ending . . . It is a lovely finale, showing hope and the offer of joy to others. Yet, again it offers the opportunity for others to continue . . . that it could very well be just the beginning.
I think it offers so many opportunities to utilise from a teacher's perspective. There are so many points on which to reflect and discuss.
Particularly, in recognition of the emotions and actions of the various characters. Why does this character look this way, act this way, what is their motivation at various moments. What would happen if they act differently to their path in this story.
Then, there are the memories, a lifetime of stories to consider. They would make great opportunity for students to write evolutions of the story explaining the emotion attached and why and how they had been collected. What happens now they are no longer contained? The image offers even more memories too. There is so much to explore.
Finally the ending . . . It is a lovely finale, showing hope and the offer of joy to others. Yet, again it offers the opportunity for others to continue . . . that it could very well be just the beginning.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 4, 2024
🗿 An old Gargoyle is forced from his rooftop as demolition has begun in the barren cityscape in which he rests. A child encounters him on an overcrowded train with an inquiring and inquisitive mind and a kind heart.
🗿 Another great book from the superstar that is Zana Fraillon! This book allows the reader to think about what the pictures and words are telling us and what message the author is wanting us to think about.
🗿 The use of a gargoyle as the main character already gets the reader asking questions. As do the interactions the boy has with the gargoyle. I love they way in which the gargoyle represents aging, wisdom and legacy. It will get the reader thinking about the footprint they want to leave behind.
🗿 A great book that requires some deeper thinking. Recommended for anyone aged 8 and older. RRP $24.99
🧠 Teaching Point:
AUTHOR’S MESSAGE: ‘The Gargoyle’ provides a great message to the reader. This might require a few read throughs to unpack with your students but there are plenty of clues throughout that direct the reader toward the message of this text.
🗿 Another great book from the superstar that is Zana Fraillon! This book allows the reader to think about what the pictures and words are telling us and what message the author is wanting us to think about.
🗿 The use of a gargoyle as the main character already gets the reader asking questions. As do the interactions the boy has with the gargoyle. I love they way in which the gargoyle represents aging, wisdom and legacy. It will get the reader thinking about the footprint they want to leave behind.
🗿 A great book that requires some deeper thinking. Recommended for anyone aged 8 and older. RRP $24.99
🧠 Teaching Point:
AUTHOR’S MESSAGE: ‘The Gargoyle’ provides a great message to the reader. This might require a few read throughs to unpack with your students but there are plenty of clues throughout that direct the reader toward the message of this text.
October 31, 2023
3.5 stars. Beautifully illustrated, this is a picture book that will raise questions and make you think. It touches on how we treat others, how we treat things that are old and looking after where we live. I found a lot of thematical similarities with Sean Tan's The Lost Thing, particularly the ending.
April 22, 2024
A gargoyle boards a train, evicted from his old, old, old building where he has sat through countless years. Only a small boy notices him...
This is a surrealist picture book for older readers, almost similar to some of Shaun Tan's work. It's probably more for teachers than parents reading to kids at home. I liked the to reference to a gargoyle's original purpose (rain spouts).
The illustrations were great, especially the last one where you need to notice the baseball cap.
This is a surrealist picture book for older readers, almost similar to some of Shaun Tan's work. It's probably more for teachers than parents reading to kids at home. I liked the to reference to a gargoyle's original purpose (rain spouts).
The illustrations were great, especially the last one where you need to notice the baseball cap.
October 7, 2023
A wonderful example of how a picture book can break your heart yet fill it with hope at the same time. The text is lyrical and the illustrations are evocative. Combined they create something truly special.
July 9, 2023
A gorgeous book! I have always loved gargoyles... And this is a beautiful story about a gargoyle. Just stunning.
January 16, 2025
Like so much of Fraillon's work, there resides within a deep, almost inscrutable, ethereal meaning. Profound and perfect.
February 16, 2026
I can't describe what this book made me feel, but it's stuck with me and will continue to stick with me...probably forever.
The illustrations are just stunning. They remind me of oil stains, and the gargoyle himself is just beautiful.
The illustrations are just stunning. They remind me of oil stains, and the gargoyle himself is just beautiful.
June 26, 2023
Well, this is just beautiful.
Here's the blurb;
The poignant story of an old gargoyle, forced off his rooftop to make way for a new urban development in a barren cityscape, and the child who encounters him on an overcrowded train, from one of Australia's most critically acclaimed writers for children.
A really important but complex discussion about what is lost and pushed out when a city is determined to always be chasing the next new, shiny, expensive, imposing build and facade that changes a cityscape - and inevitably its story.
This is definitely a book to be shared, along with the direction to "always look up," when you're in a city - any city - admire the architecture and its history, fight to preserve the old things and the stories their presence brings.
Ross Morgan's dark, gothic-yet-urban illustrations in the beginning still have such a softness to them (as does the gargoyle itself);
At the next stop, more people get on. I am pushed close to the gargoyle. He smells like the sea and the sky at night, and when the train rocks, I fall against him for just a second. His skin is stiff and cracked but somehow warm and soft too.
... but eventually a crack peeks through and the page lightens towards the end, and it's wonderful.
Zana Fraillon's story is heartfelt and important - a little hint of 'Skellig' by David Almond for me, captured in delicate picture-book story with an important message to carry it home.
Glorious.
Here's the blurb;
The poignant story of an old gargoyle, forced off his rooftop to make way for a new urban development in a barren cityscape, and the child who encounters him on an overcrowded train, from one of Australia's most critically acclaimed writers for children.
A really important but complex discussion about what is lost and pushed out when a city is determined to always be chasing the next new, shiny, expensive, imposing build and facade that changes a cityscape - and inevitably its story.
This is definitely a book to be shared, along with the direction to "always look up," when you're in a city - any city - admire the architecture and its history, fight to preserve the old things and the stories their presence brings.
Ross Morgan's dark, gothic-yet-urban illustrations in the beginning still have such a softness to them (as does the gargoyle itself);
At the next stop, more people get on. I am pushed close to the gargoyle. He smells like the sea and the sky at night, and when the train rocks, I fall against him for just a second. His skin is stiff and cracked but somehow warm and soft too.
... but eventually a crack peeks through and the page lightens towards the end, and it's wonderful.
Zana Fraillon's story is heartfelt and important - a little hint of 'Skellig' by David Almond for me, captured in delicate picture-book story with an important message to carry it home.
Glorious.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews