The Strange Appearance of Howard Cranebill

I have always wanted to read Henrik Drescher's first children's book and I have finally got a chance to read it! "The Strange Appearance of Howard Cranebill" is the New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book of 1982 and Henrik Drescher's first children's book and it is about how a lonely couple found a long nosed baby on their doorsteps and they decided to take care of the baby. "The Strange Appearance of Howard Cranebill" is truly one of the most beautiful and emotional books ever created for children! When I first read this book, I would have never guessed that Henrik Drescher would write and illustrate a book with such elegant and simplistic illustrations and also create an emotional picture book about the importance of family, since Henrik Drescher is well known for creating books that are filled with surrealism and chaotic situations. Henrik Drescher's writing is emotional and cute at the same time as children can easily see the love and concern that Mr. and Mrs. Cranebill have for their adoptive son, Howard despite his odd appearance. Henrik Drescher's illustrations are much more delicate and beautiful in this book than in his later books as the characters look somewhat more realistic and yet the illustrations have a slightly surreal feel to them, especially of the image of Howard Cranebill's long and pointy nose which just looks like a pinkish long and pointy nose and I am assuming that this is where Henrik Drescher got his inspiration for drawing characters that look like half human and half bird in his later books such as "The Fool and the Flying Ship," "Look-Alikes" and "Runaway Opposites." Parents should know that the ending of this book might be a tad bit too sad for smaller children to handle. I will not say much about the ending since I do not want to spoil it, but it involves a separation that many parents who have adopted children will feel sadden by. "The Strange Appearance of Howard Cranebill" is a truly beautiful book for both children and parents who have experiences in adoption. I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since the ending might upset sensitive children.

Ok, so this may be a book more for me than for my daughter, so understand that this may not be to every child's liking, although I feel that boys will enjoy this tale more than girls for the sheer `weirdness' of it all. Personally though, this is a very touching and interesting twist on the concept of stork delivered babies. Yes, we all know that myth that the stork brings a bundle of joy to your doorstep. In this beautifully `strange' little book, the Cranebill's desperately want a child yet have never been able to have one. One day they find a little boy in a tree outside their home. They notice the boys face is strangely shaped, that his nose is long and pointy and this makes many things difficult for the child (like eating and avoiding walls). They try and find out what is wrong but to no avail. Regardless of this deformity, they love him dearly. And then he retreats back to the tree, grows feathered wings and eventually becomes a bird and flies away. It's a genuinely touching little book that may be strange, but it doesn't lack substance within the style. It is uniquely illustrated, which made me excited. My wife thinks that the drawings are creepy, but I loved that feel (and the flourished of color here and there are a nice touch). Like I said, this is more of a children's book for adults. Your kid may love this, and I think that for older kids (5+) this would be a great read. My daughter is 2 and she likes it, and I only expect her to like it more as she gets older. I think that if the child can appreciate how much they mean to their parents then they will certainly appreciate how special a book like `The Strange Appearance of Howard Cranebill' really is.

When I was a wee one, this was one of my favourite books. Little Howard is delivered in a basket to loving but childless parents, who notice his unnaturally long nose. They try to ascertain the cause of his malformation, as he has trouble eating doughnuts and often runs into walls. He's fixated on a tree outside the house, and often tries to climb it. One day he gets too high and can't be reached and won't come down. As time passes his arms turn to wings, and his once unnatural nose turns to a beak that suits his new form much better. He flies south with the other birds, but always comes back to visit the parents who cared for him. The illustrations are charming, the story sublime. I recommend this book for young children, aged up to 5 or 6.