Call Me Gorgeous! - Hardcover

Giles Milton is an insomniac who spends his sleepless nights inventing friendly monsters and fabulous beasts. When not writing stories for children, he writes history books for adults. And when he's not writing history, he's probably working on a novel.His desk is less than three feet from his wife's, but they argue surprisingly rarely. Call Me Gorgeous! is Giles' first book for children. Alexandra Milton was born in Paris where she studied art and English. She draws inspiration from her father and grandfather, both distringuished artists from Germany. She was brought up on a diet of beautifully illustrated children's books. Alexandra worked as a primary school teacher before becoming a full-time illustrator. She lives in London with her insomniac husband and three daughters.

PreS—A mystery animal describes its many characteristics ("I've got reindeer antlers and the ears of a pig"), leading up to the big reveal: "I'm a reinde-piggy-porcu-croco-touca-flami-roos-dalma-chameleo-bat-frog. But...you can call me GORGEOUS!" The book is visually rich but lacking in substance. The clues do not lead to a solvable mystery, since the animal is a fantasy creature of borrowed body parts, and to call the result "gorgeous" is a bit of a stretch. The story makes no statement about beauty being in the eye of the beholder or about valuing uniqueness; it is simply an exercise in fantasy. The large format, thick creamy paper, and highly textured illustrations featuring close-ups of the various animal body parts are indeed gorgeous. Full-body illustrations of the named animals decorate the endpapers, providing context, though some creatures are obscured by the dust jacket. While a first look at the book is visually arresting, the weak story will not hold up to repeated readings.—Heidi Estrin, Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel, Boca Raton, FL
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