5 Cherries

(Hardback)

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Description

A book about two siblings who travel into the depths of their own imaginations through a simple game of make-believe with a handful of cherries.

A mother gives her two children five cherries each. One is a girl, one a boy, but they become hard to identify as the game goes on and they throw off traditional markers of gender identitya headband, a pair of shoesand their play becomes deeper and more revealing. The ungendered language of the imagination has full reign here as the children experiment with the cherries, turning them into everything from sleeping potions and medals on a generals uniform to magical cures and a bouquet of flowers. Facchinis audacious art makes this a book ripe for re-reading.

Reviews

"Facchini's wildly expressive paintings--part Ralph Steadman, part Chris Raschka--immerse readers in the siblings' vivid scenarios, games, and interactions. It's a vibrant reminder of the almost boundless capacity of a child's imagination."-- Publishers Weekly

"Painterly figures against plenty of white space--and those gorgeous, red cherries--invite readers into their own fruit-fueled fantasies."--Kirkus Reviews

"5 Cherries is a beautiful, meandering exploration of the power of imagination and play to bring people together, no matter their differences. Facchini's art is deliciously child-like and frolicsome and full of delightful visual cues that will prompt rereadings to catch all the fun details. This is a book to ponder over; a book to spark little imaginations."-- Hannah DeCamp, Children's Buyer, Avid Bookshop

"This is an unusual and quirky story from Italian author/illustrator Vittoria Facchini, translated by Anna Celada. She cleverly shows the contrast in the siblings' personalities - one plans to eat them all at once while the other is happy to look at them because they are so pretty. Through her exuberant and expressive artwork it also encapsulates the limitless capacity of a child's imagination." --Outside in World
"Give a brother and sister a gift of five cherries each from father's cherry tree and see what kind of fun and games (or mischief) they can devise, how their needs and differences play out. After their adventures are over you may wonder what you would have done, too."--Vermont Country Sampler

"'5 Cherries' is an ideal and enthusiastically recommended addition to family, preschool, day care center, elementary school, and community library picture book collections for children ages 4 to 8."--Midwest Book Review

Author Bio

Vittoria Facchini was born in Molfetta, Italy. After studying architecture at the Bari Art School, Vittoria went to Florence for Graphic Design. Later, she went on to study illustration with Emanuele Luzzati in Venice. In 1997, after working for many years as an advertising illustrator, Vittoria began to design and illustrate picture books for children.