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Castle of Books
Benjamin dreams of building a castle. His father dreams of writing a poem. As father and son work independently to turn their dreams into reality, they discover that only with each other's help will they succeed. This whimsical tale, paired with beautifully textured illustrations, is a lovely and unique tribute to books and to the bond between fathers and sons.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2001
26 people want to read
About the author
Bernard Clavel
194 books21 followersBernard Charles Henri Clavel (May 29, 1923 – October 5, 2010 was a French writer.
Clavel was born in Lons-le-Saunier. From a humble background, he was largely self-educated. He began working as a pastry cook apprentice when he was 14 years old. He later had several jobs until he began working as a journalist in the 1950s. After the war, he worked for the social insurance, and he could not dedicate himself to literature until 1964. He has lived and worked in many places and lived in Savoy until his death.
His first novel was L'Ouvrier de la nuit (Night Worker, 1956). He later published works for young people and numerous novels, at times organised into series: La grande patience (The Great Patience, 4 volumes — 1962–1968), Les Colonnes du ciel (Heaven's Pillars, 5 volumes — 1976–1981), or Le Royaume du nord (Northern Kingdom, 6 volumes — 1983–1989).[2]
In his writings, he employed simple language and attached importance to humble characters and to the defence of humanist values by questioning violence and war.
He died in Grenoble.
Clavel was born in Lons-le-Saunier. From a humble background, he was largely self-educated. He began working as a pastry cook apprentice when he was 14 years old. He later had several jobs until he began working as a journalist in the 1950s. After the war, he worked for the social insurance, and he could not dedicate himself to literature until 1964. He has lived and worked in many places and lived in Savoy until his death.
His first novel was L'Ouvrier de la nuit (Night Worker, 1956). He later published works for young people and numerous novels, at times organised into series: La grande patience (The Great Patience, 4 volumes — 1962–1968), Les Colonnes du ciel (Heaven's Pillars, 5 volumes — 1976–1981), or Le Royaume du nord (Northern Kingdom, 6 volumes — 1983–1989).[2]
In his writings, he employed simple language and attached importance to humble characters and to the defence of humanist values by questioning violence and war.
He died in Grenoble.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 26, 2011
Benjamin is a 10-y/o boy who lives with his poet father in a house full of books. His father writes poems everyday and the boy is left alone playing with his toys and creating images in his mind. One day, he thought of building a castle and since he didn't want his father to know, he decided that buying concretes and other building materials was out of the question. So he said, why not use the books?
This is a bittersweet story of a father and his son. And the thousand of books in their house. Since this is a book intended for children, some logic is missing so you have to read this by forgetting logic and assume that those lapses are metaphors. Bottom line, this is about a busy father and a son who is left alone and the moral lesson is: a father should spend more time with his children. Amen.
Aside from the cute cover and title, what attracted me to this book is the use of books to build a castle. This is outright impossible because my stacks of books on top of our dresser at home sometimes fall if you slam the dresser doors shut. But the boy's castle looks beautiful and the missing books, because the father had to get some of them for his poem, producing the light turning the inside of the castle like a scene inside a beautiful cathedral is just a scene to behold.
One of the unexpected books that turned out right. Reading it can be finished in 5 minutes.
This is a bittersweet story of a father and his son. And the thousand of books in their house. Since this is a book intended for children, some logic is missing so you have to read this by forgetting logic and assume that those lapses are metaphors. Bottom line, this is about a busy father and a son who is left alone and the moral lesson is: a father should spend more time with his children. Amen.
Aside from the cute cover and title, what attracted me to this book is the use of books to build a castle. This is outright impossible because my stacks of books on top of our dresser at home sometimes fall if you slam the dresser doors shut. But the boy's castle looks beautiful and the missing books, because the father had to get some of them for his poem, producing the light turning the inside of the castle like a scene inside a beautiful cathedral is just a scene to behold.
One of the unexpected books that turned out right. Reading it can be finished in 5 minutes.
August 6, 2008
I really wanted to like this. If there are two things I love in the world, then it has to be castles and books. It wasn't bad. Maybe I just expected too much. My memory and records say, "A disappointment!"
I want to get the book from the library and try it again. Perhaps my tastes have mellowed in the ensuing years...
I want to get the book from the library and try it again. Perhaps my tastes have mellowed in the ensuing years...
November 13, 2018
A brilliant story of how reading books can create a wonderful imagination. A story of a lonely boy who looks for something to do whilst his dad doesn’t give him any attention because he’s trying to write a poem
April 11, 2024
Piles of wet books left out in the rain!?! Yikes! Don’t do that.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 16, 2011
It's okay if want to call me a sucker for books about people who love books, because I totally am. This book was a lot of fun. The boy wants a castle in the grand old style, but all he has to build it are a multitude of books that his father has collected as he attempts to write great poetry. His father is so single-minded in his quest that he doesn't notice the construction occurring in the backyard. In the end, his father is frustrated by his inability to write the perfect poem and comes out of his trance only to discover that his son's great construction has collapsed in a rainstorm thanks to his unwittingly weakening the structure to find the perfect word in his book walls. They have a great moment where they come to realize that they can both achieve their goals by working together and appreciating each other more. Great book.
July 10, 2009
This is a pretty cute book. I liked the descriptions, both verbal and in illustrations, of how young Benjamin's home was filled with books. It was a little sad that Benjamin and his dad were both working alone for most of the story, but I liked how they came together at the end.
June 10, 2018
When your father is a poet who surrounds himself with words and books and you are ignored throughout your young life, you may turn to creating, like your father, your own world of words and books. As Benjamin takes stacks of books from within the home and brings them to life outside by using them as walls and floors for his own castle.
I have conflicted feelings about this book. Clavel and Nascimbene, both French, had created here a fable on fantasy and poetry but together the telling does not quite match up. Although Benjamin’s actions bring them together at the end, the message between the images and the words don’t quite support each other. A pity that there is no recognition of the translator.
I have conflicted feelings about this book. Clavel and Nascimbene, both French, had created here a fable on fantasy and poetry but together the telling does not quite match up. Although Benjamin’s actions bring them together at the end, the message between the images and the words don’t quite support each other. A pity that there is no recognition of the translator.
October 24, 2018
Cute Story!
November 9, 2023
A story that is an ode to imagination, creativity, & the bond between a father and son.
October 4, 2016
Due to its text length, this picture book finds its way into the classification of juvenile fiction. The elements of its layout, however, match that of a picture book: its shape and size, and also its amazingly evocative illustrations. The story mirrors the imaginary worlds of Jumanji and Where the Wild Things Are. A young boy decides to build a castle out of the endless volumes his father collects. Although the story has that otherworldly aspect with the boy creating a castle in the courtyard in order to find escape, it is Nascimbene’s extraordinary artwork that gives the plot real meaning. Nascimbene uses a combination of paint, colored pencils, and markers. The pictures are expressionistic, but also representational. His work possesses that unique quality of haunting beauty and lonely wonder. With his full use of light, movement, and color, he has a way of combining cool and warm tones to allow the pictures to float in a kind of spellbound zone. He also makes great use of shadows and dimensions. Although the story is not overly compelling, Nascimbene’s artwork excels.
December 15, 2010
A family favorite. The illustrations are wonderful.
March 13, 2014
Absolutely fantastic.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews