When the Sky Falls: Graphic Novel

by Phil Earle, Fred Fordham (Illustrator)

A stunning graphic-novel edition of the multi-award-winning story about the incredible friendship between a young boy and a silverback gorilla during the Second World War, inspired by a true story. From the bestselling author of Finn's Epic Fails.

1941. War is raging. And Joseph has been sent to live in the city, where bombers rule the skies. There, he will live with Mrs F, a gruff woman with no fondness for children. Her only loves are the rundown zoo she owns and its mighty silverback gorilla, Adonis. As the weeks pass, Joseph and Adonis become friends, but what will happen when the bombers set him rampaging free?

Winner of the British Book Award for Children's Fiction Book of the Year.

‘A magnificent achievement’ Chris Riddell

‘A brilliant new incarnation’ David Almond

'Earle and Fordham have created a masterpiece' M. G. Leonard

'This is storytelling at its absolute finest, art and story combined into an incredible emotional journey' Jamie Smart

Genres: Graphic Novels

Kindle Edition

Published October 9, 2025

About the author

Phil was born in Hull in 1974, and he studied English and Drama at Hull University. He worked for a year as a carer in a children’s home, then after training as a drama therapist, he worked in a therapeutic community in London, which cared for multiply abused adolescents. Then, changing tack completely, he chose a marginally more sedate life as a children’s bookseller. It was here that he developed an obsession for kid’s literature, in particular, young adult fiction.

After three years at Ottakar’s, he became a sales rep, and then a key account manager for Transworld/Random House, and is now sales director at Simon and Schuster Children’s Books.

Phil lives in South East London with his wife and three young children.

Reviews

[BookBairn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love this story - the novel is an incredibly powerful and engaging read. Which is maybe why this felt a bit flat for me. I didn’t love the art style but that aside I felt like distilling the story into the graphic novel format lost some of the magic that helped me connect with the story.
A side note too - I wish graphic novels for kids would stop using all caps - it makes a format that is more accessible harder to read (particularly for kids with dyslexia which was a plot point in this story).

[Suzanne Bhargava · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful images and such skilful text adaptation. At the book launch, the editor Eloise described the artwork as "At times Turner-esque", and I thought she must be exaggerating but she really wasn't. There are just a couple double page spreads whose colour wash landscapes of London are breathtakingly beautiful, and yes, really Turner-esque. One in particular looks like it actually belongs at the Tate.

[Kirsty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this