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Sky High
In this charming illustrated tale, two competing neighbors begin embellishing their houses, only to find themselves caught up in a race to build the tallest, most decadent skyscraper featuring solid gold doors, diamond-encrusted pillars, grand ballrooms, expensive paintings, live tigers, and indoor swimming pools—with consequences inevitable, and not. Kids will love spotting the funny details hidden in this witty take on an age-old moral, while their parents—particularly any who've ever undertaken a remodel—will chuckle with recognition.
48 pages, Hardcover
First published November 21, 2012
94 people want to read
About the author
Germano Zullo
75 books32 followersGermano Zullo (1968) acquired Swiss nationality in 1985. He studied economics and management, undertook some trips to Europe, worked as an accountant, before turning to writing. He is married to the illustrator Albertine with whom he has collaborated for several albums. He also writes erotic stories, poems and novels. Today he devotes himself entirely to writing.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
April 6, 2020
Two neighbors, Agenor-Agobar Poirier des Chapelle and Willigis Kittycly Junior, get into a game of one-up-manship in this humorous Swiss picture-book, each attempting to make his own house the tallest, fanciest, most prestigious structure in their area. Using costly and rare materials, and employing the foremost architects, they build up and up, until finally both homes are sky high. When one neighbor's house comes tumbling down, it seems that the other has won this odd game. But has he...?
Originally published in Switzerland as Les Gratte-Ciel (literally, "The Skyscrapers"), this extremely tall picture-book is the second title I have read from author Germano Zullo and illustrator Albertine, following upon Line 135 . Although not quite as impressive as that other title - I found this one entertaining, but not poignant in the way that Line 135 was - Sky High is still an engaging and humorous book. I appreciated the ending, in which both neighbors discover that their quest has led them to a less-than-desirable place: Agenor-Agobar because his house has collapsed into rubble, and Willigis because his abode is too large to live comfortably in. The black and white artwork, which looks like it was done in ink, is detailed and full of amusing little details, with many items and people being labeled. Recommended to anyone who enjoys somewhat quirky picture-books, as well as to those searching for children's stories about the dangers and folly of overconsumption.
Originally published in Switzerland as Les Gratte-Ciel (literally, "The Skyscrapers"), this extremely tall picture-book is the second title I have read from author Germano Zullo and illustrator Albertine, following upon Line 135 . Although not quite as impressive as that other title - I found this one entertaining, but not poignant in the way that Line 135 was - Sky High is still an engaging and humorous book. I appreciated the ending, in which both neighbors discover that their quest has led them to a less-than-desirable place: Agenor-Agobar because his house has collapsed into rubble, and Willigis because his abode is too large to live comfortably in. The black and white artwork, which looks like it was done in ink, is detailed and full of amusing little details, with many items and people being labeled. Recommended to anyone who enjoys somewhat quirky picture-books, as well as to those searching for children's stories about the dangers and folly of overconsumption.
October 23, 2018
Sky High was originally written in French and published in Switzerland. The English version was published by Chronicle Books in November 2012. It’s a short, funny story about two neighbors, Agenor-Agobar Poirier des Chapelles and Willigis Kittycly Junior, competing to build the tallest, grandest mansion. I wouldn’t have expected an illustrated book with such spare language and simple, though detailed, illustrations to be entertaining, but it was. I enjoyed it.
A page is dedicated to each man’s mansion and at every turn of the page, we see what new addition was made to the mansion. There isn’t any plot or character development and all that because the book is about the silly upgrades made to the mansions. So the text included are descriptions or statements that point out a new thing that was added and because the illustrations are simple one-dimensional drawings, these descriptions come in handy when pointing out something the reader wouldn’t be able to know otherwise, such as that one of the first improvements Agenor-Agobar Poirier des Chapelles made was to change his front door to one of solid gold, to which Willigis Kittycly Junior responded by adding a pillar of Carrara marble inlaid with diamonds to his mansion.
From there the upgrades become more outrageous. There’s a tower that has a mosaic made from emeralds, rubies, and sapphires; another tower made from moon rock; a hanging garden; a wave pool; a panoramic elevator; a wardrobe containing almost 6,000 suits; a stuffed Bengal tiger that’s helicoptered in; and many other things. The neighbors also host lavish parties and mask balls with thousands of people in attendance to keep up the impression of opulence. I think kids and adults alike will get a kick out of pointing out the various items added to the mansions and just how high and weirdly structured the mansions are.
Art style:
Albertine’s style in Sky High is simple but detailed. The illustrations are one-dimensional and I assume they were done in pen (unfortunately, I couldn’t find what medium was used), so it’s just the black ink against the color of the pages.
Since there’s not much story, the focus is placed on the illustrations which readers must follow to understand what’s happening and get the humor of the book. And because the mansions become sillier as more things are added to them, readers will keep turning the pages to see what the end result is — that’s if the neighbors ever stop adding to the mansions.
Overall: ★★★★★
I enjoyed this book and am glad I bought and read it. It’s a quick read, it’s entertaining, and I loved the illustrations. I bet Zullo and Albertine had fun working on it.
I consider it a favorite and highly recommend it to you all!
As posted on Zezee with Books.
A page is dedicated to each man’s mansion and at every turn of the page, we see what new addition was made to the mansion. There isn’t any plot or character development and all that because the book is about the silly upgrades made to the mansions. So the text included are descriptions or statements that point out a new thing that was added and because the illustrations are simple one-dimensional drawings, these descriptions come in handy when pointing out something the reader wouldn’t be able to know otherwise, such as that one of the first improvements Agenor-Agobar Poirier des Chapelles made was to change his front door to one of solid gold, to which Willigis Kittycly Junior responded by adding a pillar of Carrara marble inlaid with diamonds to his mansion.
From there the upgrades become more outrageous. There’s a tower that has a mosaic made from emeralds, rubies, and sapphires; another tower made from moon rock; a hanging garden; a wave pool; a panoramic elevator; a wardrobe containing almost 6,000 suits; a stuffed Bengal tiger that’s helicoptered in; and many other things. The neighbors also host lavish parties and mask balls with thousands of people in attendance to keep up the impression of opulence. I think kids and adults alike will get a kick out of pointing out the various items added to the mansions and just how high and weirdly structured the mansions are.
Art style:
Albertine’s style in Sky High is simple but detailed. The illustrations are one-dimensional and I assume they were done in pen (unfortunately, I couldn’t find what medium was used), so it’s just the black ink against the color of the pages.
Since there’s not much story, the focus is placed on the illustrations which readers must follow to understand what’s happening and get the humor of the book. And because the mansions become sillier as more things are added to them, readers will keep turning the pages to see what the end result is — that’s if the neighbors ever stop adding to the mansions.
Overall: ★★★★★
I enjoyed this book and am glad I bought and read it. It’s a quick read, it’s entertaining, and I loved the illustrations. I bet Zullo and Albertine had fun working on it.
I consider it a favorite and highly recommend it to you all!
As posted on Zezee with Books.
August 5, 2020
Me ha gustado mucho
December 28, 2016
What happens when rich next-door neighbors decide to out-do each other with their remodeling? About what you'd expect. Rivals Agenor-Agobar Poirier des Chapelles and Willigis Kittycly Jr. clearly have more money than sense, and the book is a series of side-by-side depictions of their houses as they get bigger and grander, with captions for various elements that demonstrate the excess. (Watch for the highest paid architects.) I don't know how long it took Albertine to do these meticulous, crisp line drawings but they are amazing to behold. Though the fate of one of the houses is predictable, you won't expect the fate of the pizza. I guarantee it.
January 14, 2017
This nearly wordless book follows two neighbors as they attempt to outdo each other and construct the tallest home. Brilliantly illustrated with immense detail that makes you want to sit and soak in each page for hours, SKY HIGH is an entertaining, unique, and fascinating read. It is a book for dreamers, builders, and ultimately for those who just want a good giggle.
September 11, 2022
Read in Buenos Aires. This one is quite enchanting.
December 18, 2012
The illustrations are pretty good and I wished I had had more time to look them over but even so I’m not sure that they would have held my attention. Despite being pretty detailed, they repeated the previous page with only small detailed in order to focus on the building. Instead, the snarky comments of the decorative materials or the interior elements as they are moved into the building are really what makes the book. Unfortunately it ends up being a diatribe on greed that may pass over the head of children and if it does not, ends up being a bit too didactic for my taste. I think it might make a better video than book, in that the pacing could be more controlled and movement add to the meaning making. Because all of the visual perspectives were from the exterior of the houses, some of the really cool ideas are unpictured, such as the huge interiors of the concert in honor of one of the men’s Maltese. Additionally, I found many of the names borderline unpronounceable which took away from some of the humor. On one hand, I appreciate that they likely haven’t been doctored for American audience from the original language (German or French) but I also wish they didn’t detract from the story, not that it even has much flow to detract from. It is also worth noting that the physical design of the book is pretty great- the feel of the matte cardboard and cloth taped binding is good and the endpapers attractive.
August 18, 2012
With very little text, this title tells the story of two competitive neighbors who embellish their already attractive abodes in an attempt to outdo each other. They hire highly-priced architects and add parlors, billiard rooms, trees, rooms that can accommmodate 8,000 guests, an antiques gallery, and even a wave pool. Once both buildings tower into the air at 4,025 feet--there's a line on the side of the page indicating this height--one building topples. The other one remains, but even having a pizza delivered to his house ends up being impossibly complicated. This is a title that will have readers shaking their heads and wondering about greed, keeping up with the Joneses and who has the last laugh here. I enjoyed looking carefully at the very detailed black and white drawings.
September 1, 2012
Two wealthy neighbors compete to build and embellish the tallest homes. The illustrations are elaborate and fanciful, but I can't get a clear sense of the audience for this book. The text is tiny and includes European names and decorating terms that will challenge most children.
July 27, 2013
I'm not sure what the book is about.
August 7, 2013
Cool, intricate, Edward Gorey-like illustrations but I just didn't get the narrative purpose. VERY, VERY different from their work LITTLE BIRD.
May 21, 2014
Es un libro que se lee a través de ilustraciones, las imágenes nos entregan signos que hacen del libro un hermoso relato fino del zorro rojo
April 9, 2016
This sometimes wordless book shows how having it all may not be all that it seems. The unique ending was a highlight.
November 6, 2016
It is a imaginative book with no actual reference to architecture and has amazing pictures.
May 21, 2017
A simple idea, competing neighbours trying to outdo each other, is given an elegant and witty visual expression in this well designed and charming book.
December 17, 2012
A lovely picture book for all ages. Wonderful pen and ink creativity and ver subtle humor.
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January 2, 2018loved it! A graphic novel about architecture, neighbours and a race spiked with humour. I'll definitely read more of these.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews