The Elevator
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Yael Frankel
Translated from the Spanish by Kit Maude
“Every trip changes us, even a trip on the elevator.”
A girl and her dog begin their afternoon walk. But before they can get outside to the street, they must take the elevator in their apartment building. She presses the button to go down, but the elevator goes up. Who called it? Is it broken? As the reader turns the page, the girl arrives at different floors, where new friendships are made, old stories are told, and a surprise is revealed. Beautiful human connections filled with kindness and empathy happen in this elevator in what would usually be a routine encounter.
Green Island winner, Nami Concours, South Korea, 2021
Outstanding International Books, United States Board on Books for Young People, 2021
White Ravens Award, International Youth Library, Munich, 2020
Winner of the Best Illustration at the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival 2019
Laureate “Image of the Book” Best Picture Book at the XII International Contest for Book Illustration and Design, Moscow, 2019
Playful book design and illustrations created with drawing, collage, and photography, this is the debut publication in the US of Argentinian author and illustrator Yael Frankel, who transforms simple everyday moments into whimsical stories.
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ISBN: 978-1-7347839-0-2
6.96” (W) x 13.58” (H) • 44 pages • Hardcover
$19.95
REVIEWS
★“This playful, offbeat tale of connection with one's neighbors, filled as it is with endearing characters, is visually striking with its monochromatic palette and occasional touches of vivid red. Frankel gets creative with her composition choices, as we see the elevator on the move; in one case, it rises and the top of an illustration is lopped off. Below are some spreads so that you can get a sense of the art … Best of all, after you finish the book, you find a tiny envelope pasted to the book's back inside cover. Open it. Pull out a 5" x 5" book that is the bear's story, the one Mr. Miguel tells in the elevator. Cue the delight…”—Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast