Wizard, the Ugly and the Book of Shame, The

It will take a mature child to appreciate the splendid originality of this book. The story is a simple one. A wizard who can ‘bring you your innermost wish’ with his Red Book of Spells, can help everyone but his assistant, Chancery, an ugly, sad, blue man. The wizard says magic won’t help because ‘his shame is only the triumph of the mirror’. While the wizard is away, Chancery happens upon the book of spells, and in asking it to make him handsome, disaster strikes. All the words fly out of the book, leaving blank pages, and when Chancery tries to put the words back, they go in all the wrong places. In a series of funny incidents, the poor wizard’s spells all go wrong, and Chancery must confess to what he has done. The only way the book can be repaired is for Chancery to learn to laugh at the mirror and to like himself just as he is. The illustrations are collages made of nuts, bolts, cogs, tin cans, cheese graters, paper, buttons, fabric, lengths of pipe and just about anything possible. Often cubist in style, they are also full of strength, grace and beauty. A superb book, one to read over and over for the layers of meaning. ES