“An Atlas Of Imaginary Places” by Mia Cassany & Ana de Lima was sent to me for a review on Fuzzable; however, there’s actually quite a funny story behind this one.
We received a PR email asking if we would like to receive a copy in return for a review on this site, someone said yes without providing an address and they sent it to me instead – so imagine my surprise when I opened up the parcel to see this inside. Regardless, what was meant to be was meant to be, and this book certainly inspired my imagination and the intricate detail certainly gripped me.
Each page is linked in with the sentence that has been created, allowing every reader to widen their imagination to really understand what is going on in each of the scenes. It’s all part of a bigger picture which is showcased on a map at the very start and end of the book, although linking each of the places together isn’t as easy as one might believe.
The whole fictionary world is beyond abnormal to the extent where it leaves the readers wanting to know more. We would love a novel to be set in this mysterious land where we follow one person’s journey through the forest and the cities and the mountains exploring each and every place of this luscious dream-land. Instead, we are shown each place through imagery illustrated by Ana de Lima, whilst Mia Cassany’s short sentences give very vague descriptions of what is going on in the scenes.
It does allow the reader to jump into this weird and wonderful dream place, and I can imagine children loving this picture book, but be aware of how short it is as it won’t take you long to get through at all, especially with the age rating of being 4 – 8-year-olds, according to Amazon.
This book certainly took me away and I’m sure children would ask you to read this book again and again. It’s just missing an air of depth and understanding to it when compared with the map, and the sentences. Regardless, the imagery easily draws every reader in.
“An Atlas Of Imaginary Places” by Mia Cassany & Ana de Lima was originally published in Spain under the title “Atlas de los lugares que no existen” in 2016. This English version was published on 5 March 2018 by Prestel Publishing in association with Mosquito Books and is available to buy from Amazon and other bookstores.